Food habits of fishes in the mangrove estuary of Urauchi River,Iriomote Island,southern Japan

The food habits of 67 fish species collected from the mangrove estuary of the Urauchi River, Iriomote Island, southern Japan were investigated using gut content analysis. Ontogenetic changes in food preference were recognized in nine species, including mugilids, gerreids, mullids, gobiids and tetraodontids. In most cases, juveniles of these species fed mostly on small crustaceans (e.g. calanoid and cyclopoid copepods and gammaridean amphipods) or detritus. With their subsequent growth, larger prey items (e.g. crabs and polychaetes) became dominant. A cluster analysis based on dietary overlaps showed that the mangrove fish assemblage comprised eight trophic groups (zooplankton, small benthic crustacean, large benthic crustacean, polychaete, fish, detritus, plant and insect feeders). Of these, large and small benthic crustacean feeders, which consumed mainly crabs and gammaridean amphipods, respectively, were the most abundantly represented in terms of species, whereas polychaete and insect feeders were each represented by only two species.     

Overlaps in habitat use of fishes between a seagrass bed and adjacent coral and sand areas at Amitori Bay, Iriomote Island, Japan: Importance of the seagrass bed as juvenile habitat

ABSTRACT:   To clarify faunal overlap between a seagrass bed and adjacent coral and sand areas, and the number of reef fishes utilizing the seagrass bed as juvenile habitat, visual censuses were conducted at Amitori Bay, Iriomote Island, Japan. The numbers of species and individuals of fishes were significantly higher in the coral area than in the seagrass bed and sand area. Cluster and ordination analyses based on the number of individuals of each species demonstrated that the fish assemblage structure differed among the three habitats in each season, but with some overlaps. Approximately half the seagrass bed fishes occurred in the adjacent coral area (coral–seagrass species). Dominant species of coral–seagrass species utilized the seagrass bed as an important juvenile habitat. Thus, some overlaps in habitat use were present between the seagrass bed and adjacent coral area. Despite such overlaps, however, coral–seagrass species accounted for only approximately 15% of coral reef fishes overall, indicating that most of the latter hardly utilize the seagrass bed directly in the study area.     

Long-term changes in the assemblage of demersal fishes and invertebrates in relation to environmental variations in Tokyo Bay, Japan

Abstract Long-term changes in the demersal assemblage, including both fishes and invertebrates, in Tokyo Bay, Japan, were examined between 1977 and 1995. A total of 255 species were collected, of which 113 were regarded as representative in terms of occurrence. Multivariate analyses of the representative species showed that fluctuations in the catch were related to three periods that reflected changes in relative abundance and species composition. In particular, mantis shrimp, Oratosquilla oratoria (de Haan), whipfin dragonet, Repomucenus valenciennei (Temminck & Schlegel), and marbled sole, Pleuronectes yokohamae Günther, showed high dominance in the mid-1980s. Discriminant analysis suggested that the demersal assemblage changed synchronously with environmental conditions. Causes of the temporal changes in the demersal assemblage in relation to variations in environmental factors are discussed.     

Big floods,big knowledge gap: Food web dynamics in a variable river system

While flow regime is widely recognised as an over‐arching feature structuring aquatic ecosystems, the influence of flood events on feeding habits in fish assemblages inhabiting variable environments remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigated how diets of a fish assemblage changed in response to fluctuations in hydrology in a highly variable, wet‐dry tropical Australian river. We compared dietary habits, trophic guilds and intra‐ and interspecific dietary overlap and diet breadth across different seasons. Wet‐season floods acted as major geomorphic and ecological perturbations that exerted substantial effects on the trophic dynamics of the terapontid assemblage, particularly through the removal of in‐stream plant production and detritus. Forced by major shifts in food source availability due to seasonal flooding, fishes responded to these perturbations by marked changes in diet, with significant guild switching following wet‐season floods. Rather than the predictable, gradual, changes in consumer–resource interactions associated with the gentler seasonal flood pulse evident in other tropical river systems, study results instead emphasised rapid and profound changes to species' diets and trophic interactions following abrupt flood pulses. These sudden shifts in food sources may also explain some of the lack of clarity in discrimination of specific carbon sources or species' trophic levels evident in isotopic food web studies from the region. Results indicate that the effects of flood pulses on assemblage trophic interactions may differ among ecosystem types and across the broad potential scale of hydrological disturbance mediated by flood events.     

