natural diet
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2022 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 797-808
Author(s):  
Ana Paula Magno do Amaral ◽  
◽  
Flávio Henrique Santos Rodrigues ◽  
Camila Serrão Souza Lima de Deus ◽  
André Luiz da Silva Athaide ◽  
...  

Automeris liberia Cramer are found in South America, with documented sightings in Ecuador, Peru, some regions of Mexico and, more recently, the Brazilian Amazon. These moths cause damage to several plant species. We designed an experiment to study the biology and morphometry of A. liberia in the laboratory and provide information for the management of the pest in oil palm cultivation in the Brazilian Amazon. Caterpillars for rearing were collected from commercial areas of oil palm cultivation, where they cause defoliation of the plant. They were fed a natural diet of oil palm leaves of the Tenera variety and observed from second generation onwards. Sex, behavior, posture, mass, body length, wingspan, body diameter, sex ratio, average growth ratio, and antenna were quantified. The embryonic stage lasted 14 days, followed by seven larval instar stages over 36 days. The pupal stage lasted 21 days. Adults had a longevity of 4.5 and 6 days and a total biological cycle of 78.5 and 80 days, for males and females, respectively. The growth ratio was 1.49. The antennae showed sexual dimorphism, with bipectinate morphology in males and filiform in females. In the adult stage, morphological variables were evaluated (body length, thoracic diameter, wingspan, forewing length, forewing height, hindwing length, hindwing height, antenna length, number of antennomeres, and body mass), and they showed significant differences between males and females (Newman-Keuls test, P < 0.05).


2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Libor Zavorka ◽  
Magnus Lovén Wallerius ◽  
Martin Kainz ◽  
Johan Höjesjö

Abstract Omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFA) are key structural lipids and their dietary intake is essential for brain development of virtually all vertebrates. The importance of n-3 LC-PUFA has been demonstrated in clinical and laboratory studies, but little is known about how differences in availability of n-3 LC-PUFA in natural prey influence brain development of wild consumers. The numerous consumers foraging on the interface of aquatic and terrestrial food webs can differ substantially in their intake of n-3 LC-PUFA, which may lead to differences in brain development, yet, this hypothesis remains to be tested. Here we use the previously demonstrated shift towards higher reliance on n-3 LC-PUFA deprived terrestrial prey of native brown trout Salmo trutta living in sympatry with invasive brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis to explore this hypothesis. We found that the content of n-3 LC-PUFA in muscle tissues of brown trout decreased with increasing consumption of n-3 LC-PUFA deprived terrestrial prey. Brain volume was positively related to content of the n-3 LC-PUFA, docosahexaenoic acid, in muscle tissues of brown trout. Our study thus suggests that increased reliance on low quality diet of n-3 LC-PUFA deprived subsidies can have a significant negative impact on brain development of wild trout. Our findings are important, because ongoing global change is predicted to reduce the availability of dietary n-3 LC-PUFA across food webs and we showed here a first evidence of how brain of wild vertebrate consumers response to scarcity of n-3 LC-PUFA content in natural prey.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirk E. Anderson ◽  
Vincent A. Ricigliano ◽  
Duan Copeland ◽  
Brendon M. Mott ◽  
Patrick Maes

Abstract Honey bees are a model for host-microbial interactions with experimental designs evolving towards conventionalized worker bees. Research on gut microbiome transmission and assembly has examined only a fraction of factors associated with the colony and hive environment. Here we studied the effects of diet and social isolation on tissue-specific bacterial and fungal colonization of the midgut and two key hindgut regions. We found that both treatment factors significantly influenced early hindgut colonization explaining similar proportions of microbiome variation. In agreement with previous work, social interaction with older workers was unnecessary for core hindgut bacterial transmission. Exposure to natural eclosion and fresh stored pollen resulted in gut bacterial communities that were taxonomically and structurally equivalent to those produced in the natural colony setting. Stressed diets of no pollen or autoclaved pollen in social isolation resulted in decreased fungal abundance and bacterial diversity, and atypical microbiome structure and tissue-specific variation of functionally important core bacteria. Without exposure to the active hive environment, the abundance and strain diversity of keystone ileum species Gilliamella apicola was markedly reduced. These changes were associated with significantly larger ileum microbiotas suggesting that extended exposure to the active hive environment plays an antibiotic role in hindgut microbiome establishment. We conclude that core hindgut microbiome transmission is facultative horizontal with 5 of 6 core hindgut species readily acquired from the built hive structure and natural diet. Our findings contribute novel insights into factors influencing assembly and maintenance of honey bee gut microbiota and facilitate future experimental designs.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Andrew Cornwall

