Movement Behavior of Adult Brown Bullhead in Its Non-Native European Range of Distribution - the Elbe River in the Czech Republic

The brown bullhead Ameiurus nebulosus (Rafinesque, 1820), a catfish originally from North America, was introduced into European continent among other ictalurids already in 19th century. In Europe, brown bullhead is not as widely distributed as for example black bullhead (A. melas), but it also established several long-term populations throughout Europe and represents a successful non-native invader. Until date, surprisingly, there is still very limited knowledge on the invasion ecology of iclarurids in general and brown bullhead in particular as compared with large knowledge background on the ecology of this family from its native range of distribution. Based on the radio-tracking surveys (24 individuals tracked every 1 week for 1.5 year period), this study aims to examine movement pattern (i.e. longitudinal and diurnal movements) and habitat use in brown bullhead of the oldest European population origin (date of first introduction in 1890), and to compare our results with those known from native range of its distribution. In addition, the results of this study characterize important invasion parameters such as dispersal pathway (i.e. longitudinal movement) and species plasticity (i.e. timing and duration of reproduction, habitat use). Thus, our study provides valuable data for better understanding of successful brown bullhead invasion in Europe.