Changes in prey selection and fitness of non-native Erythroculter erythropterus following estuarine restoration in the Nakdong River, South Korea.

ABSTRACT: Estuarine ecosystems globally are being restored through re-naturalization efforts, including the Nakdong River Estuary (NRE) in South Korea, which partially re-opened in 2019 after decades of disconnection. We investigated how this restoration affected the feeding ecology and fitness of Erythroculter erythropterus (Skygager), a non-native cyprinid that became dominant in the upper NRE following barrage construction. We surveyed fish populations, analyzed stomach contents using Next Generation Sequencing, and assessed morphological changes from May 2018 to June 2022. Following NRE opening, zooplankton and fish diversity indices increased, while phytoplankton and benthic invertebrate diversity decreased. E. erythropterus showed altered prey selection patterns, shifting from diverse prey ite

SUBMITTER: Gim JS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12459770 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature