scholarly journals Chironomidae feeding habits in different habitats from a Neotropical floodplain: exploring patterns in aquatic food webs

2016 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. M. M. Butakka ◽  
F. H. Ragonha ◽  
S. Train ◽  
G. D. Pinha ◽  
A. M. Takeda
Keyword(s):  
Food Webs ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Fungal Spores ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Larval Feeding ◽  
Gut Content ◽  
Aquatic Communities ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Aquatic Food ◽  
Almost All

Abstract Ecological studies on food webs have considerably increased in recent decades, especially in aquatic communities. Because Chironomidae family are highly specious, occurring in almost all aquatic habitats is considered organisms-key to initiate studies on ecological relationships and trophic webs. We tested the hypothesis that the diversity of the morphospecies diet reflects differences on both the food items available among habitats and the preferences of larval feeding. We analyzed the gut content of the seven most abundant Chironomidae morphospecies of the different habitats from the Upper Paraná River. We categorized the food items found into algae, fungal spores, fragments of plants, algae and animal fragments and sponge spicules. We observed the algae predominance in the gut content of morphospecies from lakes. Considering the different regions from each lake, we registered the highest food abundance in the littoral regions in relation to the central regions. From the variety of feeding habits (number of item kinds), we classified Chironomus strenzkei, Tanytarsus sp.1, Procladius sp.1 as generalist morphospecies. We found a nested pattern between food items and Chironomidae morphospecies, where some items were common to all taxa (e.g., Bacillariophyceae algae, especially), while others were found in specific morphospecies (e.g., animals fragments found in Procladius sp.1). The algae represented the most percentage of gut contents of Chironomidae larvae. This was especially true for the individuals from littoral regions, which is probably due to the major densities of algae associated to macrophytes, which are abundant in these regions. Therefore, the feeding behavior of these morphospecies was generalist and not selective, depending only of the available resources.

scholarly journals Feeding habits of Chironomid larvae (Insecta: Diptera) from a stream in the Floresta da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

2003 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 269-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. L. Henriques-Oliveira ◽  
J. L. Nessimian ◽  
L. F. M. Dorvillé
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Particulate Organic Matter ◽  
Rio De Janeiro ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Chironomid Larvae ◽  
Main Food ◽  
Animal Remains ◽  
Aquatic Food ◽  
Main Food Source

Chironomids larvae are frequently one of the most abundant and diverse groups of insects in several kinds of aquatic environments. Also, they play a major role in the aquatic food webs, representing a major link among producers and secondary consumers. This work investigates the feeding behavior of the chironomid larvae present in the Rio da Fazenda, situated in the Parque Nacional da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between August 1994 and May 1995. Algae, fungi, pollen, leaf and wood fragments, animal remains, detritus and silt were the main gut contents found in the larvae studied. The main food item ingested by the larvae was detritus, except for the Stenochironomus whose main food source was leaf and wood fragments. Tanypodinae exhibited a large quantity of animal remains of several kinds in the diet. During the period studied it was observed that the diet of 16 genera (out of 24 studied) varied. Tanypodinae had mainly coarse particulate organic matter (> 1 mm) in the gut contents, while Chironominae and Orthocladiinae had fine particulate organic matter (< 1 mm).

scholarly journals Spatial and seasonal changes in the diet of Oligosarcus hepsetus (Characiformes, Characidae) in a Brazilian Reservoir

2005 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. G Araújo ◽  
C. C Andrade ◽  
R. N Santos ◽  
A. F. G. N Santos ◽  
L. N Santos
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Changes ◽  
Prey Capture ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Dietary Shifts ◽  
Index Of Relative Importance ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Previous Autumn ◽  
Very High

We assessed spatial and seasonal changes in the diet of Oligosarcus hepsetus in order to describe the strategy developed by this species that allows their very high abundance in Lajes reservoir, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Fish samplings were carried out using gill nets, deployed during ca. 12 and 24 hours, between April 2001 and May 2002. A total of 289 individuals were examined, of which 97 showed gut contents. We used the index of relative importance (IRI) to compare probable dietary shifts, and the frequency of occurrence (% OC) to analyze possible ontogenetic influences on feeding. O. hepsetus showed carnivorous habits, feeding preferably on fish and insects, the latter of which occurred in 71.0% of the guts presenting contents. O. hepsetus consumed different items along the three reservoir zones: insects (61.0% IRI) and Cichla monoculus (38.9% IRI) in the lower zone; Lepidoptera (57.0% IRI) in the middle zone; and C. monoculus (77.0% IRI) in the upper zone. Food items changed seasonally with C. monoculus predominating in autumn 2001, and Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera in the winter. In spring almost all food was Lepidoptera (99.8% IRI), while in the summer Hemiptera dominated in the diet. In autumn 2002 Hemiptera (97.0% IRI) was dominant, in significant contrast with the previous autumn. Individuals smaller than 190 mm SL fed heavily on insects, while fishes predominated in the diet of individuals larger than 190 mm SL. Shifts in prey-capture ability among length classes suggest decreasing intraspecific competition. A higher food plasticity seems to be the strategy employed by this opportunist species, which used food resources available in the reservoir.

