How to translate text using browser tools
1 December 2008 Fish and Macroinvertebrate Communities in Tributary Streams of Eastern Lake Erie with and without Round Gobies (Neogobius melanostomus, Pallas 1814)
Peter J. Krakowiak, Christopher M. Pennuto
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Round gobies have had significant impacts on benthic fish and invertebrate communities in nearshore habitats of the Great Lakes. As round gobies have become more abundant in lake habitats, there has been an expansion of their populations into tributary streams and rivers. We compared stream invertebrate and fish communities in New York tributaries to Lake Erie with round gobies present and absent. Four of six benthic invertebrate metrics differed between streams with and without round gobies. Streams with round gobies present had reduced Shannon diversity, EPT richness, and EPT/chironomid ratios, and increased macroinvertebrate density relative to streams without round gobies, but there was no difference in non-Diptera density, or total taxa richness. None of the four fish metrics examined differed between streams with and without round gobies. However, darters occurred in all streams lacking round gobies, but did not occur in any streams with round gobies. Comparisons with historical fish and macroinvertebrate distributional data support our suspicion of goby-induced community changes. In these New York streams, round gobies seem to have had significant impacts on invertebrate communities via their consumptive behavior, whereas the impacts on fish communities are less evident. If round gobies continue to expand their distribution inland, the resultant alterations in macroinvertebrate communities may impact the suitability of tributary streams as spawning and nursery habitat for several sport fish species and for energy dynamics in tributary streams.

Peter J. Krakowiak and Christopher M. Pennuto "Fish and Macroinvertebrate Communities in Tributary Streams of Eastern Lake Erie with and without Round Gobies (Neogobius melanostomus, Pallas 1814)," Journal of Great Lakes Research 34(4), 675-689, (1 December 2008). https://doi.org/10.3394/0380-1330-34.4.675
Received: 10 September 2007; Accepted: 7 July 2008; Published: 1 December 2008
JOURNAL ARTICLE
15 PAGES

This article is only available to subscribers.
It is not available for individual sale.
+ SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

KEYWORDS
non-indigenous species
Round Goby
stream community ecology
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top