<p>A. aureoradiata is New Zealand’s only native cnidarian to form a phototrophic symbiosis with dinoflagellate microalgae. It is of particular interest as it can be found in estuarine mudflat habitats attached to cockles, where it spends a portion of the day submerged under the mud, either partially or completely. This scenario is very different to the situation in the tropics, where comparable symbioses (e.g. those with reef-building corals) live in brightly lit, clear waters. How A. aureoradiata maintains a stable symbiosis is therefore of considerable interest, with one potential mechanism involving the acquisition of carbon from the surrounding mud to counter the reduced availability of light and hence the reduced rate of photosynthesis.  In this thesis, I established the extent to which organic carbon in mud (especially bacteria) can be assimilated by A. aureoradiata and to what extent, if any, this carbon contributes to symbiosis nutrition and facilitates symbiosis stability under otherwise sub-optimal conditions. In the first instance, anemones were given access to¹³C glucose-labelled mud for 12 hours, in both the light and dark, and the extent of label incorporation (¹³C enrichment) in both the host and symbiont was measured by mass spectrometry. Subsequently, A. aureoradiata was starved of planktonic food for six weeks in the presence of differing quantities of unlabelled mud (‘no-mud’, ‘low-mud’ and ‘high-mud’), either with or without light, and a range of nutritional and biomass parameters measured. These included symbiont density, host protein content, and the accumulation of host lipid and symbiont starch stores.  Both the host anemone and its symbiotic algae showed signs of ¹³C uptake from the mud. Host anemones maintained in the dark assimilated more ¹³C label from the mud than did anemones incubated in the light, while the extent of label assimilation by the symbionts was unaffected by irradiance. Enhanced heterotrophic feeding in the dark is consistent with patterns reported for other symbiotic cnidarians, such as reef corals, where the host must counter the reduced availability of photosynthate from the symbiotic algae. However, the reason for the equal labelling of the symbionts in the light and dark is less clear. Nevertheless, factors such as reverse translocation in the dark (i.e. the transfer of organic carbon from host to symbiont), dark fixation of inorganic carbon, and a higher respiration rate of symbionts in the light than dark, could act either alone or in concert to produce the labelling pattern seen.  While the host and symbiont showed evidence of carbon uptake from the surrounding mud, mud quantity had no effect on either the host’s or symbiont’s storage products (% of starch in symbiont biomass, host protein content and lipid content), or on symbiont density. The lack of an effect of mud suggests that mud-derived bacteria comprise little of the host’s natural diet. In contrast, increased light availability (independent of mud availability) did lead to elevated symbiont density and symbiont starch content, consistent with the phototrophic nature of this symbiosis. More surprising was that host protein content was highest in the dark, suggesting perhaps that the symbionts were less of an energetic drain on their host when starved in the dark due to their lower population density.  In summary, my thesis provides evidence that A. aureoradiata and its symbiotic algae can use organic carbon obtained from the surrounding mud for their nutrition, but that this carbon source is of only negligible importance. These results are consistent with previous findings for the uptake and role of mud-derived nitrogen in this system. Further work to establish how this symbiosis maintains its remarkable stability under apparently sub-optimal, low-light conditions is therefore needed.</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Andrew Cornwall