scholarly journals Food and Feeding Habits of the Mola Carplet Amblypharyngodon mola (Hamilton, 1822) in Rice Field Ecosystem with Consideration of Water Quality Parameters

Our Nature ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md. Mostafizur Rahman Mondol ◽  
Dil Afroz Nahar ◽  
Somen Dewan ◽  
Md. Mosaddequr Rahman ◽  
Saleha Jasmine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Rice Field ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Quality Parameters ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Gut Content Analysis ◽  
Gut Content ◽  
Field Ecosystem ◽  
Food And Feeding ◽  
Plankton Population

The present investigation was conducted in the Agronomy field laboratory of Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh during May 1999 to August 1999 to reveal the food and feeding habits of Amblypharyngodon mola in the rice field ecosystem. Percentage of frequency of occurrence and percentage in number methods were used for the qualitative and quantitative estimation of plankton population. Results showed that, during the present study, the water quality parameters were within the suitable range for optimal fish growth and plankton population was abundant in the water of the rice plots. Gut content analysis of A. mola revealed a sum of 32 genera of phytoplankton belonging to Chlorophyceae (17), Euglenophyceae (2), Cyanophyceae (7) and Bacillariophyceae (6) and 8 genera of zooplankton under Rotifera (3), Cladocera (2) and Copepoda (3). In general, Navicula, Fragilaria, Chlorella, Chrysococcus, Closterium, Oscillatoria and Gomphosphaeria were found abundant both in the water of the rice plots and in the gut contents of A. mola indicating that, these genera are preferred food of this fish in the rice field ecosystem. Gut content analysis also exposed that, phytoplankton was the major food item constituting 94.38% of the gut contents’ composition of A. mola whereas zooplankton comprised only 5.62%. The results of this study conclude that, the A. mola is planktivorous in nature, feeding mostly on phytoplankton and could be a suitable species for integrated rice-fish farming.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/on.v11i1.8245 Our Nature Vol.11(1) 2013: 61-75

7. Measuring the Rate of Mercury Loss in Amphipod Gut and Tissues after Exposure to Contaminated Sediments

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Martin
Keyword(s):  
Food Webs ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Food Source ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
Artificial Substrates ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Aquatic Food ◽  
Health Canada ◽  
St Lawrence River

Mercury (Hg) contamination of the St. Lawrence River along the Cornwall waterfront is the result of over a century of industrial inputs. Yellow perch (Perca flavescens) are contaminated above the consumption guidelines deemed safe by Health Canada in one of three contaminated depositional zones. Amphipods are crustaceans that play an important role in aquatic food webs, and a recent study of the diet of yellow perch showed that amphipods were the primary food source of yellow perch in these zones and that amphipods showed similar patterns of Hg contamination. However, not all Hg taken up by amphipods is bioavailable. That is, not all Hg is incorporated into the tissues and available for uptake by yellow perch. To determine if Hg analyses of amphipods are biased by Hg present in their gut contents, the rate of Hg loss was measured from the gut and tissues. Amphipods were collected in the field using artificial substrates. A sample was frozen immediately upon retrieval, and the remaining amphipods were kept in a sieve in a basin of filtered river water. Amphipods were then sampled over 16 days to compare Hg concentrations in gut contents and tissues before and after they were removed from the Hg source in the field. The data were used to estimate the portion of Hg bioavailable to yellow perch. This enables us to more accurately estimate the extent of Hg contamination that is moving through the Cornwall food web, leading to elevated concentrations in top trophic fish species.