The dry-season diet of freshwater fishes in monsoonal tropical rivers of Cape York Peninsula, Australia

Abstract – Fish assemblages in three rivers of eastern Cape York Peninsula, northern Australia, were sampled during the early part of the monsoonal dry season, and the diet of 23 species was quantified. Spatial variation (between-river) in diet was, in general, not pronounced. Sufficient specimens were collected to enable examination of ontogenetic changes in the diet of four species. Interspecific and ontogenetic variation in diet were most strongly related to differences in body size and mouth gape, with larger species or age classes feeding on fish and large aquatic invertebrates. Other gradients upon which dietary differences were arranged included gradients in detritivory and reliance on terrestrial invertebrates. Significant trophic separation was evident in the fauna despite aquatic invertebrates being the most important food item in most species. Seven, and possibly eight, trophic groups were recognized. Notable features of the trophic organization were the prevalence of omnivory and piscivory and relatively small representation by detritivores. Planktivores were essentially absent. Much of the observed trophic structure within the fishes of Cape York Peninsula could be ascribed to the effects of phylogenetic determinants of body size, morphology and foraging mode. The trophic structure within rivers of eastern Cape York Peninsula is compared to other aquatic systems in tropical northern Australia. ^Note     

Diet of introduced largemouth bass in Korean rivers and potential interactions with native fishes

Abstract –  A dietary analysis of largemouth bass ( Micropterus salmoides ), an exotic, piscivorous species, was conducted in large South Korean river systems (>third order streams, 31 sites). Micropterus salmoides larger than 100 mm exhibited intense piscivory on native Korean juvenile fishes, with levels of piscivory amongst the highest recorded globally, for native and introduced populations. Largemouth bass exhibited an ontogenetic shift in diet, showing a progressive increase in piscivory with size, typical of this species within its native range but unlike several studies on introduced largemouth bass in Europe and Africa. Sampling of fish communities at the same sites used for diet studies showed that native piscivores and the main food fish species of largemouth bass were significantly less abundant ( P  = 0.049 and 0.045, respectively) at sites where bass were present than at sites where no bass were recorded. Largemouth bass may pose a threat to the structure of fish assemblages in Korean river systems and further study of their population interactions and how to minimise their spread is needed.     

胶州湾5种虾虎鱼类的营养和空间生态位

应用Shannon-Wiener指数和Pianka重叠指数分析了胶州湾5种虾虎鱼类的食物组成、营养生态位宽度、空间生态位宽度及其重叠,通过计算营养空间二维生态位重叠指数探讨了5种虾虎鱼类种间食物竞争与空间分布的关系。结果表明,胶州湾的5种虾虎鱼均属底栖动物食性,其中斑尾刺虾虎鱼(Synechogobius ommaturus)主要以虾类、多毛类和鱼类为食,而六丝钝尾虾虎鱼(Amblychaeturichthys hexanema)、红狼牙虾虎鱼(Odontamblyopus lace-pedii)、纹缟虾虎鱼(Tridentiger trigonocephalus)和钟馗虾虎鱼(Tridentiger barbatus)则主要摄食桡足类、钩虾、涟虫等小型底栖甲壳动物。在5种虾虎鱼中,六丝钝尾虾虎鱼的营养生态位宽度最高(2.65),纹缟虾虎鱼的空间生态位宽度最高(2.01),而红狼牙虾虎鱼的营养生态位宽度和空间生态位宽度均最低(分别为1.26和0.97)。5种虾虎鱼之间的营养生态位重叠指数在0.03~0.64之间,其中六丝钝尾虾虎鱼与钟馗虾虎鱼的营养生态位重叠指数最高(0.64);空间生态位重叠指数在0.08~0.91之间,最高值出现在红狼牙虾虎鱼与钟馗虾虎鱼之间(0.91);营养空间二维生态位重叠指数在0.0032~0.3648之间,其中钟馗虾虎鱼与六丝钝尾虾虎鱼的营养空间二维生态位重叠指数最高(0.3648),因此最有可能出现激烈的食物竞争,其他鱼种之间则通过营养或空间生态位的分化而降低了种间竞争的程度。     

东海高营养层次鱼类功能群及其主要种类

在2000年秋季和2001年春季东海120°~126.75°N、25.75°~31°E范围内的两次大面积调查基础上,以占渔获量90%的鱼类为研究对象,分析东海春、秋两季2个鱼类群落的功能群。结果表明,东海高营养层次鱼类群落包括7个功能群,即鱼食性鱼类、虾/鱼食性鱼类、虾食性鱼类、虾蟹食性鱼类、底栖动物食性鱼类、浮游动物食性鱼类和广食性鱼类。其中东海近海春季鱼类种群由浮游动物食性鱼类、底栖动物食性鱼类、鱼食性鱼类和虾食性鱼类4个功能群组成,秋季鱼类种群由虾/鱼食性鱼类、虾食性鱼类、广食性鱼类、虾蟹食性鱼类、鱼食性鱼类和浮游动物食性鱼类6个功能群组成;东海外海春季鱼类种群由鱼食性鱼类、底栖动物食性鱼类、浮游动物食性鱼类和虾食性鱼类4个功能群组成,秋季鱼类种群由浮游动物食性鱼类、虾/鱼食性鱼类、鱼食性鱼类、虾食性鱼类和底栖动物食性鱼类5个功能群组成。从生物量组成上分析,在各鱼类群落中发挥主要作用的功能群不同,春季东海鱼类群落以浮游动物食性鱼类功能群为主,而秋季以鱼食性鱼类功能群为主。其中带鱼、白姑鱼、六丝矛尾■虎鱼、多棘腔吻鳕、龙头鱼、小黄鱼、细条天竺鱼、发光鲷、、花斑蛇鲻、短鳍红娘鱼、竹荚鱼、条尾绯鲤、黄鳍马面、黄条等15种鱼为各功能群的主要种类。群落种类组成的差异,同种类体长分布的差异,以及饵料基础的时空变化是导致东海各鱼类群落功能群组成差异的主要原因。     

Food habits of fishes in a freshwater reed belt in Lake Kitaura,eastern Japan,in summer

The diets and feeding guild structure of a freshwater reed belt fish assemblage (30 species) were examined in Lake Kitaura, part of the Lake Kasumigaura system, eastern Japan, from June to September in 2009 and 2010. Ontogenetic dietary shifts were recognized in 14 species, including several species (e.g., Cyprinus carpio, Tridentiger brevispinis and Hyporhamphus intermedius) targeted by local fisheries. Juveniles of these species generally fed on zooplankton, later switching to other prey items (e.g., benthic chironomid larvae, gammaridean amphipods, shrimps, juvenile fishes, diatoms and decomposing reeds) with growth. A cluster analysis based on dietary overlaps showed that the reed belt fish assemblage comprised five feeding guilds (plant, zooplankton, benthic invertebrate, terrestrial insect and fish feeders). Of these, zooplankton feeders were the most abundantly represented in terms of species numbers, suggesting that the main food items for the fish assemblage were zooplankton (e.g., cladocerans, and calanoid and cyclopoid copepods). Fish feeders included five species, of which one was an alien species introduced from another region in Japan (Opsariichthys uncirostris) and three were from foreign countries (Micropterus salmoides, Lepomis macrochirus macrochirus and Ictalurus punctatus).     

Spatio‐temporal,ontogenetic and interindividual variation of age‐0 diets in a population of yellow perch

Dietary niches of fishes have traditionally been evaluated at the population level, with diet pattern central tendencies compared spatio‐temporally among habitats and populations. More recently, however, studies have emphasised the importance of within‐population diet variation and niche partitioning. Several studies have examined diets of young yellow perch (Perca flavescens) at the population level and have described an ontogenetic transition from zooplankton to benthic prey during the first year of life. However, independent of ontogenetic diet shifts, intrapopulation variation of young yellow perch diets remains largely unexplored. We quantified patterns of diet composition in age‐0 yellow perch collected from Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron, USA during July–October, 2009 and 2010. We observed substantial variation in diet composition among individuals across and within sites, but found relatively weak evidence indicating an ontogenetic diet shift. Zooplankton were the dominant prey for age‐0 yellow perch on most occasions, and individual diets were composed primarily of either zooplankton (e.g. Daphnia spp., Calanoida) or benthic (i.e. Chironomidae larvae, Chydoridae) prey. These patterns were not simply attributable to differences in prey availability and ontogenetic diet shifts, because a) not only diet composition, but also prey selectivity (Chesson's α) varied among sites and b) individual and spatial diet differences were evident independent of ontogeny. Within‐cohort differences in diet composition may be an important, but often overlooked, phenomenon with implications for cumulative trophic interactions and intracohort growth and survival among young fish.     

