Abstract
Understanding the relative impacts of predators on prey may improve the ability to predict the effects of predator composition changes on prey assemblages. We experimentally examined the relative impact of native and introduced predatory fish on a temporary wetland amphibian assemblage to determine whether these predators exert distinct (unique or non-substitutable) or equivalent (similar) impacts on prey. Predatory fish included the eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki), golden topminnow (Fundulus chrysotus), flagfish (Jordanella floridae), and the introduced walking catfish (Clarias batrachus). The tadpole assemblage included four common species known to co-occur in temporary wetlands in south-central Florida, USA: the oak toad (Bufo quercicus), pinewoods treefrog (Hyla femoralis), squirrel treefrog (Hyla squirella), and eastern narrowmouth toad (Gastrophryne carolinensis). Tadpoles were exposed to different predators in wading pools under conditions similar to those found in surrounding temporary wetlands (particularly in terms of substrate type, the degree of habitat complexity, and temperature). Native predators were similar with respect to predation rate and prey selectivity, suggesting similar energy requirements and foraging behavior. Conversely, native fish predators, especially G. holbrooki, were distinct from the introduced C. batrachus. In contrast to expectations, C. batrachus were less voracious predators than native fish, particularly G. holbrooki. Moreover, survival of G. carolinensis and H. femoralis were higher in the presence of C. batrachus than G. holbrooki. We suggest that C. batrachus was a less efficient predator than native fish because the foraging behavior of this species resulted in low predator-prey encounter rates, and thus predation rate. In combination with a related field study, our results suggest that native predatory fish play a stronger role than C. batrachus in influencing the spatial distribution and abundance of temporary wetland amphibians in the landscape.
References
Babbitt, KJ, Tanner GW (1998) Effects of cover and predator size on survival and development of Rana utricularia tadpoles. Oecologia 114:258–262
Babbitt KJ, Tanner GW (2000) Use of temporary wetlands by anurans in a hydrologically modified landscape. Wetlands 20:313–322
Baber MJ (2001) Understanding anuran community structure in temporary wetlands: the interaction and importance of landscape and biotic processes. PhD Dissertation, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, USA
Baber MJ, Childers DL, Babbitt KJ, Anderson DL (2002) Controls on the distribution and abundance of fish in temporary wetlands. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 59:441–450
Blouin MS (1990) Evolution of palatability differences between closely related treefrogs. J Herpetol 24:309–311
Bradford DF (1989) Allotopic distribution of native frogs and introduced fishes in high Sierra Nevada lakes of California: Implications of the negative effect of fish introductions. Copeia 1989:775–778
Bradford DF, Tabatabai F, Graber DM (1993) Isolation of remaining populations of the native frog, Rana mucosa, by introduced fishes in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, California. Cons Biol 7:882–888
Caldwell JP (1982) Disruptive selection: a tail color polymorphism in Acris tadpoles in response to differential predation. Can J Zool 60:2818–2827
Courtenay WR Jr, Sahlman HF, Miley II WW, Herrema DJ (1974) Exotic fishes in fresh and brackish waters of Florida. Biol Cons 6:292–302
Ebenman BL, Persson L (1988) Size structured populations. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York
Ecklöv P, Werner EE (2000) Multiple predator effects on size-dependent behavior and mortality of two species of anuran larvae. Oikos 88:250–258
Fellers GM, Drost CA (1993) Disappearance of the cascades frog (Rana cascade) at the southern end of its range, California, USA. Biol Cons 65:177–181
Formanowicz DR Jr, Brodie ED Jr (1982) Relative palatabilities of members of a larval amphibian community. Copeia 1982:91–97
Gamradt SC, Kats LB (1996) Effect of introduced crayfish and mosquitofish on California newts. Cons Biol 9:1155–1162
Goodsell JA, Kats LB (1999) Effect of introduced mosquitofish on Pacific treefrogs and the role of alternative prey. Cons Biol 13:921–924
Gosner KL (1960) A simplified table for staging anuran embryos and larvae with notes on identification. Herpetologica 16:183–190
Harris PM (1995) Are autoecologically similar species also functionally similar? A test in pond communities. Ecology 76:544–552