<p>A. aureoradiata is New Zealand’s only native cnidarian to form a phototrophic symbiosis with dinoflagellate microalgae. It is of particular interest as it can be found in estuarine mudflat habitats attached to cockles, where it spends a portion of the day submerged under the mud, either partially or completely. This scenario is very different to the situation in the tropics, where comparable symbioses (e.g. those with reef-building corals) live in brightly lit, clear waters. How A. aureoradiata maintains a stable symbiosis is therefore of considerable interest, with one potential mechanism involving the acquisition of carbon from the surrounding mud to counter the reduced availability of light and hence the reduced rate of photosynthesis.  In this thesis, I established the extent to which organic carbon in mud (especially bacteria) can be assimilated by A. aureoradiata and to what extent, if any, this carbon contributes to symbiosis nutrition and facilitates symbiosis stability under otherwise sub-optimal conditions. In the first instance, anemones were given access to¹³C glucose-labelled mud for 12 hours, in both the light and dark, and the extent of label incorporation (¹³C enrichment) in both the host and symbiont was measured by mass spectrometry. Subsequently, A. aureoradiata was starved of planktonic food for six weeks in the presence of differing quantities of unlabelled mud (‘no-mud’, ‘low-mud’ and ‘high-mud’), either with or without light, and a range of nutritional and biomass parameters measured. These included symbiont density, host protein content, and the accumulation of host lipid and symbiont starch stores.  Both the host anemone and its symbiotic algae showed signs of ¹³C uptake from the mud. Host anemones maintained in the dark assimilated more ¹³C label from the mud than did anemones incubated in the light, while the extent of label assimilation by the symbionts was unaffected by irradiance. Enhanced heterotrophic feeding in the dark is consistent with patterns reported for other symbiotic cnidarians, such as reef corals, where the host must counter the reduced availability of photosynthate from the symbiotic algae. However, the reason for the equal labelling of the symbionts in the light and dark is less clear. Nevertheless, factors such as reverse translocation in the dark (i.e. the transfer of organic carbon from host to symbiont), dark fixation of inorganic carbon, and a higher respiration rate of symbionts in the light than dark, could act either alone or in concert to produce the labelling pattern seen.  While the host and symbiont showed evidence of carbon uptake from the surrounding mud, mud quantity had no effect on either the host’s or symbiont’s storage products (% of starch in symbiont biomass, host protein content and lipid content), or on symbiont density. The lack of an effect of mud suggests that mud-derived bacteria comprise little of the host’s natural diet. In contrast, increased light availability (independent of mud availability) did lead to elevated symbiont density and symbiont starch content, consistent with the phototrophic nature of this symbiosis. More surprising was that host protein content was highest in the dark, suggesting perhaps that the symbionts were less of an energetic drain on their host when starved in the dark due to their lower population density.  In summary, my thesis provides evidence that A. aureoradiata and its symbiotic algae can use organic carbon obtained from the surrounding mud for their nutrition, but that this carbon source is of only negligible importance. These results are consistent with previous findings for the uptake and role of mud-derived nitrogen in this system. Further work to establish how this symbiosis maintains its remarkable stability under apparently sub-optimal, low-light conditions is therefore needed.</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Chris M C Woods

