Data from: Native freshwater species get out of the way: Prussian carp (Carassius gibelio) impacts both fish and benthic invertebrate communities in North America

Prussian Carp (Carassius gibelio) are one of the most noxious non-native species in Eurasia. Recently, Prussian Carp, a non-native freshwater fish species, were genetically confirmed in Alberta, Canada and have been rapidly expanding their range in North America since establishment. Given their rapid range expansion, there is an increasing need to determine how Prussian Carp may impact native species. We assessed the severity of the Prussian Carp invasion by 1) determining their impact on fish communities, 2) assessing their impact on benthic invertebrate communities, 3) evaluating if Prussian Carp alter abiotic conditions, and 4) identifying where we find higher abundances of Prussian Carp. When Prussian Carp were established, we found significant changes to the fish community. Correspondingly, the degree of impact to benthic invertebrate communities was related to the stage of invasion (none, early, or recent), where changes in fish communities were significantly concordant with changes in benthic invertebrate communities. Finally, we found that higher abundances of Prussian Carp were significantly associated with lower abundances of a majority of native fish species. Altogether, using three lines of evidence, we determine that Prussian Carp can have wide ranging impacts on freshwater ecosystems in North America, pressing the need for management intervention.

普氏鲤（Prussian Carp，学名Carassius gibelio）是欧亚大陆危害最为严重的外来入侵物种之一。近期，这种外来淡水鱼类普氏鲤在加拿大阿尔伯塔省经分子遗传学鉴定确认存在种群，自成功定殖以来，其分布范围在北美地区快速扩张。鉴于其扩散速度极快，明确普氏鲤可能对本土物种产生何种影响的需求日益迫切。本研究通过以下四项内容评估普氏鲤入侵的危害程度：1）明确其对鱼类群落的影响；2）评估其对底栖无脊椎动物（benthic invertebrate）群落的影响；3）探究普氏鲤是否会改变非生物环境条件；4）定位普氏鲤种群丰度较高的区域。当普氏鲤成功定殖后，研究区域内的鱼类群落发生了显著变化。相应地，普氏鲤对底栖无脊椎动物群落的影响程度与入侵阶段（未入侵、早期入侵、近期入侵）密切相关，且鱼类群落的变化与底栖无脊椎动物群落的变化呈现显著一致性。最后，研究发现普氏鲤种群丰度越高，多数本土鱼类的种群丰度越低，二者存在显著负相关关系。综上，本研究通过三条独立证据链证实，普氏鲤可对北美淡水生态系统造成广泛且深远的影响，亟需开展针对性的管理干预措施。