Fish Size and Prey Availability Affect Growth, Survival, Prey Selection, and Foraging Behavior of Larval Yellow Perch

2004 ◽  
Vol 133 (3) ◽  
pp. 504-514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian D. S. Graeb ◽  
John M. Dettmers ◽  
David H. Wahl ◽  
Carla E. Cáceres
2014 ◽  
Vol 143 (4) ◽  
pp. 845-855 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A. Kaemingk ◽  
Brian D. S. Graeb ◽  
David W. Willis

2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey C. Jolley ◽  
David W. Willis ◽  
Richard S. Holland

Abstract Food availability may regulate fish recruitment, both directly and indirectly. The availability of zooplankton, especially to newly hatched larvae, is thought to be crucial to their early growth and survival. We examined stomach contents of larval bluegill Lepomis macrochirus and yellow perch Perca flavescens in Pelican Lake and Cameron Lake, Nebraska, in 2004 and 2005. We also determined zooplankton availability and calculated prey selection using Chesson's α. In addition, we investigated potential match–mismatch regulation of recruitment from 2004 to 2008. Bluegill positively selected copepod nauplii and Bosmina spp., and yellow perch often selected copepods. Abundant zooplankton populations were available for consumption. Matches of both larval bluegill and yellow perch abundance to zooplankton abundance were detected in all years; exact matches were common. Mismatches in predator and prey production were not observed. Predation by age-0 yellow perch on age-0 bluegill was not observed, even though yellow perch hatched 2 mo prior to bluegill. Given that zooplankton were abundant and well-timed to larval fish relative abundance over the time span of this study, the match–mismatch hypothesis alone may not fully account for observed recruitment variability in these populations. Environmental conditions may also affect recruitment and warrant further investigation.


<em>Abstract.</em>—Prey selection and diet are highly plastic and can vary with temporal and spatial differences in competition or prey availability. This study investigated the possibility that the trophic position of Smallmouth Bass <em> Micropterus dolomieu </em>might change in response to systematic, hierarchical variation in community structure in stream networks. We hypothesized that a shift toward increased insectivory and decreased piscivory would be observed in smaller streams, resulting in a lower trophic position of Smallmouth Bass and reflecting differences in community structure and prey availability. We applied a combination of diet analyses and stable isotope methods to compare prey selection and trophic position of Smallmouth Bass across a range of stream sizes. Stable isotope analyses indicated that Smallmouth Bass trophic position was slightly elevated in smaller watersheds, contradicting our initial hypothesis. However, differences in average trophic position in watershed size categories were small (ranging from 3.6 to 3.8) and of limited ecological significance. Isotopic niche width did not vary among stream size categories, and gut content analyses revealed no differences in frequency of occurrence of fish, crayfish, or insects (larvae and adults). Collectively these results indicate that trophic position, and perhaps trophic niche, of Smallmouth Bass are consistent across hierarchical variation in stream size and habitat.


1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (11) ◽  
pp. 2507-2515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert M. R. Barclay

Habitat use, temporal activity, foraging behaviour, and prey selection of hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus) and silver-haired bats (Lasionycteris noctivagans) were studied at Delta Marsh, Manitoba. Bat activity was assessed by monitoring echolocation calls with ultrasonic detectors. Prey availability was determined using sticky and Malaise traps and dietary information was obtained from fecal analysis. Both species were active all night and foraged primarily in the lee of a narrow forested ridge. Lasionycteris noctivagans foraged in a manner that indicates that it detects and pursues prey over short distances. These bats fly slowly, are highly manoeuverable, and were commonly observed feeding on swarms of insects in small clearings. They use echolocation calls that support the notion of a short-range foraging strategy and feed opportunistically on whatever insects are available. Lasiurus cinereus, on the other hand, uses a long-range prey detection and pursuit foraging strategy. They fly rapidly along straight line paths in open areas and use echolocation calls designed to detect insects at a distance. The diet consists primarily of large insects (moths, beetles, and dragonflies), but the bats nonetheless feed opportunistically. The foraging strategy likely restricts the availability and profitability of small insects as prey.


Author(s):  
Manuela Bassoi ◽  
Eduardo R. Secchi ◽  
Daniel Danilewicz ◽  
Ignacio B. Moreno ◽  
Roberta A. Santos ◽  
...  

Abstract The franciscana dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei) is a coastal dolphin endemic to the western South Atlantic Ocean. The dolphin is listed as vulnerable in the IUCN Red List, with incidental catches in gillnet fisheries the greatest conservation concern for this species. Insights into the feeding habits of this dolphin are essential to understand its distribution, movements and use of habitat, which are fundamental for effective management of the species. The feeding habits of franciscana dolphins were investigated from analyses of stomach contents of animals incidentally caught by two fishing operations from southern and northern regions of the southern Brazilian coast. In this study we investigate the existence of intrapopulation (sexual maturity and sex-related) variation in the diet of the franciscana dolphin, evaluating the spatial (northern and southern geographic areas) and seasonal influences. The analyses were based on Linear and Generalized Linear Models (LM and GLM). The majority of identified prey species were bottom-dwelling teleosts and the squid Doryteuthis sanpaulensis. The most important prey differed spatially and seasonally between northern and southern regions of the study area, and our results revealed significant differences between sexes and sexual maturity stages, mainly related to prey species sizes. This variation might indicate differences in prey selection, availability or habitat use patterns among these groups. In any case, these dietary differences are likely to minimize intraspecific competition for food resources, and/or indicate spatio-temporal variation in prey availability.


Author(s):  
E.G. Brown ◽  
G.J. Pierce

Scats (N=200) of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) were collected from haul-out sites on the Island of Mousa, south-east Shetland, during July, August and September 1994. A total of 5,531 fish otoliths were identified in scats and measured to reconstruct fish lengths and weight. Gadid fishes dominated the diet of harbour seals on Mousa during the study period, both in terms of weight and the frequency with which they occurred. There was evidence for the existence of temporal trends. Over the period July–September the importance of gadids in the diet increased while that of sandeels declined. These temporal trends are probably associated with changes in prey availability. Comparisons of the size of sandeels, herring and whiting eaten by seals with trawl catches suggest that seals were probably not size-selective, but a corollary of this is that, while otolith size is reduced during passage through seal guts, application of correction factors derived from captive feeding experiments led to over-estimates of fish size.


2015 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
pp. 210-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Houghton ◽  
John Janssen

2017 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
pp. 603-613 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregorio Moreno-Rueda ◽  
Elena Melero ◽  
Senda Reguera ◽  
Francisco J Zamora-Camacho ◽  
Inés Álvarez-Benito

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