Growth of common carp Cyprinus carpio in Anatolia (Turkey), with a comparison to native and invasive areas worldwide

• DOI: 10.1111/eff.12141
• Publication Date: 2014-05-12T05:55:07Z
• Authors: Lorenzo Vilizzi; F. Güler Ekmekçi; Ali Serhan Tarkan; Zachary J. Jackson
• Keywords: Common carp

Abstract Common carp Cyprinus carpio occurs in several non‐native areas worldwide, where it is generally regarded as either naturalised or invasive. Anatolia (Turkey) represents a unique region for evaluating common growth, due both to its location at the southernmost range of expansion species' wild form and most water bodies having been stocked with domesticated strains. Based on review length‐at‐age data stocks from 45 sampled between 1953 2007, regional patterns growth across climates, body types, scalation variants sexes, along altitudinal gradients performance mortality, were investigated. Growth rates lower cold arid relative temperate also under hot dry summers; this was true mirror scale variant, males females, but not types (i.e., man‐made reservoirs, natural lakes, courses). mortality decreased increasing altitude decreasing temperature, likely optimisation resource allocation reproduction. rate consistently compared native (Eurasian) and, especially, invasive (North American) counterparts, which reflected an opportunistic life‐history strategy. Lower ascribed resilience widespread variant together limited habitat spawning reservoirs. Better knowledge will improve stock management conservation efforts. Further studies help clarify mechanisms responsible evolutionary genotype–phenotype inter‐relationships.