Patterns in Round Goby Invasions, the Great Lakes Experience, and Thoughts on Ecosystem Responses

Patterns in round goby invasions, the Great Lakes experience, and thoughts on ecosystem responses

Dr. Chris Pennuto Great Lakes Center & Biology Department, Buffalo State College Director, WNY PRISM

Prevention/education the least cost approach for controlling invasive species…. http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/SpeciesAnimatedMap.aspx?speciesID=713

USGS database: Round goby sightings

-Native to Caspian & Black Sea region -First arrival 1990, St. Clair River -Fused pelvic fin -Nest guarding males, females can spawn multiple/year -Planktonic larval stage -Invertivore as juvenile, molluscivore as adults (Dreissena sp.) Gulf of Gdansk expansion (Sapota 2004) Lake Huron, lakewide (Scarbro et al. 2014)

~6 yr

2015

Lake Michigan, offshore ~6 yr Round goby now the most abundant prey fish in Lake Michigan in terms of biomass…. Lake Ontario…round goby abundance index since arrival in 1998, lakewide average in 2015, otherwise just S shore (Weidel et al. 2015, USGS annual trawl summary)

Nearshore est = 46,000/ha (Pennuto et al. 2012) ~11 yr

~7 yr Imposter Lures Round Goby

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Dimebag Massena,, NY great bait ✔ I'd recommend this! July 02, 2012 Pros: Fresh and salt, Good For Variety Of Fish Best Uses: Jigging Comments: From pond to bay slaying bass cnr montauk ny • Round gobies account for ~75% of SMB diets. • Body condition of SMB and YP improved since RG • Larger walleye better in Lake Ontario, Erie unchanged • Small burbot better in Erie, larger burbot unchanged RG downstream 0.06 RD downstream RG upstream RD upstream 0.05

0.04 In small, tributary 0.03 stream population continues to grow

CPUE CPUE (#/sec) after 10 yr 0.02

0.01

0 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020

Year Mesocosm studies Field studies Ellicott Creek watershed N. Tonawanda Downstream Site ● Downstream, RG present Δ Upstream,Ups RGtrea mabsent Site

Williamsville

Buffalo

Alden

Mean darter CPUE 0.06 Mean goby CPUE

0.05

0.04 (#/s)

0.03 CPUE CPUE 0.02

0.01

0 Goby present site Goby absent site Results 2010, Ellicott Creek

Other Other Collectors 1% Shredders 1% Shredders Collectors 19% 13% 0% 6%

Grazers Grazers 67% 93%

September, RG absent September, RG present Other Shredders 0% Other Collectors 2% 0% 32% Shredders 45% Grazers Collectors 58% 40% Grazers 23% October, RG absent October, RG present Goby Absent 2013 spring and fall trials

Goby Present )

100

s.e. (+ (+

Gadj = 711.6, df = 4, P < 0.001 leafpack

1000

Gadj = 486.6, df = 4, P < 0.001 Mean FFG abundance per per Meanabundance FFG

Scraper

Predator

Shredder Collector-filter

Collector-gather Functional Feeding Group F1,40 = 24.63; P << 0.001 July 25 August

20 September

) 2

10 Algal AFDM (g/mAFDM Algal

0 Downstream-goby present Upstream-goby absent 100 July 2010 Leaf decay 2010 and 80 2013: significantly more rapid when round 60 k = -0.038 gobies absent

40 S.E.)

- 20 k = -0.054 (+/ 0 0 10 20 30 Day

Remaining Spring 2013 Fall 2013 100 100 Goby Absent k = -0.0011 80 Goby Present 80

% % Dry Mass 60 60

40 40 k = -0.012 k = -0.0065 20 20 k = -0.025

0 0

5-Oct

6-Jul

7-Sep

2-Nov 9-Nov

1-Jun 8-Jun

12-Oct 19-Oct 26-Oct

3-Aug

13-Jul 20-Jul 27-Jul

14-Sep 21-Sep 28-Sep

16-Nov

15-Jun 22-Jun 29-Jun 25-May

Sampling Date Summary and conclusions

• Round goby has not been eradicated in any location after its arrival • Peak abundance in most lakes about 6-7 yr after arrival, maybe longer in streams • Resident piscivores in all of the Great Lakes are feeding heavily on gobies, many with condition factors better than before round goby arrival • In streams, shredders eliminated from leaf packs when gobies present, scrapers reduced too • Periphyton abundance (g/m2) increased • Leaf breakdown rates reduced when round gobies present • This invasive benthic invertivore exhibited strong effects on organic matter loss and primary production Acknowledgements

Field assistants: Shana Chapman Beryl Ankra Allyse Fischer Chris Janik Kevin Cudney Stephen Tentinger 60 2001 (pre-goby) 2009 (5-yr post-goby)

50 2013 (9 -yr post goby)

Gadj = 103.9, df = 10, P < 0.001 40

20 Percent composition benthic Percent

0 Chironomidae Elmidae Gammaridae Hydropsychidae Bivalvia Other Taxon