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Article
Longer Food Chains and Crowded Niche Space: Effects of Multiple Invaders on Desert Stream Food Web Structure
Ecology of Freshwater Fish
  • Phaedra E. Budy, Utah State University
  • Timothy E. Walsworth, Utah State University
  • Gary P. Thiede, Utah State University
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2013
Keywords
  • Food Chains,
  • Desert Stream,
  • Food,
  • Web Structure
Abstract

Tributaries of the Colorado River Basin, historically home to a complex of endemic omnivores collectively referred to as the ‘three species’; flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus latipinnis), bluehead sucker (C. discobolus) and roundtail chub (Gila robusta), have experienced the establishment of numerous non-native fish species. In this study, we examine the impacts of the trophic ecology of non-native fishes on the ‘three species’ in the San Rafael River, Utah, USA. We employ a suite of abundance comparisons, stable isotope techniques and size-at-age back-calculation analyses to compare food web structure and growth rates of the ‘three species’ in study areas with and without established populations of non-native species. We found that the ‘three species’ are more abundant in areas with few non-native fishes present, regardless of habitat complexity. Stable isotope analyses indicate non-native fishes lengthen the food chain by 0.5 trophic positions...

Citation Information
Phaedra E. Budy, Timothy E. Walsworth and Gary P. Thiede. "Longer Food Chains and Crowded Niche Space: Effects of Multiple Invaders on Desert Stream Food Web Structure" Ecology of Freshwater Fish Vol. 22 Iss. 3 (2013) p. 439 - 452
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/gary-thiede/19/