<p>Seahorses (Teleostei: Syngnathidae) are subjects of worldwide demand for medicinal use, as curios, and as live ornamental aquarium fish. Aquaculture has the potential to replace or at least supplement potentially unsustainable wild exploitation as the supply source of seahorses. The primary aim of the research within this thesis was to determine techniques for improving the technical and economic feasibility for commercially culturing the big-bellied seahorse Hippocampus abdominalis in New Zealand. In a preliminary investigation, the breeding of wild H. abdominalis in captivity and rearing of juveniles was examined, as difficulties have been encountered with these in historical attempts at culturing H. abdominalis. Breeding was found to be facilitated by providing tanks with a water height of 1 m. This depth of water allowed females to transfer their eggs to male seahorses during the vertical rising stage of mating. Growth rates of progeny to sexual maturity were reasonable with seahorses reaching an average 11 cm in standard length (SL) at one year of age, but high juvenile mortality was observed in the first few months of age, with an average 10.6% of juveniles surviving to one year. Further on-growing of these first generation progeny to seven years of age (average of 27 cm SL for both sexes) demonstrated the robustness of the species in captivity and potential to supply large seahorses to the medicinal trade where large size is desirable. To improve juvenile survival and growth, the effects of initial tank colour, lighting arrangement and stocking density on early juveniles were tested. Juveniles at one week of age were found to have higher attack rate and capture success on Artemia nauplii in clear jars than those contained in white- or black-wrapped jars, but this effect of tank colour had less affect on one month-old juveniles. Juveniles were also found to suffer fewer incidences of air bubble ingestion in side-illuminated tanks due to positively phototactic prey (Artemia) being drawn away from the water surface. The rearing of juveniles from birth to two months of age in glass aquaria with side-illumination and tank surfaces blacked-out above the waterline resulted in survival rates of >80% due to increased feeding efficiency and reduced risk of air bubble ingestion. Juvenile growth and survival at stocking densities of 1, 2 and 5 juveniles l-1 demonstrated that increasing stocking density resulted in reduced growth and survival, due to the greater occurrence of juveniles grasping and wrestling each other with their prehensile tails. Producing live foods for fish is a significant cost in finfish culture. This has led to concerted efforts to develop appropriate artificial or inert diets to reduce culture costs. To determine whether juvenile seahorses could be weaned from live food to inert diets, two inert diets (Golden Pearls and frozen copepods) were tested. It was demonstrated that one and two month-old juvenile H. abdominalis could ingest and survive on these inert foods. Co-feeding the inert diets with live Artemia improved feeding on the inert foods. However, growth and survival rates of juveniles on the inert diets were inferior to those fed only on live enriched Artemia. Cultured live foods such as Artemia are often enriched with various enrichment media to boost their nutritional value. However, enrichment media can vary in their nutritional value relative to the final target organisms they are being fed to, as well as their relative cost-effectiveness. Therefore, the effect of different Artemia enrichments on the growth and survival of H. abdominalis and their relative cost-effectiveness was tested using three commercial enrichment products (Super Selco®, DHA Protein Selco® and Algamac-3050®) and a low-cost Artemia on-growing diet (EPABSF/Spirulina platensis). On a cost/benefit basis, EPABSF/S. platensis worked out to be the most cost- effective for H. abdominalis, with comparable growth rates to seahorses fed Artemia enriched with DHA Protein Selco® and Algamac-3050®. Juvenile growth rates were poorest on Artemia enriched with Super Selco®. Feeding seahorses frozen mysid shrimp may help reduce culture costs and also increase cultured seahorse marketability to the aquarium trade, but their efficacy in seahorse culture is largely untested. Frozen mysids (Amblyops kempi) were shown to be an acceptable alternative to live enriched Artemia for H. abdominalis, providing comparable rates of seahorse growth and survival. When daily rations of frozen mysids at 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% wet body weight (wbw) were tested there was no growth advantage to feeding seahorses more than 5% wbw per day in terms of increase in seahorse length. There was a wet weight gain and Condition Factor (CF) advantage associated with increasing feed ration >10%. Feed conversion ratios (FCR) became less efficient as feed ration increased based on the total amount of mysids offered to seahorses, with increasing food wastage. However, when actual mysid consumption was taken into account there were no significant differences in FCR between rations. The natural diet and male reproductive output of H. abdominalis in Wellington Harbour was examined for use as aquaculture benchmarks. Natural diet consisted mainly of epibenthic and epifaunal crustaceans (e.g. amphipods, mysid shrimp and caridean shrimp). There were no sex-related differences in diet although there were some size- related differences with smaller seahorses consuming more amphipods. Some of the prey species eaten by wild H. abdominalis may show potential as cultured foods. Wild males produced an average of 271 juveniles per brood, with brood size increasing with parent male size. Comparison of wild reproductive output data with those of cultured male H. abdominalis revealed that cultured male output was approximately 27% lower than that of wild males. However, there were no differences in the quality (size and weight) of the juveniles produced by wild and cultured male H. abdominalis. It is suggested that cultured female reproductive output is the primary determinant in lower cultured male seahorse reproductive output. The research within this thesis has contributed to improving the technical and economic feasibility for commercially culturing the big-bellied seahorse Hippocampus abdominalis.</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Chris M C Woods