Hart R, Newman JR (1995) The importance of isolated wetlands to fish and wildlife in Florida: Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission, Nongame Wildlife Program. Project Report. NG 88–102
Knapp RA, Matthews KR (2000) Non-native fish introductions and the decline of the mountain yellow-legged frog from within protected areas. Cons Biol 14:428–438
Kurzava LM, Morin PJ (1998) Tests of functional equivalence: complementary roles of salamanders and fish in community organization. Ecology 79:477–489
Lawler SP, Dritz D, Strange T, Holyoak M (1999) Effects of introduced mosquitofish and bullfrogs on the threatened California red-legged frog. Cons Biol 13:613–622
Lawton JH, Brown VK (1993) Redundancy in ecosystems. In: Schultze ED, Mooney HA (eds) Biodiversity and ecosystem function. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 255–270
Lima SL, Dill LW (1990) Behavioral decisions made under the risk of predation: a review and prospectus. Can J Zool 68:619–640
Morin PJ (1995) Functional redundancy, non-additive interactions, and supply-side dynamics in experimental pond communities. Ecology 76:133–149
Morrison DF (1976) Multivariate statistical methods, 2nd edn. McGraw Hill, New York
Moyle PB, Cech JJ Jr (2000) Fishes: an introduction to ichthyology, 4th edn. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., USA
Pacala S, Roughgarden J (1982) Resource partitioning and interspecific competition in two-species of insular Anolis lizard communities. Science 217:444–446
Pearman PB (1993) Effects of habitat size on tadpole populations. Ecology 74:1982–1991
Persson LS, Diehl L, Johansson G, Andersson G, Hamrin SF (1991) The succession of fish communities along the productivity gradient of temperate lakes-patterns and the importance of size-structured interactions. J Fish Biol 38:281–293
Peterson JE, Cornwell JC, Kemp WM (1999) Implicit scaling in the design of experimental ecosystems. Oikos 85:3–18
Power ME (1984) Depth distributions of armored catfish predator-induced resource avoidance. Ecology 65:523–528
Richards SJ, Bull CM (1990) Size-limited predation on tadpoles of three Australian frogs. Copeia 1990:1041–1046
Saint JN, Harvey HH, Jackson DA (2000) Selective foraging in the white sucker (Catostomus commersoni) Can J Zool 78:1320–1331
Sih A (1992) Integrative approaches to the study of predation: general thoughts and a case study on sunfish and salamander larvae. Ann Zool Fenn 29:183–198
Sih A, Englund G, Wooster D (1998) Emergent impacts of multiple predators on prey. Trends Ecol Evol 13:350–355
Smith GR, Rettig JE, Mittelbach GG, Valiulis JL, Schaak SR (1999) The effects of fish on assemblages of amphibians in ponds: a field experiment. Freshw Biol 41:829–837
SPSS (2002) SYSTAT 11.0 SPSS, Chicago, Ill., USA
Tonn WM, Paszkowski CA, Holopainen IJ (1991) Piscivory and recruitment – mechanisms structuring prey populations in small lakes. Ecology 73:951–958
Travis J, Keen WH, Juilianna J (1985) The role of relative body size in a predator-prey relationship between dragonfly naiads and larval anurans. Oikos 45:59–65
Wang N, Appenzeller A (1998) Abundance, depth distribution, diet composition and growth of perch (Perca fluviatilis) and burbot (Lota lota) larvae and juveniles in the pelagic zone of Lake Constance. Ecol Freshw Fish 7:176–183
Acknowledgments
This work was part of M.J. Baber's doctoral dissertation at Florida International University (FIU). The authors wish to thank Bradley Bennett, Daniel Childers, Maureen Donnelly, Joel Heinen, Sharon Lawler and Joel Trexler, the Wetland Ecosystem and Ecology Lab at FIU, and two anonymous reviewers for comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript. We thank Sara Tompkins for help in the field and editorial assistance. Thanks also to Patrick Bohlen, Gene Lollis and Mike McMillian at the MacArthur Agro-Ecology Research Center (MAERC) for housing and logistical support. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 9910514. Funding was also provided by the FIU Tropical Biology Program. This paper is contribution number 58 to the FIU Tropical Biology contribution series and contribution number 64 to MAERC.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Baber, M.J., Babbitt, K.J. The relative impacts of native and introduced predatory fish on a temporary wetland tadpole assemblage. Oecologia 136, 289–295 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-003-1251-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-003-1251-2