Patterns in round goby invasions, the Great Lakes experience, and thoughts on ecosystem responses

Dr. Chris PennutoGreat Lakes Center & Biology Department, Buffalo State College

Director, WNY PRISM

Prevention/education the least cost approach for controlling invasive species….

USGS database: Round goby sightings

-Native to Caspian & Black Sea region -First arrival 1990, St. Clair River-Fused pelvic fin-Nest guarding males, females can spawn multiple/year-Planktonic larval stage-Invertivore as juvenile, molluscivore as adults (Dreissena sp.)

http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/SpeciesAnimatedMap.aspx?speciesID=713

Gulf of Gdansk expansion (Sapota 2004)

Lake Huron, lakewide (Scarbro et al. 2014)

Lake Michigan, offshore

2015

~6 yr

~6 yr

Round goby now the most abundant prey fish in Lake Michigan in terms of biomass….

Lake Ontario…round goby abundance index since arrival in 1998, lakewide average in 2015, otherwise just S shore (Weidel et al. 2015, USGS annual trawl summary)

~7 yr

~11 yr

Nearshore est = 46,000/ha(Pennuto et al. 2012)

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July 02, 2012Pros: Fresh and salt, Good For Variety Of FishBest Uses: JiggingComments: From pond to bay slaying bass

cnrmontauk ny

• Round gobies account for ~75% of SMB diets.

• Body condition of SMB and YP improved since RG

• Larger walleye better in Lake Ontario, Erie unchanged

• Small burbot better in Erie, larger burbot unchanged

0

0.01

0.02

0.03

0.04

0.05

0.06

1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020

CP

UE

(#/s

ec)

Year

RG downstream

RD downstream

RG upstream

RD upstream

In small, tributary stream population continues to grow after 10 yr

Mesocosm studies Field studies

N.Tonawanda

Buffalo

Williamsville

Alden

DownstreamSite

UpstreamSite

Ellicott Creek watershed

0

0.01

0.02

0.03

0.04

0.05

0.06

Goby present site Goby absent site

CP

UE

(#/s

)

Mean darter CPUE

Mean goby CPUE

● Downstream, RG presentΔ Upstream, RG absent

Shredders13%

Grazers67%

Collectors19%

Other1%

September, RG absent

Shredders0%

Grazers93%

Collectors6%

Other1%

September, RG present

Shredders45%

Grazers23%

Collectors32%

Other0%

October, RG absent

Shredders0%

Grazers58%Collectors

40%

Other2%

October, RG present

Results 2010, Ellicott Creek

1

100

Goby Absent

Goby Present

1

1000

Co

llect

or-

filt

er

Co

llect

or-

gath

er

Pre

dat

or

Scra

per

Shre

dd

erFunctional Feeding Group

Mea

n F

FG a

bu

nd

ance

per

leaf

pac

k(+

s.e

.)Gadj = 711.6, df = 4, P < 0.001

Gadj = 486.6, df = 4, P < 0.001

2013 spring and fall trials

0

5

10

15

20

25

Downstream-goby present Upstream-goby absent

Alg

al A

FDM

(g

/m2)

July

August

September

F1,40 = 24.63; P << 0.001

0

20

40

60

80

100

25

-May

1-J

un

8-J

un

15

-Ju

n

22

-Ju

n

29

-Ju

n

6-J

ul

13

-Ju

l

20

-Ju

l

27

-Ju

l

3-A

ug

Goby Absent

Goby Present

0

20

40

60

80

100

7-S

ep

14

-Sep

21

-Sep

28

-Sep

5-O

ct

12

-Oct

19

-Oct

26

-Oct

2-N

ov

9-N

ov

16

-No

v

% D

ry M

ass

Rem

ain

ing

(+/-

S.E.

)

Sampling Date

Leaf decay 2010 and 2013: significantly more rapid when round gobies absent

k = -0.025

k = -0.012k = -0.0065

k = -0.0011

0

20

40

60

80

100

0 10 20 30Day

k = -0.038

k = -0.054

July 2010

Spring 2013 Fall 2013

Summary and conclusions

• Round goby has not been eradicated in any location after its arrival• Peak abundance in most lakes about 6-7 yr after arrival, maybe longer in streams• Resident piscivores in all of the Great Lakes are feeding heavily on gobies, many

with condition factors better than before round goby arrival• In streams, shredders eliminated from leaf packs when gobies present, scrapers

reduced too• Periphyton abundance (g/m2) increased• Leaf breakdown rates reduced when round gobies present• This invasive benthic invertivore exhibited strong effects on organic matter loss

and primary production

Field assistants:

Shana Chapman

Beryl Ankra

Allyse Fischer

Chris Janik

Kevin Cudney

Stephen Tentinger

Acknowledgements

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Chironomidae Elmidae Gammaridae Hydropsychidae Bivalvia Other

Perc

ent

ben

thic

co

mp

osi

tio

n

Taxon

2001 (pre-goby)

2009 (5-yr post-goby)

2013 (9 -yr post goby)

Gadj = 103.9, df = 10, P < 0.001