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Prey density drives diet shift of the invasive mysid shrimp, Limnomysis benedeni
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  • Varsha Rani,
  • Zsófia Horváth,
  • Jens Nejstgaard,
  • Ádám Fierpasz,
  • Károly Pálffy,
  • Csaba Vad
Varsha Rani
Centre for Ecological Research

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Zsófia Horváth
Centre for Ecological Research
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Jens Nejstgaard
Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in the Forschungsverbund Berlin eV Department 3 Experimental Limnology
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Ádám Fierpasz
Centre for Ecological Research
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Károly Pálffy
Centre for Ecological Research
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Csaba Vad
Centre for Ecological Research
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Abstract

Understanding the diet preferences and prey selection of invasive species is crucial to better predict their impact on community structure and ecosystem functioning. Limnomysis benedeni, a Ponto-Caspian invasive mysid shrimp, is one of the most successful invaders in numerous European river and lake ecosystems. While existing studies suggest potentially strong trophic impact due to high predation pressure on invaded plankton communities, little is known of its prey selectivity between phyto- and zooplankton, under different prey concentrations. Here, we therefore investigated the feeding selectivity of L. benedeni on two commonly occurring prey organisms in freshwaters, the small rotifer zooplankton Brachionus calyciflorus together with the microphytoplankton Cryptomonas sp. present in increasing densities. Our results demonstrated a clear shift in diet selection, with L. benedeni switching from B. calyciflorus to Cryptomonas sp. already when the two prey species were provided in equal biomasses. Different functional responses were observed for each prey type, indicating somewhat different foraging mechanisms for each prey type. These findings provide experimental evidence on the feeding flexibility of invasive mysid shrimps and potential implications for trophic interactions in invaded ecosystems.
04 Oct 2023Submitted to Ecology and Evolution
04 Oct 2023Submission Checks Completed
04 Oct 2023Assigned to Editor
04 Oct 2023Reviewer(s) Assigned
22 Nov 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
31 Jan 2024Submission Checks Completed
31 Jan 2024Assigned to Editor
31 Jan 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
31 Jan 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
19 Mar 2024Editorial Decision: Accept
Apr 2024Published in Ecology and Evolution volume 14 issue 4. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11202