Impacts of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) on aquatic plants at small agricultural ponds in Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture

Abstract

We investigated the presence/absence of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and coverage of aquatic plants including endangered species in 74 small agricultural ponds in hilly regions of Iwate Prefecture, Japan. Our results revealed that the presence of common carp has significant negative effects on the coverage of floating-leaved plants and submerged plants, but not on emergent plants. This indicates that the introduction of common carp to small agricultural ponds can modify habitat conditions for many aquatic organisms by reducing the coverage of aquatic plants.