2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference

March 13 - 15, 2022

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5/24/2018 | 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM | EVALUATING POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF BIGHEADED CARPS ON FATTY ACID PROFILES OF MULTIPLE TROPHIC LEVELS IN LARGE RIVERS OF THE MIDWEST | 410 A

EVALUATING POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF BIGHEADED CARPS ON FATTY ACID PROFILES OF MULTIPLE TROPHIC LEVELS IN LARGE RIVERS OF THE MIDWEST

Literature indicates that the establishment of bigheaded carp has led to a reduction in condition of native planktivores and may detrimentally affect other trophic levels by altering the base of aquatic food webs. We used fatty acids to evaluate potential effects of bigheaded carp on taxa from multiple trophic levels in the Upper Mississippi, Illinois, and St. Croix rivers. Seston fatty acid concentrations were highest in the Illinois River, indicating that these locations had abundant, high-quality basal food resources despite hosting the greatest carp densities. Fatty acid content of gizzard shad was lowest in the Illinois River, and multivariate models identified bigheaded carp densities as the predictive factor that explained the greatest amount of variability. Zooplankton abundance has been greatly reduced after bigheaded carp establishment in the Illinois River, which may explain the disconnect between the gizzard shad fatty acids and the plentiful, high-quality phytoplankton in that river. Freshwater mussel, hydropsychid caddisfly, and bluegill fatty acids did not reflect the carp abundance gradient, indicating that these species may be less affected. Our data provide additional evidence that bigheaded carp are negatively affecting native planktivores such as gizzard shad.

Food Webs
Invasive
Phytoplankton

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Presenters/Authors

Andrea Fritts (), U.S. Geological Survey, afritts@usgs.gov;