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The establishment of nonnative species and subsequent replacement of native species is among the greatest threats to freshwater biodiversity worldwide. However, little is known of the effects that invasive species have on individual species and specific mechanisms by which species displacement occurs. The expansion of western mosquitofish Gambusia affinis beyond its native range has commonly been thought to cause shifts in species assemblages throughout the United States. Although plains topminnow Fundulus sciadicus populations have declined as the range of western mosquitofish in Nebraska has expanded, long-term co-existence of mosquitofish with the closely related northern plains killifish Fundulus kansae has been observed within the same systems. To investigate the potential mechanisms by which differential displacement of the native topminnow species may have occurred, biotic interactions and spatial distribution of both conspecific and heterospecific groups of plains topminnow, plains killifish, and western mosquitofish were quantified in microcosms for three life stages (larval, juvenile, and adult). Interactions between adult western mosquitofish and the native species were complex and dependent upon life stage, but collectively suggested that populations of both plains topminnow and plains killifish are vulnerable to mosquitofish establishment. Detrimental effects towards fundulid species were primarily mediated through predation of larvae and aggressive interactions directed towards juvenile life stages which caused significant mortality. In addition, simultaneous alterations of behavior, as quantified by activity patterns and microhabitat use, were apparent in both native species in response to western mosquitofish presence. Because similar impacts of western mosquitofish were observed for plains killifish and plains topminnow, the persistence of plains killifish in areas occupied by western mosquitofish may be linked to species attributes not assessed in the current analysis. Subtle differences in microhabitat selection between the topminnow species and adult western mosquitofish could potentially explain observed differential displacement in the environment. These results have augmented our understanding of the impacts that western mosquitofish has on the at-risk plains topminnow, and have further elucidated the potential mechanisms for impact via competitive interactions.

Complex interactions between native and invasive species: investigating the differential displacement of two topminnows native to Nebraska