Competition for food between an introduced crayfish and two fishes endemic to the Colorado River basin
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Abstract
Crayfish are not native to the Colorado River basin (CRB), however they are now established in portions of the mainstem and in many tributaries. I used density manipulation experiments in a laboratory setting to determine intra- and interspecific competition for food between Orconectes virilis, an aggressive polytrophic crayfish now common in the CRB, and two native fishes: Gila chub, Gila intermedia, and flannelmouth sucker, Catostomus latipinnis. I tested each fish species in separate trials. Growth of Gila chub decreased when animal densities increased, however they were more affected by intraspecific competition than by crayfish presence. In contrast, growth of flannelmouth suckers was more affected by crayfish than by intraspecific competition. Crayfish growth was not significantly altered by presence of either fish. Crayfish thus reduced fish growth by competition for food, but the effect differed markedly between the two species.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Competition for food between an introduced crayfish and two fishes endemic to the Colorado River basin |
| Series title | Environmental Biology of Fishes |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10641-004-2588-z |
| Volume | 72 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Year Published | 2005 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Springer |
| Contributing office(s) | Fort Collins Science Center |
| Description | 8 p. |
| First page | 335 |
| Last page | 342 |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |