Feeding ecology of two megrims Lepidorhombus boscii and Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis in the western Mediterranean (Gulf of Valencia, Spain)

Author(s):  
Salomé Morte ◽  
Manuel J. Redón ◽  
Antonio Sanz-Brau

The stomach contents of 344 four-spotted megrim, (Lepidorhombus boscii) and 159 megrim (Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis), off the eastern coast of the Gulf of Valencia (Spain), were analysed. The two species examined do not appear to have very similar diets, based on the species composition of prey. The vacuity coefficient is not high for any of the species, the main food being Crustacea (Decapoda and Mysidacea). Also Amphipoda and Teleostei are components of the diet. Variations in the food of both fish related to their length show few small crustaceans as prey of the major specimens. Finally, there was evidence for seasonal variation of the quality and quantity of the food consumed. There was no great dietary overlap between these two species.

Author(s):  
J.R. Ellis ◽  
M.G. Pawson ◽  
S.E. Shackley

The stomach contents of ten species of elasmobranch from the north-eastern Atlantic indicate that most are generalist predators, eating a variety of polychaetes, molluscs, crustaceans and teleosts. Two species, Mustelus asterias and Squatina scjuatina were found to be specialist feeders, consuming portunid crabs and pleuronectids, respectively. Measures for both dietary breadth and dietary overlap are given and the implications of elasmobranch predation on the prey communities and on commercial species are discussed.


Author(s):  
M.S. Morte ◽  
M.J. Redon ◽  
A. Sanz-Brau

The feeding habits of Trigla lucerna L. (1758) and Aspitrigla obscura L. (1764) (Pisces: Triglidae), off the coast of the Gulf of Valencia (Spain), were investigated between October 1989 and January 1991. The two species examined in this study appear to have distinct feeding types, based on the species composition of prey and the frequency of occurrence of major food items. Tub gurnard had a more diverse diet and fed mainly on crustaceans (mysids and decapods), teleosts and molluscs, whilst long fin gurnard were less piscivorous and fed mainly on mysids and natantids. No significant differences were found in the annual variation of vacuity coefficient for either species. Diet composition in these species did not show great changes with either season and size of fish. There was little dietary overlap between these two species.


Author(s):  
J. Matallanas ◽  
M. Casadevall ◽  
M. Carrasson ◽  
J. Bolx ◽  
V. Fernandez

Stomachs of 385 specimens of Seriola dumerili (Risso, 1810) have been analysed. Their coefficient of repletion is 50·8% in juveniles and 90·3% in adults. Juveniles feed almost exclusively on Teleostei with Engraulis encrasicholus and Sardina pilchardus as the main food; Cephalopoda (Loligo vulgaris and Sepiola sp.) and Crustacea (Squilla mantis) are also eaten. Adults feed on a great diversity of Teleostei headed by S. pilchardus and Merluccius merluccius.According to Smith-Vaniz (1986)Seriola dumerili is both epibenthic and pelagic, occurring at 18–72 m in small to moderate schools. Juveniles are associated with flotsam in oceanic or offshore neritic waters. Adults often live near reefs or at deep off-shore holes or drop-offs. It is found from the Mediterranean and the Bay of Biscay to South Africa, from Nova Scotia to Brazil, and also in the Arabian Gulf, Australia, Japan and the Hawaiian Islands.


1973 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 391 ◽  
Author(s):  
BJ Coman

Stomach contents were examined for 1229 foxes collected in Victoria during 1968-70. Of these, 967 stomachs contained measurable quantities of food. The fox appears to have a very wide dietary range but is predominantly carnivorous. The main food items encountered were rabbits, sheep carrion, and mice. Lesser amounts of native mammals, birds, cold-blooded vertebrates, invertebrates, and plant material were encountered. For many foods, particularly insects, the intake was markedly seasonal. Regional differences in diet were also apparent. Much of the variation in intake of particular foods over time and between regions was explicable in terms of changing availabilities of these foods.


Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asensio-Montesinos ◽  
Pranzini ◽  
Martínez-Martínez ◽  
Cinelli ◽  
Anfuso ◽  
...  

Sand colour can give important information about mineral composition and, consequently, sediment source areas and input systems. Beach appearance, which is mostly linked to sand colour, has a relevant economic function in tourist areas. In this paper, the colour of 66 sand samples, collected along both natural and nourished beaches in the western Mediterranean coast of Spain, were assessed in CIEL*a*b* 1976 colour space. The obtained results showed relevant differences between natural and artificially nourished beaches. The colour of many nourished beaches generally differs from the native one because the origin of the injected sand is different. The native sand colour coordinates’ range is: L* (40.16–63.71); a* (−1.47–6.40); b* (7.48–18.06). On the contrary, for nourished beaches’ the colour range is: L* (47.66–70.75); a*(0.72‒5.16); b* (5.82–18.82). Impacts of beach nourishment on the native sand colour were studied at San Juan beach, the most popular one along the study area. Nourishment works were performed after severe erosion, usually linked to anthropic activities/structures and storm events, but also to increase beach width and hence benefit tourism.


Author(s):  
J.E. Cartes ◽  
J. Rey ◽  
D. Lloris ◽  
L. Gil de Sola

The feeding intensity and the diet of Merluccius merluccius were studied along a 1000 km latitudinal scale on the coasts of the Iberian Peninsula (western Mediterranean) in spring 2000. Merluccius merluccius was distributed along two bathymetric bands corresponding to the deep continental shelf (between 36 to 148 m), and the upper slope (between 215 to 310 m). At the shelf small crustaceans (mainly euphausiids and mysids) were dominant in the diet while fish (mainly Myctophidae) were the preferred prey on the slope. Feeding intensity of hake was significantly higher in areas with higher hake density suggesting feeding aggregations. Also, feeding intensity was significantly correlated with phytoplankton pigment concentrations (ppc), though only with ppc recorded one month before on the hake sampling stations. This delay between ppc and feeding intensity of hake may be a response to higher prey availability, because most hake prey were pelagic in origin (euphausiids, Clupeiformes) and they may reach high densities after exploiting local phytoplankton blooms. This delayed response seems to have more a local or spotted pattern. During three 8-h sampling cycles food consumed by hake ranged between 1·01 to 5·51% body wet weight (BWW), on average within the range of food consumption rates of other benthopelagic, active swimmer, fish.


Bothalia ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 249-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. S. Kellerman ◽  
M. W. Van Rooyen

Seasonal variation in seed bank size and species composition of five selected habitat types within the Tembe Elephant Park. South Africa, was investigated. At three-month intervals, soil samples were randomly collected from five different habitat types: a, Licuati forest; b, Licuati thicket; c, a bare or sparsely vegetated zone surrounding the forest edge, referred to as the forest/grassland ecotone; d, grassland; and e, open woodland. Most species in the seed bank flora were either grasses, sedges, or forbs, with hardly any evidence of woody species. The Licuati forest and thicket soils produced the lowest seed densities in all seasons.  Licuati forest and grassland seed banks showed a two-fold seasonal variation in size, those of the Licuati thicket and woodland a three-fold variation in size, whereas the forest/grassland ecotone maintained a relatively large seed bank all year round. The woodland seed bank had the highest species richness, whereas the Licuati forest and thicket soils were poor in species. Generally, it was found that the greatest correspondence in species composition was between the Licuati forest and thicket, as well as the forest/grassland ecotone and grassland seed bank floras.


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