Grazing by the intertidal fish Anoplarchus purpurescens upon a distasteful polychaete worm |
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Authors: | Ronald M Yoshiyama Joan DS Darling |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California, 94305, U.S.A.;(2) Present address: Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, P.O. Box X, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, 37830, U.S.A.;(3) Present address: Graduate Program in Ecology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, 37916, U.S.A. |
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Abstract: | Synopsis Cirratulid worms are common inhabitants of the central California rocky intertidal zone and appear to offer a potentially rich source of food for intertidal fishes. However, analyses of stomach contents revealed that they do not appear in the diets of the commonest intertidal fishes. Apparently only one species, the eel blenny Anoplarchus purpurescens, feeds on cirratulids in significant amounts.Feeding experiments employing local intertidal fishes showed that the common intertidal cirratulid, Cirriformia luxuriosa, is distasteful to most of the fishes. Only two species ate its tentacles, and only A. purpurescens consistently ate large quantities. We propose that C. luxuriosa possesses a predation-deterring chemical similar to that reported in C. spirabrancha, although A. purpurescens apparently has been able to circumvent this anti-predator mechanism.The ability of A. purpurescens to eat Cirriformia tentacles allows it to tap a seemingly little-used food source, and thus may decrease competition between A. purpurescens and other intertidal fishes. This feeding relationship also represents a possible example of coevolution between a predator and its prey. |
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Keywords: | Cirriformia Eel blenny Cirratulid worm Fish food Predation deterring chemical |
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