Predation by juvenile piscivorous bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix): the influence of prey to predator size ratio and prey type on predator capture success and prey profitability

1998 ◽  
Vol 55 (7) ◽  
pp. 1695-1703 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederick S Scharf ◽  
Jeffrey A Buckel ◽  
Francis Juanes ◽  
David O Conover
Keyword(s):  
Striped Bass ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Handling Time ◽  
Prey Type ◽  
Continuous Functions ◽  
Pomatomus Saltatrix ◽  
Frequency Distributions ◽  
Atlantic Silverside ◽  
Capture Success ◽  
Prey Vulnerability

Capture success, handling time, prey vulnerability, and prey profitability were examined as a function of prey length/predator length ratio for age-0 juvenile bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) feeding on juvenile striped bass (Morone saxatilis) and Atlantic silverside (Menidia menidia). For each prey species, bluefish capture success declined linearly and handling time increased exponentially with increasing length ratios between 0.20 and 0.65. However, bluefish capture success was lower and handling times increased at a faster rate when feeding on juvenile striped bass compared with Atlantic silverside. Prey vulnerability, measured as bluefish predation rate, declined exponentially with increasing length ratios for each prey species. Profitability curves were dome shaped for each prey species; however, profitability values and the location of dome peaks differed between prey species. Capture success functions were combined with field length distributions to generate expected frequency distributions of length ratios included in bluefish diets. Comparisons resulted in good agreement between expected and observed sizes in bluefish diets, illustrating the importance of capture success in determining piscivore diets. Our results indicate that, for juvenile fishes, prey-specific morphological and behavioral differences can have significant effects on the outcome of predator-prey interactions and that size-based predation components are best represented as continuous functions of relative fish size.

Differential Predation by Chaoborus americanus on Males and Females of Two Species of Diaptomus

1993 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 410-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jules M. Blais ◽  
Edward J. Maly
Keyword(s):  
Prey Species ◽  
Calanoid Copepod ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Handling Time ◽  
Prey Type ◽  
Feeding Rates ◽  
Feeding Experiments ◽  
Chaoborus Americanus ◽  
Differential Predation ◽  
Males And Females

Feeding experiments were performed to determine relative feeding rates of fourth-instar Chaoborus americanus larvae (Diptera) on both sexes of two calanoid copepod species, Diaptomus leptopus and D. minutus. Feeding rates, using a single prey type, showed that predation rates by Chaoborus on female D. minutus were highest, followed by male D. minutus, male D. leptopus, and female D. leptopus, respectively, when exposed to Chaoborus individually. Selectivity experiments with the four prey types made available simultaneously confirmed this pattern. Prey sizes and swimming speeds were determined, and both strike efficiency and handling time of Chaoborus were measured. Data suggested that selection between prey species was determined primarily by prey size whereas selection between sexes was determined primarily by differential swimming speed.

Dose-Related Toxicity of Copper and Cadmium in Striped Bass Larvae from the Chesapeake Bay: Field Considerations

1988 ◽  
Vol 20 (6-7) ◽  
pp. 39-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Wright
Keyword(s):  
Chesapeake Bay ◽  
Striped Bass ◽  
Toxic Metal ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Metal Concentrations ◽  
Frequency Distributions ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Toxic Concentrations ◽  
And Control ◽  
Spawning Tributaries

Copper and cadmium monitoring in Chesapeake Bay sediments indicates that metal contamination exists in nursery areas for striped bass (Moronesaxatilis), which has been in serious decline over the last 17 years. Whole water metal concentrations in one spawning river were within an order of magnitude of published acutely toxic concentrations. Larval striped bass were exposed in the laboratory to copper and cadmium concentrations which were acutely toxic over a 96h period (24 and 19 µg L−1, respectively), and to sub-lethal concentrations of these metals over a three week period. Larvae from acutely toxic metal treatments, sub-lethal metal concentrations and control tanks were analyzed for cadmium and copper and the frequency distribution of metal body burdens was compared with field data. The distribution of copper concentrations in laboratory-exposed larvae was completely within the range of field specimens, and there was considerable overlap in cadmium frequency distributions from laboratory and field larvae. These results together with other published data suggest that environmental metal concentrations in some spawning tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay may pose a threat to striped bass, and the suggestion is made that greater efforts should be made to link laboratory and field toxicological data.

scholarly journals Feeding Ecology of Short-Toed Snake-Eagle (Circaetus gallicus [Gmelin, 1788]) in the Montados of Iberian Peninsula

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-179
Author(s):  
Nuno Onofre ◽  
Luís Sampaio
Keyword(s):  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Diet Composition ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Prey Type ◽  
Generalist Predator ◽  
Important Prey ◽  
Psammodromus Algirus ◽  
Circaetus Gallicus ◽  
Water Snakes

The diet of Short-toed Snake-eagle (Circaetus gallicus) during the breeding season in an area dominated by cork and holm oak parkland forests (Montados) was analyzed in this study. As expected, results showed that snakes are the dominant prey in the diet of this eagle, comprising up to 92.5% of the identified items, if potential secondary prey species were excluded. The Montpellier Snake (Malpolon monspessulanus) was the most consumed one (42.2%), followed by the Ladder Snake (Zamenis scalaris) (28.0%), and the water snakes (Natrix spp.) (14.2%). According to the same criteria, lizards (mainly Psammodromus algirus) and mammals represent between 4.8 and 2.2%, respectively. Other animals such as pond turtle and amphibians are irregular prey (<1%), and no bird remains were found at all. Short-toed Snake-eagle is usually referred as a stenophagic predator where snakes are by far its most important prey type, and where within this taxonomic group it behaves as a generalist predator. In this study this premise was then tested comparing the relative abundance of the snake species with their proportion in the diet composition of the eagle in order to know whether or not prey selection exists with regard to the species of snakes in this region. Results point to a quite plausible "preference" for the Ladder Snake and an "avoidance" for the smooth snakes group (Macroprotodon brevis/Coronella girondica), and possibly for the Horseshoe Whip (Hemorrhois hippocrepis). The avoidance to the Horseshoe Whip must be indirect and habitat related, while in relation to the two smooth snakes it may be due in large extend to its small size, in particular.

scholarly journals Evolution in interacting species alters predator life-history traits, behaviour and morphology in experimental microbial communities

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1928) ◽  
pp. 20200652
Author(s):  
Johannes Cairns ◽  
Felix Moerman ◽  
Emanuel A. Fronhofer ◽  
Florian Altermatt ◽  
Teppo Hiltunen
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Rapid Evolution ◽  
Prey Type ◽  
Automated Image Analysis ◽  
Foraging Efficiency ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Evolving Systems ◽  
Interacting Species ◽  
Evolutionary Response

Predator–prey interactions heavily influence the dynamics of many ecosystems. An increasing body of evidence suggests that rapid evolution and coevolution can alter these interactions, with important ecological implications, by acting on traits determining fitness, including reproduction, anti-predatory defence and foraging efficiency. However, most studies to date have focused only on evolution in the prey species, and the predator traits in (co)evolving systems remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated changes in predator traits after approximately 600 generations in a predator–prey (ciliate–bacteria) evolutionary experiment. Predators independently evolved on seven different prey species, allowing generalization of the predator's evolutionary response. We used highly resolved automated image analysis to quantify changes in predator life history, morphology and behaviour. Consistent with previous studies, we found that prey evolution impaired growth of the predator, although the effect depended on the prey species. By contrast, predator evolution did not cause a clear increase in predator growth when feeding on ancestral prey. However, predator evolution affected morphology and behaviour, increasing size, speed and directionality of movement, which have all been linked to higher prey search efficiency. These results show that in (co)evolving systems, predator adaptation can occur in traits relevant to foraging efficiency without translating into an increased ability of the predator to grow on the ancestral prey type.

scholarly journals Development of a foraging model framework to reliably estimate daily food consumption by young fishes

2017 ◽  
Vol 74 (10) ◽  
pp. 1668-1681 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Deslauriers ◽  
Alex J. Rosburg ◽  
Steven R. Chipps
Keyword(s):  
Water Temperature ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Prey Density ◽  
Handling Time ◽  
Prey Type ◽  
Daily Consumption ◽  
Model Framework ◽  
Fish Feeding ◽  
Daily Food Consumption ◽  
Daily Food

We developed a foraging model for young fishes that incorporates handling and digestion rate to estimate daily food consumption. Feeding trials were used to quantify functional feeding response, satiation, and gut evacuation rate. Once parameterized, the foraging model was then applied to evaluate effects of prey type, prey density, water temperature, and fish size on daily feeding rate by age-0 (19–70 mm) pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus). Prey consumption was positively related to prey density (for fish >30 mm) and water temperature, but negatively related to prey size and the presence of sand substrate. Model evaluation results revealed good agreement between observed estimates of daily consumption and those predicted by the model (r2 = 0.95). Model simulations showed that fish feeding on Chironomidae or Ephemeroptera larvae were able to gain mass, whereas fish feeding solely on zooplankton lost mass under most conditions. By accounting for satiation and digestive processes in addition to handling time and prey density, the model provides realistic estimates of daily food consumption that can prove useful for evaluating rearing conditions for age-0 fishes.

