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Abstract

The different physiological and biological challenges are introduced not only on land but also in aquatic ecosystems due to increasing climatic changes and human needs. One of these challenges is the introduction of invasive alien species to the native freshwater ichthyofauna. These species not only disturb the ecological balance of the native water bodies but can also be a vector for parasitic diseases. The current study is designed to disclose the trophic niche overlap among exotic (Cyprinus carpio and Oreochromis mozambicus) and indigenous fish species (Labeo calbasu and Cirrhinus mrigala) from Head Baloki (Ravi River), Punjab, Pakistan, with the help of stable isotopes of nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) to trace the ecological impact of native and alien interactions. Non-significant differences in mean isotopic signature values (δ15N and δ13C) of the selected fish species were observed. Community-wide metrics (inside δ15N-δ13C) reflecting vital trophic structure aspects were also considered. The results indicates that the same trophic level was the feeding area for the included alien and native fish species, whereas the trophic diversity and niche size of the exotic species were greater compared to the natives. A wide range of δ13C values showed that exotic fish species have opportunistic feeding behavior (with multiple basal resources). The current study indicates that this native and alien interaction can be a threat to freshwater as well as marine ecosystems. Detailed monitoring is required to adopt appropriate resilience against this increasing environmental issue in aquatic environments.

Article History

Received: Sep 05, 2025; Accepted: Sep 22, 2025; Published: Sep 30, 2025

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