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Comparative functional responses predict the predatory impact of the highly invasive fish Cichla kelberi

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Abstract

Peacock basses (genus Cichla) are a group of Amazonian predatory fishes that invaded many systems worldwide. Severe ecological impacts have been reported, but no study investigated the functional response of these fishes to variations in prey abundance, a crucial information to determine predator consumption and impact. In this study, we evaluated the functional response of the highly invasive Cichla kelberi toward prey species of different taxonomic groups, and compared it to the response of the wolf fish Hoplias malabaricus, a voracious predator used as baseline. We hypothesized that higher feeding rates drive the predatory impact of the invasive predator. Using a non-replacement experimental setup, we manipulated prey densities (fish and shrimp) in 1000-L mesocosm tanks to quantify the consumption response of each predator during 24 h. Both predators consumed more fish than shrimp, but C. kelberi consumed significantly more than H. malabaricus. We found that C. kelberi consistently displayed higher Type-II functional response than H. malabaricus toward both prey species. There was a non-significant effect of predator species on attack rates, but C. kelberi presented significantly lower handling time values and higher maximum feeding rates. Our findings provide empirical evidence that high individual consumption rates explain the predatory impact of the highly invasive C. kelberi, and predict strong effects on invaded communities.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the staff at the Laboratório de Ecologia de Comunidades e Paisagens and Setor de Aquicultura from the Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido for helping with field sampling and experimental conduction. We also thank Weferson Júnio da Graça (Museu Ictiológico Universidade Estadual de Maringá) for revising the taxonomic identification of C. kelberi (voucher ID: NUP 18049). José Luis Attayde (UFRN) and an anonymous reviewer provided helpful comments. CAPES provided a scholarship for T.L. Carvalho, and CNPq provided a research grant for F.M. Pelicice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência Animal, Departamento de Ciências Agronômicas e Florestais, Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido, Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil

    Thiago Lima Carvalho

  2. Laboratório de Ecologia de Comunidades e Paisagens, Departamento de Biociências, Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido, Avenida Presidente Costa e Silva, 572, Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, 59625-900, Brazil

    Eveline de Almeida Ferreira & Rodrigo Fernandes

  3. Núcleo de Estudos Ambientais, Universidade Federal de Tocantins, Rua 3, Quadra 17, Jardim Dos Ipês, Porto Nacional, Tocantins, 77500-000, Brazil

    Fernando Mayer Pelicice

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  1. Thiago Lima Carvalho
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  2. Eveline de Almeida Ferreira
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  3. Fernando Mayer Pelicice
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  4. Rodrigo Fernandes
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Correspondence to Rodrigo Fernandes.

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Handling editor: Koen Martens

Guest editors: Katya E. Kovalenko, Fernando M. Pelicice, Lee B. Kats, Jonne Kotta & Sidinei M. Thomaz / Aquatic Invasive Species III

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Carvalho, T.L., de Almeida Ferreira, E., Pelicice, F.M. et al. Comparative functional responses predict the predatory impact of the highly invasive fish Cichla kelberi. Hydrobiologia 848, 2203–2211 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-020-04440-6

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