Título: Effects of the invasive fish Poecilia reticulata on the behavioral response of Daphnia pulex to the exotic submerged macrophyte Egeria densa

Autor(es): OÑA ROCHA TANIA ELIZABETH, PORTILLA CAICEDO KAREN MARLENE, VELARDE CRUZ DELIA ELIZABETH, ELLEN DECAESTECKER, FRANCO TEIXEIRA DE MELLO, KOENRAAD MUYLAERT

Fecha de publicación: 06-sep-2023

Resumen: The high-elevation plateaus of the interAndean valleys are home to shallow lakes that have become eutrophic. These lakes share similarities with shallow lakes in temperate and subtropical areas. Because native species diversity is low, invasive species dominate the fsh and macrophytes communities. The study aimed to investigate the behavioral response of the local Daphnia pulex from the Andean shallow Lake Yahuarcocha to the exotic submerged macrophyte Egeria densa and the exotic fsh Poecilia reticulata. Laboratory habitat choice experiments revealed that D. pulex from Lake Yahuarcocha strongly avoid E. densa, irrespective of the presence of the fsh P. reticulata or chemical cues indicating fsh predation on D. pulex. This observation could be explained by the fact that P. reticulata displayed a strong attraction to E. densa during the daytime, probably to avoid bird predation. D. pulex from the nearby Lake San Pablo where P. reticulata is absent but where the fsh community is dominated by Oncorhynchus mykiss displayed the same avoidance behavior to submerged macrophytes as D. pulex from Lake Yahuarcocha. These results indicate that macrophytes in these high-elevation shallow lakes may not facilitate top-down control of phytoplankton, since plants do not ofer refuge to D. pulex from fsh predation

Palabras clave: Daphnia pulex · Submerged macrophytes · Shallow lake · Invasive fsh · Poecilia reticulata · Diel horizontal migration

DOI: 10.1007/s10750-023-05377-2

ISSN: 15735117

Tipo publicación: Artículo

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