Trophic relationships among concentrated populations of small fishes in seagrass meadows

Changes in available food and utilized foods for a densely populated guild of animals can uncover periods of niche displacement among particular consumer species or their separate size classes. Dense populations of small fishes and their foods were çensussed for 13 months and studied experimentally in shoalgrass and turtlegrass meadows of Redfish Bay, Texas. Feeding habits were determined with respect to prey availability, and illustrated the extent to which seasonal partitioning of food corresponded to food depletion among these abundant consumers in seagrass meadow food webs. The darter goby, code goby, pinfish, and Gulf pipefish were the most common species throughout the year. Although the darter goby did not show distinct ontogenetic changes in food habits, the code goby, Gulf pipefish, and pinfish demonstrated major ontogenetic progressions of foods selected.Food availability in the seagrass meadows changed seasonally. When major prey such as amphipods were abundant, during spring, many fish species showed high overlap in food use. Regardless of food availability, the code goby and Gulf pipefish fed mainly on amphipods or copepods. The more common darter goby and pinfish seasonally changed their diets with changes in food availability; the darter goby and pinfish were more carnivorous during spring, but they largely consumed epiphytic algae during summer. Cage experiments were used to monitor foods confined with elevated densities of pinfish and darter gobies, relative to control cages at natural overall densities. Prey items in the former cages decreased sharply, with corresponding dietary shifts by these common fishes. During resource depletion, these changes in resource use by these naturally concentrated consumers appeared as temporary partitioning of available resources. This shift occurred during both natural (seasonal) and experimental depletions of food, and appears to result from increased interspecific and intraspecific competition during periods of depleted preferred foods.     

Trophic relationships of polychaetes associated with different algal growth forms

The trophic relations of the polychaete species associated with four different algal growth forms (filamentous, fan-shaped, bush-like and encrusting) were studied in the North Aegean Sea. Samples for the spatial analysis were collected in summer with a quadrate sampler (400 cm²) at a depth range of 15–40 m. Filamentous and encrusting forms were also seasonally sampled in order to detect the temporal changes. A total of 5,494 individuals belonging to 79 species were classified to 12 feeding guilds, considering the type of food, the feeding apparatus and the motility patterns involved. Carnivores dominated, followed by herbivores and filter-feeders, among all the algal forms studied, excepting the fan-shaped form where filter-feeders prevailed mainly due to a massive recruitment of spirorbids. With respect to the abundance of the various feeding guilds, filamentous and fan-shaped forms discriminated, whereas bush-like and encrusting forms showed high similarity. The occurrence of polychaete feeding guilds among both filamentous and encrusting forms showed seasonal changes, with summer and spring samples, respectively, discriminating. The results of the trophic group analysis conformed to previous information provided by a taxon composition analysis of the dominated by the same algae communities. However, a functional study can give additional information and is thus a useful tool for the study of hard bottom communities.     

Trophic relationships and seasonal utilization of salt-marsh creeks by zooplanktivorous fishes

Synopsis In a high salinity estuary at North Inlet, South Carolina, co-occurrence and possible competition among adults of four dominant zooplanktivorous fishes were minimized by seasonal adjustments in lateral and vertical distributions as well as in dietary preferences. In winter, Atlantic silversides, Menidia menidia, occupied the entire water column while other planktivores were rare or absent from the estuary, and they consumed large prey such as mysid shrimps and fish larvae. An immigration of bay anchovies, Anchoa mitchilli, in the spring resulted in a redistribution of species with Atlantic silversides shifting to the surface waters and bay anchovies dominating the lower half of the water column. Both fishes consumed mostly copepods in the spring, but each favored a different species. There was little similarity in the large prey items consumed by the two fishes. Striped anchovies, Anchoa hepsetus, arrived in mid-summer and were most abundant at the surface while bay anchovies continued to dominate the bottom waters. Atlantic silversides were rare in all summer collections. The diets of the two anchovies were similar, but vertical separation during the period of maximum zooplankton abundance probably minimized competition. Rough silversides, Membras martinica, which were obligate surface dwellers, shared the upper water column with striped anchovies, but the two species had very different diets during their period of co-occurrence. Although seasonal changes in fish diets reflected shifts in zooplankton composition and all fishes consumed a variety of prey types, preferences for some prey taxa and total avoidance of others were indicated. Electivity indices indicated an especially strong selection for fiddler crab megalopae by all fishes in the summer and fall. All fishes, except rough silversides, which fed almost exclusively on copepods and crab zoeae, consumed large prey items when they were available. Fine scale partitioning of the food resources was apparent in the selection of different copepod and insect species by the fishes. Spatial and temporal separation in the distribution and/or dietary preferences of the zooplanktivores fishes probably reduces the potential for resource competition. Given the high abundances and selectivity of the planktivores, significant impacts on some zooplankton populations probably result.     