scholarly journals Heavy Metals in Biota in Delaware Bay, NJ: Developing a Food Web Approach to Contaminants

Toxics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 34
Author(s):  
Joanna Burger ◽  
Nellie Tsipoura ◽  
Larry Niles ◽  
Amanda Dey ◽  
Christian Jeitner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Web ◽  
Striped Bass ◽  
Ecological Integrity ◽  
Food Resource ◽  
Sublethal Effect ◽  
Delaware Bay ◽  
Small Fish ◽  
Pomatomus Saltatrix ◽  
Metal Levels ◽  
Cadmium Lead

Understanding the relationship between heavy metal and selenium levels in biota and their foods is important, but often difficult to determine because animals eat a variety of organisms. Yet such information is critical to managing species populations, ecological integrity, and risk to receptors (including humans) from consumption of certain prey. We examine levels of cadmium, lead, mercury, and selenium in biota from Delaware Bay (New Jersey, USA) to begin construction of a “springtime” food web that focuses on shorebirds. Horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) eggs are one of the key components at the base of the food web, and crab spawning in spring provides a food resource supporting a massive stopover of shorebirds. Fish and other biota also forage on the crab eggs, and a complex food web leads directly to top-level predators such as bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) and striped bass (Morone saxatilis), both of which are consumed by egrets, eagles, ospreys (Pandion haliaetus), and humans. Metal levels in tissues were generally similar in algae, invertebrates, and small fish, and these were similar to those in blood of shorebirds (but not feathers). There was a significant direct relationship between the levels of metals in eggs of horseshoe crabs and mean metal levels in the blood of four species of shorebirds. Metal levels in shorebird feathers were higher than those in blood (except for selenium), reflecting sequestration of metals in feathers during their formation. Levels in feathers of laughing gulls (Leucophaeus atricilla) were similar to those in feathers of shorebirds (except for selenium). Selenium bears special mention as levels were significantly higher in the blood of all shorebird species than in other species in the food web, and were similar to levels in their feathers. Levels of metals in bluefish and striped bass were similar or higher than those found in the blood of shorebirds (except for selenium). The mean levels of cadmium, lead, and mercury in the blood and feathers of shorebirds were below any effect levels, but selenium levels in the blood and feathers of shorebirds were higher than the sublethal effect levels for birds. This is a cause for concern, and warrants further examination.

Comparative energetics and the development of bioenergetics models for sympatric estuarine piscivores

1995 ◽  
Vol 52 (8) ◽  
pp. 1647-1666 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle J. Hartman ◽  
Stephen B. Brandt
Keyword(s):  
Striped Bass ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Consumption Rate ◽  
Morone Saxatilis ◽  
Small Fish ◽  
Pomatomus Saltatrix ◽  
Potential Growth ◽  
Growth Physiology ◽  
Independent Model ◽  
Bioenergetics Models

Bioenergetics models for striped bass (Morone saxatilis), bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix), and weakfish (Cynoscion regalis) were developed from laboratory experiments on metabolism and consumption. Size-specific rates of consumption and metabolism were similar for bluefish and weakfish and higher than those for striped bass. Temperature effects on maximum consumption rate (Cmax) differed with fish size. Cmax of young fish (30 g) increased with temperature, then declined rapidly at higher temperatures; Cmax for larger fish of all three species (100–3000 g) increased rapidly to the maximum rate, but leveled off at higher (25–30 °C) temperatures. Results of Cmax experiments suggest that extrapolation of the temperature dependency of small fish to larger fish, as is commonly done, may misrepresent potential growth at higher temperatures. Independent model validation using laboratory experiments found consumption estimates (from growth) to be within −1.4 to +4.5% of known values for all species at temperatures above 19 °C; however, at 6.9°C consumption by striped bass was overestimated by 20–46%. Model estimates of growth (from consumption) were within −7.1 to +30.1% of known values in all validations. Overall, the growth physiology of the three species appeared to be related to the water temperatures encountered during estuarine residency and production.

