Cannibalism in non-native brown trout Salmo trutta and rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss stream-dwelling populations

J Fish Biol. 2017 Dec;91(6):1737-1744. doi: 10.1111/jfb.13477. Epub 2017 Oct 12.

Abstract

Introduced and allopatric populations of brown trout Salmo trutta and rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss were sampled in Slovenia for stable isotope analysis to assess dietary niche shifts through ontogeny and estimate the propensity for cannibalism. Both S. trutta and O. mykiss are cannibals, with higher average relative contribution of conspecific assimilated energy for S. trutta (27·9%) compared with O. mykiss (7·7%). The smallest cannibal was 166 mm in the S. trutta population and 247 mm in the O. mykiss population.

Keywords: biological invasion; niche; ontogeny; piscivory; stable-isotope analysis.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cannibalism*
  • Oncorhynchus mykiss / physiology*
  • Rivers
  • Slovenia
  • Trout / physiology*