AUTHOR=Vagnon Chloé , Rohr Rudolf P. , Bersier Louis-Félix , Cattanéo Franck , Guillard Jean , Frossard Victor 

TITLE=Combining food web theory and population dynamics to assess the impact of invasive species

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.913954

DOI=10.3389/fevo.2022.913954

ISSN=2296-701X

ABSTRACT=<p>The impacts of invasive species on resident communities are driven by a tangle of ecological interactions difficult to quantify empirically. Combining a niche model with a population dynamic model, both allometrically parametrized, may represent a consistent framework to investigate invasive species impacts on resident communities in a food web context when empirical data are scarce. We used this framework to assess the ecological consequences of an invasive apex predator (<italic>Silurus glanis</italic>) in peri-Alpine lake food webs. Both increases and decreases of resident species abundances were highlighted and differed when accounting for different <italic>S. glanis</italic> body sizes. Complementarily, the prominence of indirect effects, such as trophic cascades, suggested that common approaches may only capture a restricted fraction of invasion consequences through direct predation or competition. By leveraging widely available biodiversity data, our approach may provide relevant insights for a comprehensive assessment and management of invasive species impacts on aquatic ecosystems.</p>