Title
Differentiating the effects of two invasive fish on native invertebrates of Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge
Faculty Mentor
Dr. A. Ross Black
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Document Type
Oral Presentation
Publication Date
2020
Department
Biology
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate the impacts of two invasive fish within the historically fishless wetlands of Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge (TNWR) in Cheney, Washington. The brook stickleback, Culaea inconstans, and pumpkinseed, Lepomis gibbosus, have invaded many of the lakes at TNWR, sometimes co-invading the same waterbodies. Past studies have indicated that these fish impact food web structure, but these studies have not differentiated between the two. The following proposed study aims to disentangle the individual impacts of these fish to determine their effects on native invertebrates. To do this, three lakes will be sampled from each of the following four categories: fishless, brook stickleback invaded, pumpkinseed invaded, and co-invaded for a total of 12 lakes. Sampled lakes will be compared through the abundance and diversity of invertebrates and through stable isotope analysis (13C and 15N ratios). The results of this study will provide insights on the dynamics of multiple species invasions on food webs and the native species of wetlands. These insights will ultimately aid managers at TNWR and other wetlands in mitigating the harm caused by invasive fish.
Recommended Citation
Richardson, Sarah, "Differentiating the effects of two invasive fish on native invertebrates of Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge" (2020). 2020 Symposium Oral Presentations. 24.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2020_oral_presentations/24
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
