Diets and trophic guilds of small fishes from coastal marine habitats in western Taiwan |
| |
| Authors: | J P Egan U‐S Chew C‐H Kuo V Villarroel‐Diaz P J Hundt N G Iwinski M P Hammer A M Simons |
| |
| Affiliation: | 1. University of Minnesota Conservation Sciences Graduate Program, St Paul, MN, U.S.A.;2. James Ford Bell Museum of Natural History, Minneapolis, MN, U.S.A.;3. National Chiayi University Department of Aquatic Biosciences, Chiayi City, Taiwan, Republic of China;4. University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering, Minneapolis, MN, U.S.A.;5. University of Minnesota College of Biological Sciences, St. Paul, MN, U.S.A.;6. Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia;7. University of Minnesota Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, St Paul, MN, U.S.A. |
| |
| Abstract: | The diets and trophic guilds of small fishes were examined along marine sandy beaches and in estuaries at depths <1·5 m in western Taiwan, Republic of China. Copepods were the most frequently identified item in fish guts, indicating they are key prey for the fish assemblages studied. Piscivore, crustacivore, detritivore, omnivore, zooplanktivore and terrestrial invertivore trophic guilds were identified. The zooplanktivore guild contained the most fish species. Maximum prey size consumption was positively correlated with standard length (LS) in seven species and at the assemblage level and negatively correlated with LS in a single detritivorous species. The diet data and trophic guild scheme produced by this study contribute to an understanding of coastal marine food webs and can inform ecosystem‐based fisheries management. |
| |
| Keywords: | ecological niche food habit food web prey size subtropical tropical |
|
|