Food variations and ontogenetic dietary shift of the starspotted-dogfish Mustelus manazo at five locations in Japan and Taiwan

SUMMARY: Stomach contents were examined from 936 individuals of Mustelus manazo , collected by trawl at five locations: Aomori, Tokyo Bay, Maizuru and Shimonoseki in Japan, and one location off Taiwan. The vacuity index was relatively low (0–6.1%). Based on three indices ( %W , %F , RI ), the major dietary component was crustaceans at all locations. The most important prey category was crabs in Aomori, Shimonosei and Taiwan, mantis shrimps in Tokyo Bay, and shrimps in Maizuru. Fishes were a minor food category for M. manazo in most locations, except in Maizuru where fishes were second in importance in the diet. Dietary overlap revealed a medium degree of overlap between Tokyo Bay and Aomori, and between Tokyo Bay and Shimonoseki. The other locations showed a high degree of overlap with each other. Significant ontogenetic dietary shifts were found in Tokyo Bay, Maizuru and Taiwan, and prey diversity showed a trend being relatively low in larger size classes. The feeding habit of M. manazo was unique in Tokyo Bay, where crustaceans in the muddy substrata were taken in preference to the most abundant benthic prey item available, such as a southern rough shrimp, Trachypenaeus curvirostris . Mustelus manazo appears to use two feeding strategies based upon stomach contents. One, in Tokyo Bay, involved the digging up or removing of burrowing invertebrates from muddy substrata without crushing them. The other, at the other four locations, involved the crushing of prey on the substrata surface.     

Ontogenetic diet profiles and size-dependent diet partitioning of ruffe Gymnocephalus cernuus, perch Perca fluviatilis and pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus in Lake Balaton

Abstract –  Life-long diet ontogeny and size-dependent intra- and interspecific diet partitioning of the native ruffe and perch and the introduced pumpkinseed, were studied in Lake Balaton. Estimated intraspecific diet overlap was high in ruffe, whereas in perch and pumpkinseed only the neighbouring size groups exhibited a high diet similarity. Interspecific diet overlap among size groups of the three species was moderate and ≥60% diet overlap occurred only in 13 size group pair variations out of the 429 analysed. The earliest developmental stages of the three species were planktivorous, whereas larger ruffe and some size groups of perch and pumpkinseed fed dominantly on chironomids. Adult perch and pumpkinseed consumed different littoral macroinvertebrates, while the largest perch were piscivorous. Although productivities of the two studied areas differ significantly, this had only little effect on the diet ontogeny and diet partitioning of the three species. Present results suggest that in Lake Balaton these three species effectively partition food resources throughout their life span.     

大王滩水库水利风景区旅游发展探讨

根据2016年11月—2017年8月大王滩水库4个季度的鱼类资源调查结果,对该水库野生鱼类资源现状、物种组成、优势种和生物多样性等进行研究。共鉴定鱼类34种,隶属于4目9科26属,以鲤科鱼类为主,分别占总物种数和总个体数量的64.71%和48.15%。相对重要性指数(IRI)结果表明优势种有尼罗罗非鱼(Oreochromis niloticus)、鲤(Cyprinus carpio)、鲮(Cirrhinus molitorella)和莫桑比克罗非鱼(O.mossambicus)。各采样点Shannon-Wiener多样性指数(H′)为1.213~2.279,Margalef丰富度指数(D)为1.995~3.412,Pielou均匀度指数(J′)为0.448~0.771,Simpson生态优势度(C)为0.120~0.507,其中S3采样点鱼类物种多样性最高,S1采样点相对较低;夏季鱼类物种多样性最高,冬季最低。Cluster聚类和ANOSIM相似性分析表明,大王滩水库鱼类物种组成时空差异不显著,鱼类种群分布较均匀。对比研究发现,大王滩水库中鱼类资源的种类数量减少及外来物种入侵趋势明显。     