Trophic ecology of fishes associated with artificial reefs assessed using multiple biomarkers

Hydrobiologia - Understanding trophic relationships within artificial reef communities, especially those of the most numerically abundant fish, provides value to ecologists and managers looking to...     

Ecomorphological relationships among Caribbean tetraodontiform fishes

The anatomy of the oral jaw apparatus, lever-arm mechanics and the diet of six species of Caribbean fishes in the order Tetraodontiformes were investigated to explore the relationships between trophic morphology and feeding habit in these fishes. Tetraodontiforms use their oral jaw apparatus to capture and reduce a broad range of prey types such as plankton, polychaete worms, holothuroids, sea urchins, crabs, molluscs, gorgonians and algae. The different feeding habits of tetraodontiforms are reflected by differences in the morphological and biomechanical features of their oral jaw apparatus that appear to enhance their abilities to feed on hard prey organisms. Species that bite and crush hard, benthic prey organisms had more massive bones and muscles, longer jaw-opening in-levers, and higher jaw-closing lever ratios than the planktivorous, suction-feeding species. Masses of the jaw and suspensorium bones and lower jaw adductor muscles as well as the jaw-opening in-levers and jaw-closing lever ratios of crushers were greater than those of biters. In contrast, the mass of the adductor muscle of the upper jaw did not vary among species with different diets, indicating that this muscle may not be central to the factors that determine patterns of prey use in these fishes. The diversity of feeding behaviours and the wide range of feeding habits among fishes in the order Tetraodontiformes illustrate the versatility of the oral jaw apparatus as a single functional feeding system in fishes.     

Function and structure in the paired fins of scorpaeniform fishes

Synopsis The paired fins of the basic, ancestral type of free-swimming acanthopterygian teleost serve primarily in guiding the forward course of movement and in maneuvering within the water column. In various scorpaeniform fishes the paired fins have taken on a number of other functions associated with a bottom-living mode of life. Among these are: defense against predation, probing for food items, propping the forward part of the body away from the bottom, progressing over it, digging into it, and the development of a suction disc for attachment to it. The relationship between these developments and paired-fin structure is the subject of the paper.     

Phylogenetic relationships among atheriniform fishes (Teleostei: Atherinomorpha)

We present evidence from adult and larval morphology for the monophyly and relationships of Atheriniformes, using other atherinomorphs, mugilids and acanthomorph fishes as outgroups. Atheriniformes is diagnosed by ten characters (larval: short preanal length, single mid-dorsal row of melanophores; adult: vomerine ventral face concave, long Al muscle tendon to lacrimal, two anterior infraorbital bones, pelvic-rib ligament, pelvic medial plate not extended to anterior end, and second dorsal-fin spine flexible). We recognize six families within the order, the hierarchical relationships among which are: (Atherinopsidae (Notocheiridae (Melanotaeniidae (Atherionidae (Phallostethidae, Atherinidae))))). Other major conclusions include: (1) Atherinopsidae (Menidiinae, Atherinopsinae) is diagnosed by 20 characters (e.g. ethmomaxillary ligament attached to palatine dorsal process, ventral postcleithrum with two dorsal rami); (2) Melanotaeniidae (Bedotiinae (Melanotaeniinae (Telmatherinini, Pseudomugilini))) is diagnosed by six characters (e.g. absence of second dorsal-fin spine, sexual dimorphism in body colour and median-fin development, greater body depth); (3) Dentatherina is in Phallostethidae; (4) Atherinidae (Atherinomorinae (Craterocephalinae, Atherininae)) is diagnosed by three characters (lacrimal notch, ventral postcleithrum between first and second pleural ribs, pelvic ventral spine); (5) Atherinidae and Phallostethidae form the Atherinoidea clade diagnosed by seven characters (e.g. interopercle dorsal process absent, dorsal wings of urohyal absent, ventral postcleithrum laminar, pelvic medial plate extended to anterior end, presence of anal plate). Bedotia, Rhodes , and melanotaeniines are shown to be derived within atheriniforms rather than the plesiomorphic sister groups to a paraphyletic 'atherinoid' group. We also demonstrate that groups traditionally placed in Atherinidae (Menidiinae, Atherininae, Atherioninae, etc.) comprise a paraphyletic assemblage.     