Gut content and stable isotope analysis of tadpoles in floodplain wetlands

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 261 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. Ocock ◽  
K. J. Brandis ◽  
B. J. Wolfenden ◽  
K. M. Jenkins ◽  
S. Wassens
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Floodplain Wetlands ◽  
Gut Content ◽  
Larval Amphibians ◽  
Aquatic Food

Larval amphibians (tadpoles) are an important link in aquatic food webs, as they can be highly abundant consumers and prey for a wide variety of predators. Most tadpoles are considered omnivores, predominately grazing on algae, detritus and macrophytes, though recent work has identified greater plasticity and breadth in diet than previously considered. We used gut content and stable isotope analysis (SIA) in a baseline study to determine the important dietary items (ingested material) and food sources (assimilated material) for tadpoles of two abundant generalist frog species in regulated floodplain wetlands of the Murrumbidgee River, south-east Australia. We identified a wide variety of dietary items in the gut contents, including whole microcrustaceans, filamentous algae and macrophytes. The composition of several ingested food items was correlated with their availability in each wetland. However, SIA identified biofilm as the food source most consistently assimilated across several wetlands, though microcrustaceans and algae contributed when abundant. Biofilm is likely the most important basal food item for tadpoles in floodplain wetlands because it is ubiquitous and has a high nutritional quality. Identifying important food sources is a crucial step towards developing management strategies for promoting tadpole recruitment in regulated wetlands.

scholarly journals Brain Morphology and Feeding Habits of Some Fresh Water Teleosts of Nepal

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-81
Author(s):  
Rajani Shrestha ◽  
Sheetal Vaidya
Keyword(s):  
Fresh Water ◽  
Feeding Behaviour ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Brain Morphology ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Sensory Adaptation ◽  
Heteropneustes Fossilis ◽  
Gut Content ◽  
Teleost Brain ◽  
Morphological Differences

External morphology of teleost brain is organized in such a way that it reflects the correlation between sensory adaptation and principal modes of activity very clearly. Channa gachua, Garra annandelei and Heteropneustes fossilis are among the 168 fresh water fishes recorded in Nepal. While examining the gut contents of these fishes, it was found that C. gachua fed primarily on insects, G. annandelei fed mainly on filamentous algae whereas H. fossilis fed both on plants and animals. Their brain morphology revealed that olfaction in C. gachua was stronger than in G. annandelei and H. fossilis. Similarly, optic sense was also more powerful in C. gachua than in G. annandelei and in H. fossilis. On the contrary, cerebellum of H. fossilis was more developed than that of G. annandelei and C. gachua. These morphological differences of brain could be undoubtedly correlated with the carnivorous, herbivorous and omnivorous feeding behaviour of C. gachua, G. annandelei and H. fossilis respectively. Moreover, in all three fishes, around 20% of the total gut content was made of mud and sand, and they all had inferior mouths, indicating that they were bottom feeders.Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, Vol 4(1): 79-81 

scholarly journals Preliminary findings on the food and feeding dynamics of the anchovy Stolephorus commersonnii (Lacepède, 1803) and the Indian mackerel Rastrelliger kanagurta (Cuvier, 1817) from Tanga Region, Tanzania

2021 ◽  
pp. 71-80
Author(s):  
Baraka C. Sekadende ◽  
Joseph S. Sululu ◽  
Albogast T. Kamukuru ◽  
Mathias M. Igulu ◽  
Shigalla B. Mahongo
Keyword(s):  
Fish Larvae ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Juvenile Fish ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Food And Feeding ◽  
Rastrelliger Kanagurta ◽  
Penaeid Shrimps ◽  
Ring Net

Small pelagic fishes play an important role in the ecosystem by linking planktonic production and higher trophic level predators, and provide a livelihood to both the small-scale and commercial fisher communities. This study analyzed the food and feeding habits of Stolephorus commersonnii (Lacepède, 1803) and Rastrelliger kanagurta (Cuvier, 1817) from the ring-net fishery in Tanga, Tanzania. A total of 1 434 and 320 stomachs of S. commersonnii and R. kanagurta respectively were examined for gut contents using the relative volumetric method. S. commersonnii was found to be a planktivorous carnivore, feeding principally on planktonic penaeid shrimps (48.6%), fish larvae (33.2%) and zooplankton (12.3%). R. kanagurta was found to be carnivorous, feeding predominantly on fish (60.6%), mainly S. commersonnii, while penaeid shrimps, juvenile fish, and juvenile stages of squids formed 26.5% of the total number of food items in R. kanagurta guts. Both S. commersonnii and R. kanagurta exhibited ontogenic diet shifts, where they fed exclusively on small prey as juveniles and consumed larger food items as they grew. The index of vacuity was higher in S. commersonnii (46.1%) than in R. kanagurta (16.6%). This study revealed the importance of penaeid shrimps as food for S. commersonnii, that in turn formed the main food for R. kanagurta. This implied that the two species were able to coexist in the same niche by avoiding interspecific competition for food.

