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The diversity of juvenile salmonids does not affect their competitive impact on a native galaxiid

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Abstract

We used an invaded stream fish community in southern Chile to experimentally test whether the diversity of exotic species affects their competitive impact on a native species. In artificial enclosures an established invasive, rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, and a potential invader, Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, reduced the growth rate of native peladilla, Aplochiton zebra, by the same amount. In enclosures with both exotic salmonids, the growth rates of all three species were the same as in single exotic treatments. While neither species identity nor diversity appeared to affect competitive interactions in this experiment, the impact of salmonid diversity may vary with the type of interspecific interaction and/or the species identity of the exotics. Our experiment links two prominent concepts in invasion biology by testing whether the result of invasional meltdown, an increase in the diversity of exotic species, affects their impact through interspecific competition, the mechanism invoked by the biotic resistance hypothesis.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Abraham Guevara for allowing us to conduct this experiment on his land and the neighbors of Guardanamo for their assistance and understanding. We thank Sonia Consuegra, Jason Dunham and Ian Fleming for discussions and comments. This work was funded by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA, UK) Darwin Initiative Grant # 162-15-020 with support from the Universidad de Los Lagos.

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Author notes

  1. Jessica Stephenson

    Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Woodland Road, Bristol, BS8 1UG, UK

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidad de Los Lagos, I-MAR, Camino a Chinquihue Km. 6, Puerto Montt, Chile

    Kyle A. Young, Jessica Stephenson, Alexandre Terreau & Anne-Flore Thailly

  2. Laboratorio de Genética & Acuicultura, Universidad de Los Lagos, P.O. Box 933, Osorno, Chile

    Gonzalo Gajardo

  3. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wales Swansea, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK

    Carlos Garcia de Leaniz

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  1. Kyle A. Young
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  3. Alexandre Terreau
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Correspondence to Kyle A. Young.

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Young, K.A., Stephenson, J., Terreau, A. et al. The diversity of juvenile salmonids does not affect their competitive impact on a native galaxiid. Biol Invasions 11, 1955–1961 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-008-9372-5

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