Evolutionary and taxonomic relationships among Far-Eastern salmonid fishes inferred from mitochondrial DNA divergence

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) restriction analysis was used to examine the evolutionary and taxonomic relationships among 11 taxa of the subfamily Salmoninae. The genera Brachymystax and Hucho were closely related, diverging by sequence divergence estimates of 3.1%. Because the mtDNA sequence divergence between blunt- and sharp-snouted forms of Brachymystax (2.24%) was similar to divergence level of Brachymystax and Hucho , then taking into account the distinct morphological, ecological and allozyme differences between them, it is possible to recognize these forms as two separate species. The subgenus Parahucho formed a very distinct group differing by 6.35–7.08% (sequence divergence estimate) from both Brachymystax and Hucho and must be considered as a valid genus. The UPGMA and neighbour-joined phenograms showed that the five genera studied are divided into two main groupings: (1) Hucho, Brachymystax and Salvelinus ; and (2) Oncorhynchus and Parahucho species. The mtDNA sequence divergence estimates between these groupings were about 8.1%. However, the subsequent bootstrap analysis of mtDNA RFLP data did not support the monophyly of the latter grouping. The concordance of morphological and mtDNA phylogenetic patterns is discussed.     

Trophic ecomorphology in eastern Pacific blennioid fishes: character transformation of oral jaws and associated change of their biological roles

Synopsis The ecomorphological relationships between the oral jaws and food spectra were highlighted in 34 species of Gulf of California blennioid fishes (5 Tripterygiidae, 13 Labrisomidae, 11 Chaenopsidae and 5 Blenniidae). Twenty-nine species are microcarnivorous, two are omnivorous browsers, two are algae grazers and one was an ‘ectoparasite’ feeder. The spectrum of oral (as opposed to pharyngeal) jaw (OJA) morphology ranges from plesiomorphic, suction-feeding (relatively large, protrusible jaws, with many coniform-caniniform teeth) to apomorphic, biting (relatively small, non protrusible jaws, with a single row of incisiform teeth). As species with similar morphology may widely differ in food, it is concluded, that morphology is not a reliable predictor for ecology in this case. With the exception of a few specialists, species with apomorphic, biting OJA utilize sessile items in addition to mobile categories and thus show a higher food diversity as compared to species with plesiomorphic OJA. Thus in the present case morphological differentiation goes along with ecological generalization. Only three blenniid species with the most apomorphic OJA may be considered as specialized also with regard to food resource utilization. Transformation of morphological characters and the ecological role of the OJA of blennioids may serve as a model to illustrate the steps required to achieve a biting-browsing and grazing feeding apparatus in many taxa of modern acanthopterygian reef fishes.     

Fungi associated with the diseases of freshwater fishes

During the course of present investigations 43 isolates representing 5 genera of Saprolegniaceous fungi were isolated from 19 different species of freshwater fishes. The parasitic abilities of these isolates have been demonstrated by conducting artificial inoculation experiments under laboratory conditions using the species of Puntius and Colisa as test fishes.     

