New invasive species may have detrimental effects on ecosystems. Honors thesis student Peter Jordan working with CBFS graduate student Stephanie Figary and CBFS staff recently published on the importance of a new invasive species – the spiny water flea – in Oneida Lake. The spiny water flea was first documented in Oneida Lake, USA in 2019 and reached high densities in 2020 and 2021. This species is a predatory zooplankter native to Eurasia known for its large spine shown to make it unpalatable to a small fish. This species can decrease other zooplankton and decrease the growth rates of native planktivorous fish including yellow perch. Contrary to expectation, Peter and coauthors found that a high number of spiny waterfleas were consumed by even small perch, numbers so high that this invasive was the most important prey item for young perch in 2021. They also found that feeding on this spiny prey did not negatively affect perch growth. At least in Oneida Lake, this new invader appears to have little effect on one of the main sport fish in the lake.
Jordan, P.D.B., Figary, S.E., Brooking, T.E., Holeck, K.T., Hotaling, C.W., VanDeValk, A.J., Rudstam, L.G., 2023. The effects of Bythotrephes longimanus invasion on diets and growth of age-0 yellow perch in Oneida Lake, New York. Ecology of Freshwater Fish