<p>Seahorses (Teleostei: Syngnathidae) are subjects of worldwide demand for medicinal use, as curios, and as live ornamental aquarium fish. Aquaculture has the potential to replace or at least supplement potentially unsustainable wild exploitation as the supply source of seahorses. The primary aim of the research within this thesis was to determine techniques for improving the technical and economic feasibility for commercially culturing the big-bellied seahorse Hippocampus abdominalis in New Zealand. In a preliminary investigation, the breeding of wild H. abdominalis in captivity and rearing of juveniles was examined, as difficulties have been encountered with these in historical attempts at culturing H. abdominalis. Breeding was found to be facilitated by providing tanks with a water height of 1 m. This depth of water allowed females to transfer their eggs to male seahorses during the vertical rising stage of mating. Growth rates of progeny to sexual maturity were reasonable with seahorses reaching an average 11 cm in standard length (SL) at one year of age, but high juvenile mortality was observed in the first few months of age, with an average 10.6% of juveniles surviving to one year. Further on-growing of these first generation progeny to seven years of age (average of 27 cm SL for both sexes) demonstrated the robustness of the species in captivity and potential to supply large seahorses to the medicinal trade where large size is desirable. To improve juvenile survival and growth, the effects of initial tank colour, lighting arrangement and stocking density on early juveniles were tested. Juveniles at one week of age were found to have higher attack rate and capture success on Artemia nauplii in clear jars than those contained in white- or black-wrapped jars, but this effect of tank colour had less affect on one month-old juveniles. Juveniles were also found to suffer fewer incidences of air bubble ingestion in side-illuminated tanks due to positively phototactic prey (Artemia) being drawn away from the water surface. The rearing of juveniles from birth to two months of age in glass aquaria with side-illumination and tank surfaces blacked-out above the waterline resulted in survival rates of >80% due to increased feeding efficiency and reduced risk of air bubble ingestion. Juvenile growth and survival at stocking densities of 1, 2 and 5 juveniles l-1 demonstrated that increasing stocking density resulted in reduced growth and survival, due to the greater occurrence of juveniles grasping and wrestling each other with their prehensile tails. Producing live foods for fish is a significant cost in finfish culture. This has led to concerted efforts to develop appropriate artificial or inert diets to reduce culture costs. To determine whether juvenile seahorses could be weaned from live food to inert diets, two inert diets (Golden Pearls and frozen copepods) were tested. It was demonstrated that one and two month-old juvenile H. abdominalis could ingest and survive on these inert foods. Co-feeding the inert diets with live Artemia improved feeding on the inert foods. However, growth and survival rates of juveniles on the inert diets were inferior to those fed only on live enriched Artemia. Cultured live foods such as Artemia are often enriched with various enrichment media to boost their nutritional value. However, enrichment media can vary in their nutritional value relative to the final target organisms they are being fed to, as well as their relative cost-effectiveness. Therefore, the effect of different Artemia enrichments on the growth and survival of H. abdominalis and their relative cost-effectiveness was tested using three commercial enrichment products (Super Selco®, DHA Protein Selco® and Algamac-3050®) and a low-cost Artemia on-growing diet (EPABSF/Spirulina platensis). On a cost/benefit basis, EPABSF/S. platensis worked out to be the most cost- effective for H. abdominalis, with comparable growth rates to seahorses fed Artemia enriched with DHA Protein Selco® and Algamac-3050®. Juvenile growth rates were poorest on Artemia enriched with Super Selco®. Feeding seahorses frozen mysid shrimp may help reduce culture costs and also increase cultured seahorse marketability to the aquarium trade, but their efficacy in seahorse culture is largely untested. Frozen mysids (Amblyops kempi) were shown to be an acceptable alternative to live enriched Artemia for H. abdominalis, providing comparable rates of seahorse growth and survival. When daily rations of frozen mysids at 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% wet body weight (wbw) were tested there was no growth advantage to feeding seahorses more than 5% wbw per day in terms of increase in seahorse length. There was a wet weight gain and Condition Factor (CF) advantage associated with increasing feed ration >10%. Feed conversion ratios (FCR) became less efficient as feed ration increased based on the total amount of mysids offered to seahorses, with increasing food wastage. However, when actual mysid consumption was taken into account there were no significant differences in FCR between rations. The natural diet and male reproductive output of H. abdominalis in Wellington Harbour was examined for use as aquaculture benchmarks. Natural diet consisted mainly of epibenthic and epifaunal crustaceans (e.g. amphipods, mysid shrimp and caridean shrimp). There were no sex-related differences in diet although there were some size- related differences with smaller seahorses consuming more amphipods. Some of the prey species eaten by wild H. abdominalis may show potential as cultured foods. Wild males produced an average of 271 juveniles per brood, with brood size increasing with parent male size. Comparison of wild reproductive output data with those of cultured male H. abdominalis revealed that cultured male output was approximately 27% lower than that of wild males. However, there were no differences in the quality (size and weight) of the juveniles produced by wild and cultured male H. abdominalis. It is suggested that cultured female reproductive output is the primary determinant in lower cultured male seahorse reproductive output. The research within this thesis has contributed to improving the technical and economic feasibility for commercially culturing the big-bellied seahorse Hippocampus abdominalis.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 99 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 107-108
Author(s):  
Mary Beth Gordon