Density-range size relationships in French riverine fishes

We examined the relation between the local density of species and the size of the geographic range for French riverine fishes. As for most other taxonomic groups, a positive interspecific relationship is found for this group. This relationship is robust to the confounding effects of phylogeny and is not a priori a product of other potential mechanistic artefacts. We formally tested two of the principal biological mechanisms already proposed (i.e. the niche breadth hypothesis and the resource availability hypothesis). We found no support for the niche breadth hypothesis. In contrast, we found consistent support for the closely related resource availability hypothesis. Species utilising resources (habitats) that are marginal tend to appear at low density and to have narrow distribution whereas species utilising widespread habitats tend to be more abundant and more widely distributed. Using data on body size and reproductive traits we explored the potential influence of these variables in explaining significant variation around the density-range size relationship. Only body size explains significant variation around the relationship, being negatively correlated with local density and positively correlated with range size.     

Trophic biology of herbivorous reef fishes: alimentary pH and digestive capabilities

Certain herbivorous fishes are well known for morphological specializations enabling trituration; such as scarids with a pharyngeal mill and mullets with a gizzard-like stomach. However, utilization of plant foods by fishes is limited by these animal's digestive capabilities, most notably the apparent lack of cellulose digesting enzymes. Fishes possessing a grinding mechanism are able to break open plant cells for digestion. But how fishes without grinding mechanisms make plant cell contents accessible to digestion is unknown. These fishes include many acanthurid and pomacentrid species which are among the most abundant on reefs. Another mechanism for rupturing plant cell walls has been recently proposed, namely lysis by gastric acidity. This study surveyed stomach and intestinal pH for 17 herbivorous species at Fanning Atoll, Central Pacific and two species from St Croix, Caribbean with additional data for seven selected carnivorous species. The herbivorous fishes included acanthurids (surgeonfishes), mugilids (mullets), pomacanthids (angelfishes), pomacentrids (damselfishes) and a scarid (parrotfish). The effect of different pH concentrations and trituration was examined experimentally for eight common Pacific marine algae including two reds, two blue-greens, two greens, one brown, and the algal mat complex from inside damselfish territories. Fishes, possessing morphological adaptations for trituration, ingested quantities of calcium carbonate material and did not contain gastric acidity low enough to lyse algal cell wells. However, fishes without grinding mechanisms but with defined stomachs have gastric pH values from 2.4 to 4.25 which can be as effective as trituration in releasing algal cell contents of certain algae. These results are considered in a review of previous studies of herbivory in fishes. The trophic relationship between fishes and algae of specified morphologies are predicted by extrapolation from the experimental results on algae vulnerable to acid lysis or trituration.     

Trophic niches and feeding relationships of shorebirds in southern Brazil

Niche theory predicts that sympatric species should differ in some ecological characteristic, to allow co-existence and reduce competition for key resources. Food is critical on wintering grounds and stopover areas for migratory species that need to accumulate reserves in order to complete their migration. Wetlands of the Rio Grande do Sul coastal plain, in southern Brazil, host several species of shorebirds with similar morphology, foraging methods and diet. When these species are in sympatry, some trophic niche overlap is expected. Diets and trophic niches of migratory and resident shorebirds were investigated during the austral summer on Torotama Island, Lagoa dos Patos Estuary, Brazil. Complementary methods were used to determine the trophic ecology of three shorebird species; diet was determined through analysis of feces and food samples, using stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen. The local invertebrate community was sampled to determine potential prey and ascertain feeding preferences of birds. Coleoptera was the most abundant taxon in the feces of all shorebirds. Trophic niche overlap in the diets was high, with the widest trophic niche found for the buff-breasted sandpiper Calidris subruficollis. Isotopic mixing models indicated differences in the main food sources of shorebirds. The isotopic niche breadth was widest for the American golden-plover Pluvialis dominica. These species, as well as the resident southern lapwing Vanellus chilensis, consumed some prey in higher proportions over others, although they had generalist diets. Migratory species with generalist habits benefit from heterogeneous environments such as floodplains during the non-breeding season.     

