Stable isotope evidence for the food web consequences of species invasions in lakes

TLDR: Stable isotope ratios are used to detect changes in food-web structure following perturbations of smallmouth bass and rock bass into Canadian lakes, showing that invasion was followed by substantial declines in littoral prey-fish abundance and the trophic position of lake trout.

Abstract: Species invasions pose a serious threat to biodiversity and native ecosystems1,2; however, predicting and quantifying the impacts of invasive species has proven problematic3,4,5,6. Here we use stable isotope ratios to document the food-web consequences of the invasion of two non-native predators, smallmouth bass and rock bass, into Canadian lakes. Invaded lakes had lower littoral prey-fish diversity and abundance than uninvaded reference lakes. Consistent with this difference, lake trout from invaded lakes had more negative δ13C values (-29.2‰ versus -27.4‰) and reduced trophic positions (3.3 versus 3.9) than those from reference lakes, indicating differences in food-web structure. Furthermore, a comparison of the pre- and post-invasion food webs of two recently invaded lakes showed that invasion was followed by substantial declines in littoral prey-fish abundance and the trophic position of lake trout, reflecting a shift in the diet of lake trout towards zooplankton and reduced dependence on littoral fish. This study demonstrates the use of stable isotope techniques to detect changes in food-web structure following perturbations; in this instance, bass-induced food-web shifts may have severe consequences for native species and ecosystems.