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Invasional meltdown in northern lakes: Common carp invasion favors non-native plant species
Citation:
Larkin, D., M. Beck, AND P. Bajer. Invasional meltdown in northern lakes: Common carp invasion favors non-native plant species. Ecological Society of American Annual Meeting, Portland, OR, August 06 - 11, 2017.
Impact/Purpose:
This work describes an analysis of the effects of carp invasion on aquatic plant communities in glacial lakes. The results will provide a historical perspective on ecosystem effects of this invasive species that will inform management of aquatic plants, carp, and conservation of key species.
Description:
Disturbances can lead to nonrandom changes in community composition due to interactions between the disturbance and the characteristics of species found in the community or available to colonize, producing both winners and losers of disturbance. When the disturbance is a biological invasion, it has been proposed that other nonnative species may be facilitated, producing positive feedbacks that drive an “invasional meltdown.” We investigated this phenomenon in Minnesota, where 100+ years of Cyprinus carpio (common carp) invasion have fundamentally altered the condition of many lakes. Common carp disturb macrophytes through foraging and bioturbation that causes nutrient loading and low water clarity. We evaluated effects of common carp on lake plant communities and tested whether carp were associated with increased occurrence of nonnative plant species. We hypothesized that there would be strong shifts in plant community composition associated with carp invasion and that plant species would be differentially sensitive to carp, with nonnative plant species more likely to be tolerant. We tested these hypotheses using vegetation, fish, and environmental data collected from 913 lakes over 20 years (1993–2012).