Replication data for: Dispersal of an invasive cyprinid: Movement patterns correlated with morphology but not a lab-expressed behavioural syndrome

Dispersal behaviour has important consequences for biological invasions. We assessed morphological and lab-based behavioural traits to test for a behavioural syndrome associated with dispersal in Common Carp, a highly invasive fish. We then correlated these dispersal traits with the opportunistic breaching of a fish barrier and broader movement in the wild.

 Common Carp were captured attempting to disperse into Cootes Paradise Marsh, a protected wetland in Ontario, Canada. Individual variation was characterized by geometric morphometrics (n=300) and behavioural trials (n=44) in a subsample of fish. Video-recorded trials captured measures of boldness, activity, and sociability. A subset of fish (n=10) were acoustically tagged and released to measure monthly movement patterns. Habitat conditions varied widely in the field, and a rare flooding event allowed fish to bypass a barrier and enter Cootes Paradise Marsh.

A multivariate mixed model was used to describe among-individual trait correlations. Common Carp expressed a behavioural syndrome in the lab, where bold individuals were also active and social, but this syndrome was not correlated with morphology or repeatable wild movement.  Three telemetry-tracked Common Carp by-passed the fish barrier and entered the protected wetland. Barrier breaching was correlated with monthly distance travelled, and negatively correlated with dispersal. Other individuals preferred the warm-water canals of the Hamilton Harbour industrial shoreline, where proximity to industry was correlated with a slender body-depth morphology. This study identified a behavioral syndrome , while also identifying traits linked to barrier breaching and potential trade-offs for fish in highly industrialized environments.