Experimental manipulation of connectivity and common carp: the effects on native fish, water-column invertebrates, and amphibians in Delta Marsh, Manitoba

• Main Author: Parks, Candace R.
• Other Authors: Wrubleski, Dale, A. (Environment and Geography)
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2006
• Subjects: common carp; experimental manipulation; coastal wetland; Delta Marsh; Manitoba; connectivity; fish; amphibians; invertebrates; multivariate analyses
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1993/235

Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) have been hypothesized to contribute to declines in aquatic macrophytes, waterfowl, and water clarity in Delta Marsh, an 18,500 ha freshwater coastal wetland on Lake Manitoba, Canada. Ten ponds (1-13 ha) were chosen for a two-year experimental manipulation study. Following a year of baseline monitoring, manipulations were conducted in 2002. To facilitate access by carp into isolated ponds, channels were blasted from the main marsh into two ponds. Meanwhile, to restrict or exclude carp access into ponds, channels were either screened or diked to four ponds. Two connected and two isolated ponds functioned as controls. Although common carp were the original subject of the study, it became apparent that hydrological connection to the surrounding marsh had a paramount importance on the abundance and diversity of the fish, amphibian and water-column invertebrate communities. Connectivity, or lack of connectivity, played an important role in the distribution of the fish community, and subsequently the composition and abundance of water-column invertebrates and amphibians. Ponds with direct connection had diverse, mixed-species fish assemblages, with fewer invertebrates and amphibians. Ponds with restricted connections had fish communities composed of tolerant small-sized species and increased abundance of invertebrates and amphibians. Ponds that lacked connection could freeze and lose all fish, and had higher numbers of invertebrates and amphibians. An absence of adult common carp may have been responsible for increased amphibian numbers in the screened ponds, however more study is needed. Confounding impacts of fluctuating water levels made it impossible to implicate common carp for most changes observed within ponds in Delta Marsh.