Predation of invasive silver carp by native largemouth bass is size-selective in the Illinois River.

Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) are a nonnative, planktivorous, and highly invasive species of cyprinid located throughout the Mississippi River Basin. Although they co-occur with largemouth bass (Micropterus nigricans), an abundant native predatory fish, their predator-prey relationship is poorly understood. This potential relationship warrants investigation as largemouth bass are large-gaped predators capable of exhibiting top-down control on planktivorous fishes.

Hydrology controls recruitment of two invasive cyprinids: bigheaded carp reproduction in a navigable large river.

In the Mississippi River Basin of North America, invasive bigheaded carp (silver carp and bighead carp , also referred to as Asian carp) have spread rapidly over the past several decades. In the Illinois River, an important tributary of the Upper Mississippi River, reproduction appears to be sporadic and frequently unsuccessful, yet bigheaded carp densities in this river are among the highest recorded on the continent. Understanding the causative factors behind erratic recruitment in this commercially-harvested invasive species is important for both limiting their spread and managing their harvest.

Loss of rare fish species from tropical floodplain food webs affects community structure and ecosystem multifunctionality in a mesocosm experiment.

Experiments with realistic scenarios of species loss from multitrophic ecosystems may improve insight into how biodiversity affects ecosystem functioning. Using 1000 L mesocoms, we examined effects of nonrandom species loss on community structure and ecosystem functioning of experimental food webs based on multitrophic tropical floodplain lagoon ecosystems. Realistic biodiversity scenarios were developed based on long-term field surveys, and experimental assemblages replicated sequential loss of rare species which occurred across all trophic levels of these complex food webs.