The lethal and sublethal effects of the aquatic macrophyte Myriophyllum spicatum on Baltic littoral planktivores
Lindén, E.; Lehtiniemi, M. (2005). The lethal and sublethal effects of the aquatic macrophyte Myriophyllum spicatum on Baltic littoral planktivores. Limnol. Oceanogr. 50(2): 405-411. https://dx.doi.org/10.4319/lo.2005.50.2.0405
In: Limnology and Oceanography. American Society of Limnology and Oceanography: Waco, Tex., etc. ISSN 0024-3590; e-ISSN 1939-5590, more
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| Keywords |
Aquatic organisms > Heterotrophic organisms > Predators
Behaviour > Feeding behaviour
Developmental stages > Larvae > Fish larvae
Fauna > Aquatic organisms > Aquatic animals > Shellfish > Marine organisms > Marine crustaceans
Feeding
Flora > Aquatic organisms > Aquatic plants
Habitat
Locomotion > Swimming
Mortality causes
Predator prey interactions
Survival
Tests > Toxicity tests
Chara tomentosa Linnaeus, 1753 [WoRMS]; Myriophyllum sibiricum Kom. [WoRMS]; Myriophyllum spicatum L. [WoRMS]; Neomysis integer (Leach, 1814) [WoRMS]; Perca fluviatilis Linnaeus, 1758 [WoRMS]; Praunus flexuosus (Müller, 1776) [WoRMS]
ANE, Baltic [Marine Regions]
Brackish water |
| Authors | | Top |
- Lindén, E.
- Lehtiniemi, M.
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| Abstract |
Macrophyte architecture can structure predator-prey interactions, but it is the chemicals within the plant that may actually be lethal. We conducted aquarium experiments to study the effects of common aquatic macrophytes (Myriophyllum spicatum, Myriophyllum sibiricum, and Chara tomentosa) and a predator (perch, Perca fluviatilis) on the survival, habitat choice, swimming, and feeding activities of Baltic littoral planktivores, mysids Neomysis integer and Praunus flexuosus, and three-spined stickleback (Gasterosieus aculeatus) larvae. Chemicals excreted by M. Spicatum in a dense patch caused high mortality (73% to 89%) in both mysid species but not in sticklebacks, whereas M. Sibiricum and C. Tomentosa had no lethal effects. In lower stem densities stickleback larvae and N. Integer avoided M. Spicatum even in the presence of predator signals, and M. Spicatum lowered the swimming and feeding activities of stickleback larvae. Only P. Flexuosus did not avoid M. Spicatum vegetation. Areas occupied by M. Spicatum seem to be highly unsuitable habitats for littoral mysids and three-spined stickleback larvae. Because M. Spicatum is a dominant macrophyte in the study area and eutrophication further increases its abundance, it may strongly influence the occurrence and distribution of mysids and fish larvae in the littoral ecosystems of the Baltic Sea. |
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