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Trophic niche overlap between native and non-native fishes

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Abstract

In Mexico, non-native species are established in virtually every lake and represent one of the most important factors in species diversity loss. An iconic example is Lake Patzcuaro, which used to provide one of the most abundant fisheries of native species among freshwater systems in Mexico. But in the last decades, the relative abundance of non-native species has increased together with a reduction of native species populations. In this study, we analyze the trophic niche overlap between native and non-native species by using carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes. We did not found a spatial effect between physicochemical variables and isotopic signatures. The trophic niche area showed a small overlap among native species, but a substantial overlap of native species with non-native C. carpio and O. aureus. The non-native species P. infans presented almost no trophic overlap with other species. Non-native species have a trophic niche area two times larger than natives. The trophic niche overlap between native and non-native species was higher than among natives. The narrower trophic niche area and the high overlap with non-native species may explain the decline of native species populations. Alternative but untested explanations include altered water quality stemming from pollution and indirect effects of non-natives.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks to the Quirino Family for their help during sampling. Thanks to Gustavo Pérez, Rodrigo Pacheco, Leonardo Sastré, Kenia Montes, Beatriz Chávez, Valentín Mar, and Juan Pablo Ramírez for their hard work during field sessions. Thanks to Karen Levy, Angel Merlo, and Sébastien Villéger for their comments on an early version of the manuscript. This study was funded by Gonzálo Río Arronte I.A.P. and Instituto Mexicano de Tecnología del Agua (IMTA): Programa de Recuperación Ambiental de la Cuenca del Lago de Pátzcuaro.

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  1. Departamento de Zoología, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Distrito Federal, México

    Fernando Córdova-Tapia & Luis Zambrano

  2. Subdirección de Riesgos Sísmicos, Centro Nacional de Prevención de Desastres, Delfín Madrigal 665, Distrito Federal, México

    Moisés Contreras

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  1. Fernando Córdova-Tapia
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  2. Moisés Contreras
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Correspondence to Luis Zambrano.

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Guest editors: Sidinei M. Thomaz, Katya E. Kovalenko, John E. Havel & Lee B. Kats / Aquatic Invasive Species

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Córdova-Tapia, F., Contreras, M. & Zambrano, L. Trophic niche overlap between native and non-native fishes. Hydrobiologia 746, 291–301 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-014-1944-z

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