Trophic Dynamics of Invasive and Native Fish Communities
Summary
In aquatic ecosystems worldwide, the introduction of non-native fish species can profoundly alter energy flows and feeding relationships within food webs. Trophic dynamics—the pathways by which energy and nutrients move through communities—shape the abundance, diversity and resilience of both invasive and indigenous fish assemblages. Invasive species may exploit under-utilised resources or outcompete native taxa, leading to shifts in trophic niches, altered predator–prey interactions and cascading impacts on ecosystem structure and function. Research has revealed patterns of niche divergence that facilitate coexistence, as well as instances of niche overlap that can drive competitive displacement. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for the management of fisheries, restoration of habitats and mitigation of biodiversity loss under global change.
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Trophic Dynamics of Invasive and Native Fish Communities publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in trophic dynamics of invasive and native fish communities across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Trophic niche: The range of dietary resources and trophic positions occupied by a species within a food web.
Stable isotope analysis: A method that measures ratios of heavy to light carbon and nitrogen isotopes in tissues to infer trophic contributions and positions.
Interspecific competition: Competition for resources occurring between individuals of different species.
Trophic plasticity: The ability of a species to modify its diet or feeding strategy in response to varying resource availability.
References
- Isotopic Overlap of Invasive and Native Consumers in the Food Web of Lake Trasimeno (Central Italy). Biology (2023).
- Trophic consequences of introduced species: Comparative impacts of increased interspecific versus intraspecific competitive interactions. Functional Ecology (2017).
- Isotopic diversity and niche patterns reveal contrasting resource use among co-occurring non-native fishes within a flow-altered African river system. Biological Invasions (2024).
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