Feeding behaviour and prey size selection of gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata, larvae fed on inert and live food

1994 ◽  
Vol 118 (2) ◽  
pp. 323-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Fern�ndez-Diaz ◽  
E. Pascual ◽  
M. Y�fera
2010 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roohallah Mirzaei ◽  
Mahmud Krami ◽  
Afshin Danehkar ◽  
Asghar Abdoli ◽  
Jim Conroy

1996 ◽  
Vol 74 (9) ◽  
pp. 1597-1603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philippe Sempeski ◽  
Philippe Gaudin

Observations of feeding behaviour and analysis of prey-size selection by young grayling revealed a shift in feeding strategy coinciding with a shift in habitat occurring between larval (observed in lateral habitats) and juvenile (observed in the river channel) stages of grayling. The mean number of foraging attempts per minute decreased four times between both stages, while in the same time the mean distance travelled during each foraging attempt decreased from 1.5 body lengths to 1 body length. Gape-limited postemergent larvae fed mainly on small chironomid larvae (<0.5 mm3) but larger larvae and pupae (0.5 – 1 mm3) were consumed with increasing size. The diet spectrum of juveniles >40 mm was characterized by the appearance of very large prey (> 10 mm3), such as simuliid and ephemeropteran larvae, but also by a new increase of the contribution of small chironomid larvae. Changes in the feeding strategy of young grayling are discussed in relation to internal (e.g., morphological limitations) and external (e.g., physical characteristics of habitat) constraints.


2007 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
David P. Padilla ◽  
Manuel Nogales ◽  
Patricia Marrero

Aquaculture ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 314 (1-4) ◽  
pp. 282-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Montoya ◽  
D. Alves Martins ◽  
M. Yúfera ◽  
F.J. Sánchez-Vázquez

Nematology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 631-641 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Weber ◽  
Sebastian Weber ◽  
Walter Traunspurger

Meiofauna, and nematodes in particular, play an essential role in the diet of certain juvenile freshwater fish. However, the specific consumption and prey size selection of fishes on nematodes is largely unrecognised. In this study, the effects of different juvenile stages of widely distributed common European freshwater fish, gudgeon (Gobio gobio), roach (Rutilus rutilus), ninespine stickleback (Pungitius pungitius), and two strains of common carp (Cyprinus carpio (scaled) and C. carpio (mirror)), on abundances of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans were investigated in controlled laboratory experiments with a known number of prey. Gudgeon, carp (scaled), and carp (mirror) consumed significant amounts of nematodes, whereas the roach and ninespine stickleback did not. Both strains of common carp reduced nematode abundance dependent on the size of the fish, with smaller fish causing a greater reduction than medium-size or large fish, although fish of all sizes fed significantly on nematodes of all size classes (<0.5, 0.5-1.0 and >1.0 mm). While the gudgeon also reduced nematode abundance dependent on the size of the fish, with increasing body length there was a dietary shift towards larger nematode size classes (0.5-1.0 and >1.0 mm). Morphometric analysis of the branchial basket indicated that the mesh width of gudgeon and both strains of common carp, but not of roach and ninespine stickleback, is suitable for feeding on specific size classes of nematodes. Together, the results showed that nematodes are used as a food source for different juvenile stages of certain species of freshwater fish.


Author(s):  
Mark M. Bouwmeester ◽  
Andreas M. Waser ◽  
Jaap van der Meer ◽  
David W. Thieltges

AbstractIntroductions of predators can have strong effects on native ecosystems and knowledge of the prey size selection of invasive predators is pivotal to understand their impact on native prey and intraguild competitors. Here, we investigated the prey size selection of two invasive crabs (Hemigrapsus sanguineus and Hemigrapsus takanoi) recently invading European coasts and compared them with native shore crabs (Carcinus maenas) which are known to feed on similar prey species. In laboratory experiments, we offered different size classes of native blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) to different size classes of the crab species in an effort to identify the respective prey size preferences and potential overlap in prey size range of native and invasive crabs. In all three species, the preferred prey size increased with crab size reflecting general predator–prey size relationships. Prey size preference did not differ among the crab species, i.e. crabs showed similar mussel size preference in relation to carapace width. Given that additional morphological measurements showed that both of the invasive crab species have much larger claws relative to their body size compared with the native species, this finding was surprising and may relate to differential claw morphologies or structural strength. These results suggest that the invasive crabs exert predation pressure on the same size classes of native mussels as the native crabs, with potential effects on mussel population dynamics due to the high densities of the invaders. In addition, the overlap in prey size range is likely to result in resource competition between invasive and native crabs.


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