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Impacts of mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) predation on plankton communities

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Abstract

An investigation of the effects of mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) predation was conducted in 12 experimental ponds in southern California over a period of 10 months.Gambusia essentially eliminatedDaphnia pulex andCeriodaphnia sp. populations, reducedDiaptomus pallidus andKeratella quadrata populations, had little impact onCyclops vernalis, and caused large increases inK. cochlearis, Polyarthra sp.,Synchaeta sp., andTrichocerca spp. populations and in total phytoplankton.Gambusia caused a decrease in the PIE (probability of interspecific encounter) of the planktonic crustaceans and an increase in the PIE of the planktonic rotifers. Hemiptera, such as neustonicMicrovelia sp. and nektonicBuenoa sp. andNotonecta sp., andHyla regilla tadpoles were absent from fish ponds but sometimes abundant in control ponds.Gambusia caused higher pH and oxygen levels, presumably via its effect on the phytoplankton. The impact ofGambusia on the pond ecosystems was less in winter, when fish numbers and feeding rates were low, than in summer. Results of other fish-plankton studies are summarized in tabular form. A model is proposed to account for variation in the calanoid/cyclopoid ratio; evidence is summarized suggesting that in general calanoids are more susceptible to predation by predaceous zooplankters while cyclopoids are more susceptible to fish predation. Some parallels are drawn between the effects ofGambusia predation and those of insecticide treatments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Biology, San Diego State University, 92182, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.

    Stuart H. Hurlbert

  2. Dept. of Entomology, University of California, 92521, Riverside, CA, U.S.A.

    Mir S. Mulla

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  1. Stuart H. Hurlbert
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Hurlbert, S.H., Mulla, M.S. Impacts of mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) predation on plankton communities. Hydrobiologia 83, 125–151 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02187157

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