Carp play a role in disseminating plant seeds in the Illinois River

researcher holds fish
Mason Deja, INHS seasonal technician, holds a common carp from the Illinois River.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — As common carp forage in Illinois River sediment, they eat and scatter seeds of both beneficial plants and invasive species. A new IRBS and Forbes Biological Station study indicates that the particular seeds that carp consume and the distance at which they shed them could potentially alter the river ecosystem.

To find out more, read this article by the Prairie Research Institute.

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