ISSN:
1573-5133
Keywords:
Cyprinidae
;
Tufted duck
;
Great crested grebe
;
Competition
;
Benthos
;
Ligula intestinalis
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Synopsis Following the introduction of roach, Rutilus rutilus, to a large eutrophic lake in ca. 1973, a subsequent increase in the abundance of this cyprinid through the 1970s was accompanied by a decline in the numbers of one of the lake&s most abundant overwintering waterfowl, the tufted duck, Aythya fuligula, and an increase in overwintering piscivorous great crested grebes, Podiceps cristatus. We suggest that these contrasting trends are causally related and that competition for benthos and increased prey availability are the mechanisms responsible for the changes in the tufted duck and grebe populations respectively. In agreement with these hypotheses, a reduction in the roach population during the mid 1980s was accompanied by a recovery of tufted ducks and a decline of grebes.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00002565
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