The Relationship Between Prey Size and Handling Time and Prey Size and Capture Success in 3 Sympatric Species of Dasyurid Marsupials

1988 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 615 ◽  
Author(s):  
MC Calver ◽  
JS Bradley ◽  
DR King
Keyword(s):  
Linear Regression ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Handling Time ◽  
Prey Type ◽  
Sympatric Species ◽  
Niche Separation ◽  
Simple Linear Regression ◽  
Predator Species ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Better Than

Regressions of handling time on prey weight were determined for the dasyurids Srninthopsis hirtipes, S. ooldea and Ningaui spp. preying on grasshoppers and cockroaches in the laboratory. In all cases, a simple linear regression fitted the relationships better than logarithmic models. The slopes of the regression lines were steeper for grasshopper prey than for cockroach prey in all species, and for each prey type the slopes for the predators were ranked in order of predator weight. Capture efficiency, defined as the proportion of successful attacks, did not vary significantly between predator species and prey types, and all predators showed declining capture efficiencies with increasing prey size. Niche separation in these dasyurids does not appear to be based on different optimal prey sizes for each species.

Biology and Management of Inland Striped Bass and Hybrid Striped Bass

2013 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Striped Bass ◽  
Fishery Management ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Handling Time ◽  
Anatomical Site ◽  
Hybrid Striped Bass ◽  
White Bass ◽  
Catch And Release ◽  
By Catch ◽  
Mortality Estimates

<em>Abstract</em>.— We conducted a meta-analysis of existing studies of striped bass <em>Morone saxatilis</em> and hybrid striped bass (striped bass × white bass <em>M. chrysops</em>)catch-and-release mortality in freshwaters. Water temperature or season (<EM>P</EM> < 0.0001) and anatomical site of hooking (<EM>P</EM> < 0.0001) were the most consistently significant predictors of striped bass catch-and-release mortality. Bait type (<EM>P</EM> = 0.0007), presence of bleeding in hooked fish (<EM>P</EM> = 0.0017), and handling time (<EM>P</EM> = 0.0363) also affected catch-and-release mortality. Only two studies examined catch-and-release mortality of hybrid striped bass. We conducted surveys of fishery management agencies and striped bass fishing clubs to assess their opinions about the importance of catch-and-release mortality in striped bass and hybrid striped bass fisheries. Compared with fishery management agencies, a greater proportion of fishing clubs believed that catch-and-release mortality impacted striped bass fisheries. In general, fishery management agencies believed that striped bass catch-and-release mortality was low, although most had little information, and viewed catch-and-release mortality as a social, rather than biological, issue. To assess the potential impacts of catch-and-release mortality on striped bass fisheries, we constructed a simple model that, based on average summer release rates and water temperatures, estimated the proportion of striped bass total summer catch lost to catch-and-release mortality. Estimates ranged from 16% to 60% (mean = 36%) if all fish were captured on natural baits and 11% to 31% (mean = 19%) if all fish were captured on artificial baits. Although most fishery management agencies view catch-and-release mortality of striped bass and hybrid striped bass as mostly a social issue, it appears that they currently underestimate the magnitude of the biological problems presented by catch-andrelease fishing for striped bass and hybrid striped bass.

Swimming Energetics of Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis) and Bluefish (Pomatomus Saltatrix): Hydrodynamic Correlates of Locomotion and Gill Ventilation

1981 ◽  
Vol 90 (1) ◽  
pp. 253-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. FREADMAN
Keyword(s):  
Striped Bass ◽  
Boundary Layer Separation ◽  
Flow Patterns ◽  
Separation Flow ◽  
Pomatomus Saltatrix ◽  
Transition Range ◽  
Acceleration Amplitude ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Gill Ventilation ◽  
The Cost

1. Swimming patterns of striped bass and bluefish were monitored using a miniature accelerometer to record instantaneous acceleration and instantaneous deceleration during tail-thrusts over a wide range of swimming speeds. In addition, ventilatory excurrent flow patterns were visualized in swimming striped bass by injecting milk via a buccal catheter. 2. Both species accomplish steady swimming with both symmetric and asymmetric thrusts; other transient swimming patterns were observed as well. 3. Over the transition range from active branchial to ram gill ventilation, no measurable change in forward acceleration amplitude occurred with adoption of ram gill flow in both species; this can only occur if drag does not change over the ventilatory transition. 4. From metabolic measurements and from implications about swimming drag deduced from acceleration amplitude, the cost of active ventilation just prior to adoption of ram gill ventilation was estimated to be 8·1% and 8·4% of total metabolism for striped bass and bluefish respectively. 5. Ventilatory effluent flow patterns during cyclic ventilation in swimming striped bass induce substantial turbulence and probably boundary layer separation. Flow patterns during ram ventilation result in streamlined flow over most of the length of the fish. 6. The results show that transfer from active to branchial to ram gill ventilation provides important hydrodynamic advantages to these fishes at cruising velocities.

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