Abstract A comprehensive look at nutrients available in nature compared to equine nutrient requirements and the modern diets we feed them. Horses can survive on a variety of feedstuffs that they ingest if they are relatively equine-specific and the horses’ forage requirements are met for basic gastrointestinal health. It is safe to say that some horses in the United States continue to be fed as “nature-intended” with 24/7 access to fresh pasture or adequate plant material and enough room to continually move and graze. Many other horses, however, have only limited or no access to pasture and their movement is greatly restricted via stall confinement or small areas to move. In addition, there is a wide variety in what we ask horses to do, from horses that are simply pasture pets, to horses performing as elite-level athletes in racing and competitions. And when we look at all these factors from a nutrition perspective, how do the nutrients provided by nature match up with the requirements as set by the National Research Council’s Nutrient Requirements for Horses? And how do these nutrients provided by nature compare to how we are feeding many modern horses today? This presentation will examine these factors and shed light on differences between the NRC nutrient requirements and what is provided by both nature and/or modern feeding practices in several scenarios, to identify areas of mismatch that could be potentially addressed or researched further in an effort to improve the health and well-being of horses.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 158-165
Author(s):  
Adha Sari ◽  
Damayanti Buchori ◽  
Ihsan Nurkomar

Effect of host-larval diet on the host acceptance and host suitability of the egg parasitoid Telenomus remus Nixon (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) on Spodoptera frugiperda J. E. Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). The life history of parasitoids is an important factor that can determine their ability to attack a host. The type of food consumed by the host can affect the ability of parasitoids such as host searching behavior, host suitability and host acceptance. In this research, we evaluate the effect of the S. frugiperda larvae diet on its suitability of the eggs produced by the adults for the egg parasitoid Telenomus remus. The research was studied on two types of egg masses of S. frugiperda that obtained from the moths that fed with natural or artificial diet during their larval stages. Parasitoid was reared from both types of hosts. An egg mass consisting of 50 S. frugiperda eggs from both types of hosts was exposed to one egg parasitoid female for 24 hours. S. frugiperda eggs then were reared until the parasitoid adult emerged. Each experiment was repeated 20 times. Host acceptance was observed through the host parasitism rate and its parasitization. Meanwhile, the host suitability was observed through the sex ratio of the emerging parasitoids. The results showed that S. frugiperda eggs reared using artificial diet had a higher parasitism rate (99.33%) than those of natural diet (82.53%). In contrast, the level of parasitization of S. frugiperda eggs reared using natural diet was higher (78.30%) than those of artificial diet (48.34%) because the number of emerging T. remus from S. frugiperda eggs reared using natural diet was also higher than those of artificial diet. However, the sex ratio (F:M) of emerging T. remus from S. frugiperda eggs reared using both of diet was female biased.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wang Pengpeng ◽  
Zhang Fang ◽  
Guo Dongjie ◽  
Sun Song

The benthic scyphopolyp population is an important stage in the scyphozoan lifecycle. Nevertheless, few studies have detailed the natural feeding and quantified the energy flux of polyps based on field research. To better understand the scyphopolyp natural diet and seasonal variation patterns in the ingestion rate, in situ feeding experiments were conducted on Aurelia coerulea polyps in Jiaozhou Bay, China from August 2018 to April 2019. The diet of A. coerulea polyps was determined by gut content analysis. Digestion rates were also measured. Ingestion rates, based on the gut contents and digestion rates, were assessed monthly. Copepods, copepod nauplii, and ciliates were identified in the guts of A. coerulea polyps. Copepods with the bulk of total prey intake in number are an important source of nutrition for A. coerulea polyps in Jiaozhou Bay. Prey capture of A. coerulea polyps (prey polyp–1) varied among months, and was highly dependent upon the abundance of planktonic prey in the habitat. Copepods and copepod nauplii were digested more rapidly as temperature increased. Carbon weight-specific ingestion rate exhibited an obvious seasonal change, with the mean value of 0.13 ± 0.12 μg C μg C–1 d–1. More rapid digestion of prey at higher temperatures and larger prey availability would cause a higher ingestion rate in polyps. Scyphopolyps are widely distributed predators in littoral ecosystems and they may play an important role in plankton–benthos coupling by transferring energy from the water column to the benthos. Massive scyphopolyps blooms may influence pelagic ecosystems.


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