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Reasons and consequences of round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) invasion into the inland waters of Europe and North America
Starý, Vojtěch ; Čech, Martin (advisor) ; Vukićová, Jasna (referee)
Since the end of 1980s there is an ongoing massive invasion of fish from the family Gobiidae. The most widespread and aggressive of these fish is round goby (Neogobius melanostomus). Its natural habitat is area around Black and Caspian Seas, but nowadays it is already common in most of the European rivers, Baltic Sea and in the system of the North American Great Lakes. The main reason of the spreading is transport of ballast water from its natural habitat. The success of its invasion is due to the high tolerance to various factors like temperature, salinity, amount of oxygen in water, food sources and bottom substrates. Presence of the round goby in newly invaded rivers is beneficial for fish-eating predators. On the other hand competitors are highly disadvantaged as they lose in the fight with round goby over food, shelters and places for spawning and therefore, they are forced to live in less suitable habitats which leads to the decrease of their abundance. In recently colonized areas the round goby has much higher abundance than in its original habitats. The highest abundance is in the North America, where the round goby is causing the most noticeable change in the ecosystem. For this reason it is extensively studied mainly in the North America. Keywords: Gobiidae, Neogobius melanostomus,...
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