北部湾多齿蛇鲻摄食习性及随生长发育的变化

2008年10月至2009年9月,对北部湾多齿蛇鲻逐月采样共749尾(实胃数408个),通过胃含物分析法研究其摄食习性及随生长发育的变化。结果表明,北部湾多齿蛇鲻捕食种类包括鱼类、头足类以及虾类等饵料生物,其中可鉴定出的鱼类种类有17种。以相对重要性指数百分比为指标,鱼类为最主要饵料(98.8%),其中优势饵料种类有蓝圆鲹(34.9%)、少鳞犀鳕(26.6%)、长颌棱鳀(4.30%)和条鲾(2.5%)。多齿蛇鲻摄食强度、饱满指数和成熟系数的月份差异十分显著,而以Brillouin指数表征的各月份营养多样性则无显著差异。一年中呈现3个产卵高峰期(3-4月、6月及11月),产卵期间摄食强度没有降低,仍然强烈索饵。随着体长的增长,北部湾多齿蛇鲻饵料生物个数变化较小,但平均单个饵料生物质量却明显增加。聚类分析表明,北部湾多齿蛇鲻各体长组间食物组成相近,其中136～255mm各体长组相似性系数均大于60%。     

Effects of mangrove deforestation on fish assemblage at Pak Phanang Bay,southern Thailand

Daytime sampling using a seine net was conducted at Pak Phanang Bay (Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Thailand) in February and July 2006, to determine differences in fish assemblage structures between a mangrove site and an adjacent site completely cleared of mangroves. The overall numbers of fish species and individuals were significantly higher at the mangrove site than the cleared site in both months. Although benthic crustacean feeders showed more species and individual numbers at the mangrove site in both months, the opposite was found for zooplankton feeders. A cluster analysis, based on the abundance of each species, demonstrated that the fish assemblage structures were distinctly different between the two sites. In addition, significant differences in length frequency distributions for each of the four most abundant species were found between the sites in February and/or July. Small individuals of Scatophagus argus, Ambassis nalua, and Tetraodon nigroviridis were more common at the mangrove site, and of Chelon subviridis at the cleared site. These results suggest that mangrove deforestation exerts marked effects on fish assemblages.     

Growth and ontogenetic migration of greeneye Chlorophthalmus albatrossis in Tosa Bay, Pacific Coast of South-Western Japan

ABSTRACT:   Growth and ontogenetic migration of greeneye Chlorophthalmus albatrossis were studied in the area from 100–400 m depths in Tosa Bay, from April 1996 to March 1997, using samples collected by an otter trawl net with a 1.3 mm mesh cod end. In the monthly changes of the standard length (SL) composition, four year classes were recognized, although the third- and fourth-year classes were not clearly separated in all the monthly samples. Individuals of 40–50 mm SL settled on the bottom of the 150–200 m depth zone from August to February. By May and June, they grew to 75–80 mm SL modal size, and migrated to 200–300 m depth. In one year after settlement, they grew to 125–130 mm SL, and migrated to 300–350 m depth. They grew to a maximum of 160 mm SL and were not sampled in the winter three years after settlement, suggesting either migration or mortality. Seasonal changes in the gonadosomatic index for combined samples of males and females showed that greeneye did not mature in Tosa Bay. It is suggested that the planktonic larvae are transported from the spawning grounds, the location of which remains unknown.     

Influence of offshore breakwaters on fish assemblage structure in the surf zone of a sandy beach in Tokyo Bay,central Japan

To determine the effects of shore-parallel offshore breakwaters on the surf-zone fish assemblage structure of a sandy beach, three study sites (sheltered inshore of breakwater, between adjacent breakwaters, and exposed without breakwaters) were sampled at Ohnuki Beach in Tokyo Bay, central Japan, in September and December 2009 and March and June 2010. Although some physical variables (wave height, turbidity, and water depth) differed among the three sites, no differences were apparent among the sites in the numbers of fish species and individuals, or in the abundance of epibenthic invertebrates (a main fish prey). In addition, species and individual numbers of two dominant feeding groups (mysid and copepod feeders) showed no significant among-site differences. Cluster and ordination analyses confirmed the similarity in fish species composition among the three sites. Furthermore, the mean standard length of all fishes collected throughout the study period did not differ significantly among the sites, the overall results indicating that the presence of breakwaters had little effect on surf-zone fish assemblage structure in the study area, despite some breakwater-related differences in the abiotic environment.