scholarly journals Feeding Ecology Of Chironomus Larvae (Insecta: Diptera) Collected From Different Habitat of Dhaka, Bangladesh

2012 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Niamul Naser ◽  
Dulon Roy
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Feeding Activity ◽  
Food Selection ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Gut Content Analysis ◽  
Gut Content ◽  
Feeding Intensity ◽  
Chironomid Larvae ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Low Degree

Chironomid larvae are frequently available in the muddy habitats of Curzon Hall campus of University of Dhaka. The larvae of single species of  Chironomus (Insecta: Diptera) were collected from the drains and pond of the campus. Algae, fungi, diatoms, protozoan’s, rotifers, animal parts (crustacean appendages, ostracodan shell, insect appendages), and detritus were found as the  main food items of the larvae. Gut content analysis showed a change in their  feeding habits with seasons. The feeding intensity was maximum in spring just after winter. The feeding activity was lowest in winter. The variation in the diet  may suggest that these groups showed a low degree of selectivity, having more  generalist food selection habit. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjz.v40i1.12902 Bangladesh J. Zool. 40(1): 129-133, 2012

scholarly journals Studies on chaetognaths off Ubatuba region, Brazil. II. Feeding habits

1995 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsui Hua Liang ◽  
Luz Amelia Vega-Pérez
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Stage ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Sao Paulo ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Clear Trend ◽  
Paulo State ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Common Food

The diet of chaetognath species were studied by examining the gut contents of 9466 specimens collected off Ubatuba region, São Paulo State. The greatest proportion of chaetognaths (7119 individuals) showed their gut contents empty. Copepods, mollusc eggs, appendicularians, cladocerans and annelids were the most common food items in the gut contents of juveniles and mature stages. Cannibalism occurred in low frequency. In Summer the copepods Temora stylifera and Paracalanus spp were more abundant, whereas Oncaea spp and mollusc eggs were heavily preyed in Winter. There was a clear trend of increasing prey size with the developmental stage.

scholarly journals The potential of aquatic haematophagous, liquidosomatophagous and macrophagous leeches as a tool for iDNA characterisation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Lynggaard ◽  
Alejandro Oceguera-Figueroa ◽  
Sebastian Kvist ◽  
M. Thomas P. Gilbert ◽  
Kristine Bohmann
Keyword(s):  
Parasitic Nematode ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Taxonomic Resolution ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Proof Of Concept ◽  
Gut Content ◽  
Dna Metabarcoding ◽  
Taxonomic Groups ◽  
Animal Monitoring ◽  
Potential Use

Leeches play important roles in food webs due to their abundance, diversity and feeding habits. Studies using invertebrate-derived DNA (iDNA) extracted from leech gut contents to target vertebrate DNA have focused on the Indo-Pacific region and mainly leveraged the leech family Haemadipsidae, composed of haematophagous terrestrial leeches, while the aquatic haematophagous, liquidosomatophagous and macrophagous counterparts have largely been disregarded. While there is general knowledge regarding the taxonomic groups that leeches prefer to feed on, detailed taxonomic resolution is still missing and therefore, their potential use for monitoring animals is not known. In this study, 116 non-haemadipsid leeches belonging to 12 species and spanning the three feeding habits were collected in Mexico and Canada. We used DNA metabarcoding to investigate their diet and assess their potential use for vertebrate monitoring. We detected vertebrate taxa from five orders including fish, turtles and birds in the diet of the aquatic haematophagous leeches; eight invertebrate orders of annelids, arthropods and molluscs in the liquidosomatophagous leeches; and ten orders of invertebrates belonging to Arthropoda and Annelida, as well as one vertebrate and one parasitic nematode, in the macrophagous leeches. These results show the potential use of iDNA from the gut content of aquatic haematophagous leeches for retrieving vertebrate taxa, and from macrophagous and liquidosomatophagous counterparts for invertebrates. Our study provides information about the dietary range of the freshwater leeches and the non-haemadipsid terrestrial leech and proof-of-concept for the use of non-haemadipsid leeches for animal monitoring, expanding our knowledge of the use of iDNA from leech gut contents to North America.

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