Distinguishing trophic and habitat partitioning among sympatric populations of the estuarine fish Osmerus mordax Mitchill

Sympatric populations of rainbow smelt Osmerus mordax of the St Lawrence middle estuary exhibited distinct morphologies suitable for exploiting either pelagic or benthic habitats in the absence of consistent morphological features related to specific diets. The magnitude of morphological differentiation was elevated and constant over 3 years even though statistically significant differences were observed among samples within populations. Both populations were spatially segregated in the estuary but some population mixing occurred at low densities of rainbow smelt. Diet analysis revealed that both populations opportunistically feed on large macrozooplankton. An amended version of Schoener's D was developed and used to compare the magnitude of niche overlap. It revealed that the diet of the middle estuary rainbow smelt differed according to the area where samples were collected but no differences existed between populations. The exploitation of ecologically distinct habitats appeared to be effective in maintaining morphologically distinct sympatric populations within an estuarine setting in the absence of diet differentiation.