Trophic relationships in the pelagic zone of Mondsee,Austria

Data are presented on nutrient concentrations, phytoplankton biovolume development, zooplankton composition and population dynamics, and fish from a deep, stratifying, alpine lake (Mondsee, Austria) during a three-year period between 1982 and 1984. Development of the phytoplankton is closely related to structuring events of the physico-chemical environment. Dissolved silicate and phosphorus concentrations are critical for the summer situation. During summer algal abundance is largely affected by grazing of zooplankton, but no clear-water phase was observed at the end of the spring peak of phytoplankton.Temperature and food are factors responsible for the timing and growth of the zooplankton populations. Because of close overlap in the epilimnion, exploitative and mechanical interference competition and predation by invertebrate and vertebrate predators are the main structuring forces acting on the zooplankton community, and hence influence phytoplankton indirectly.     

Interspecific relationships of aufwuchs-eating fishes in Lake Tanganyika

Synopsis On a rocky shore of Lake Tanganyika aufwuchs-eating is practiced by 18 fish species: 17 cichlids and 1 cyprinid. The majority takes mostly either filamentous or unicellular algae.Tropheus moorei and its taxonomically related species most closely resemble one another in diet among the species taking mostly filamentous algae, and thePetrochromis species do so among the species taking mostly unicellular algae.Petrochromis polyodon andT. moorei severely interfere with the feeding activities of related species. These two dominant species share both intensive grazing sites and temporal grazing patterns, and there seems to be a symbiotic relationship between them. Symbiotic relationships are also seen in seven cases of associated feeding by carnivorous fishes. Differences in diet or feeding behavior are found between these symbionts. Small but clear differences are found betweenP. polyodon andT. moorei and between the associating and the carnivorous host fishes in the four cases of associated feeding. These small differences seem attributable to morphological differences and may have been effective for the evolution of symbiotic relationships.Contribution from the Laboratory of Animal Ecology, Kyoto University, No. 461.     

The effect of artificial light on the community structure of reef-associated fishes at oil and gas platforms in the northern Gulf of Mexico

The northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) contains almost 2300 oil and gas platforms. While some of these platforms are actively lit, allowing for normal working conditions throughout the night, many are unlit, illuminated only by small navigation beacons to warn vessels of their presence. In addition to producing oil and gas, these structures inadvertently serve as artificial reef habitat for a variety of GOM fish and invertebrate species. Though many fish species have been reported aggregating near these structures, this study is the first to examine changes in fish community structure in response to the structures’ artificial light regimes. Baited remote underwater video (BRUV) surveys were conducted at two lit and three unlit oil and gas platforms off the coast of Louisiana to examine the effect of platform artificial lighting on fish community structure during the day, at night, and during crepuscular periods. Seventeen recreationally harvested species were observed, with red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) being the most abundant. Statistical analysis indicated that fish community varied significantly with depth, season, type, and season by type interactions. More fish were seen at lit platforms than at unlit platforms, with the majority of individuals identified near the surface. While fish abundance at the surface remained high during the day, the numbers declined at night. This suggests that though fishes are attracted to the vertical relief of the structure, they may be avoiding the artificial light field at the surface either to escape nocturnal predation or to forage away from the platform.     

Trophic relationships: integrating meiofauna into a realistic benthic food web

• 1 This paper summarises the most important contributions on trophic relationships of lotic meiofauna. In contrast to marine research, the few quantitative studies of the freshwater meiobenthos have shown that these invertebrates not only take up particulate/fine organic matter, but also dissolved organic substances attached to organic particles. In lotic ecosystems, further estimates of grazing rate and bacterial/algal ingestion rate are needed, particularly in situ measurements.
• 2 The effects of macroinvertebrate predators upon meiofauna are still under debate. Depending on the type of experiments (laboratory vs. field) it seems that macrofauna may or may not affect meiofauna. Field samples and analyses of gut contents of larval tanypod chironomids have shown that the impact upon meiofauna was low and larvae were nonselective predators. Predation amounted to 2.2% of the combined prey density and prey consumption averaged 1.3 individuals per predator individual per year.
• 3 Adding taxonomic resolution by including the meiofaunal component within lotic food webs distinctly increases the number of total species and, as a consequence, changes food web statistics. Webs that included meiofauna revealed that these metazoans contributed substantially to the percentage of intermediate species (species with predators and prey). The resolution of dietary analyses of major consumers of macro‐ and meiobenthos showed that many stream invertebrates feed on meiofauna.