Trophic cascade effects of Hoplias malabaricus (Characiformes, Erythrinidae) in subtropical lakes food webs: a mesocosm approach

While the cascading effect of piscivorous fish on the pelagic food-web has been well studied in north temperate lakes, little is known about the role of native piscivores in warm lakes. Here, the fish communities are typically characterized by high abundances of small, omnivorous fish exerting a high predation pressure on the zooplankton. We conducted a 1-month replicated mesocosm experiment at subtropical conditions to test the effects of piscivorous (Hoplias malabaricus) fish on phytoplankton biomass and water transparency. Our experimental design comprised two (phytoplankton + zooplankton), three (phytoplankton + zooplankton + planktivores) and four (phytoplankton + zooplankton + planktivores + piscivores) trophic levels. We designed two different four trophic level treatments, one with juveniles of H. malabaricus (< 15 cm) and the other with adults (> 30 cm), to evaluate the strength of the effects of juveniles and adults. A major trophic cascade response was observed. In the planktivores treatment, chlorophyll a (Chl a) and turbidity significantly increased, while total zooplankton abundance (especially Daphnia obtusa) and water transparency decreased. In both H. malabaricus treatments and in the two trophic levels control, the opposite pattern was observed; thus, Chl a and turbidity decreased, while zooplankton abundance and water transparency increased. The differences observed reflected the strong control on the planktivore Jenynsia multidentata by both sizes of H. malabaricus, propagating down through the trophic web. Hoplias malabaricus is widely distributed in South America and may, therefore, be a good candidate for restoration by biomanipulation in eutrophic lakes of subtropical and tropical regions. However, detailed investigations at whole-lake scale are needed to determine its potential.