Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T22:03:02.090Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Trophic ecology of a coastal fish assemblage in Portuguese waters

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2013

Nuno Castro ,
José Lino Costa ,
Isabel Domingos  and
Maria Manuel Angélico
Nuno Castro*
Affiliation:
Centro de Oceanografia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal INRB/IPIMAR, Instituto de Investigação das Pescas e do Mar, Avenida de Brasília, 1449-006 Lisboa, Portugal
José Lino Costa
Affiliation:
Centro de Oceanografia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Edificío C2, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
Isabel Domingos
Affiliation:
Centro de Oceanografia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Edificío C2, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
Maria Manuel Angélico
Affiliation:
INRB/IPIMAR, Instituto de Investigação das Pescas e do Mar, Avenida de Brasília, 1449-006 Lisboa, Portugal
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: N. Castro, Centro de Oceanografia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal, e-mail: ngcastro@fc.ul.pt
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The diets and trophic ecology of the dominant fish species from the marine coastal region of Aveiro (north-western Portugal) caught during a summer survey were studied. Mysids were the most important prey group for the fish assemblage analysed. As a consequence, there was a high dietary overlap between species and a low incidence of piscivory. Nevertheless, a clear segregation of trophic niches was observed, with one group (comprising the species Chelidonichthys cuculus, Callionymus lyra, Dicologlossa cuneata and Pomatoschistus lozanoi) showing a stronger preference for infaunal epibenthic prey, such as polychaetes and amphipods, another group (including Arnoglossus imperialis, Arnoglossus laterna, Chelidonichthys obscurus, Chelidonichthys lucernus, Echiichthys vipera, Pagellus acarne and Trisopterus luscus) preying mostly upon suprabenthic prey, mainly mysids, and a third group (Engraulis encrasicolus and Trachurus trachurus) feeding largely on planktonic prey like copepods. Some species, including A. imperialis, C. lyra, E. vipera, T. trachurus and T. luscus, showed ontogenic diet shifts that may be related to the habitat occupied by different size-classes and/or to their ability to capture prey of different size.

Keywords

fish communitytrophic structureontogenic shiftsniche overlapmysidspiscivory
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 93 , Issue 5 , August 2013 , pp. 1151 - 1161
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Abaunza, P., Fariña, A.C. and Carrear, P. (1995) Geographic variations in sexual maturity of the horse mackerel, Trachurus trachurus, in the Galician and Cantabrian shelf. Scientia Marina 59, 211–222.Google Scholar
Abrantes, I., Rocha, F., Vidinha, J. and Dias, J.A. (2005) Influence of Aveiro Lagoon heavy metal contents in adjacent continental shelf (Portugal). Ciencias Marinas 31, 149–160.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Amorim, M.C.P. and Hawkins, A.D. (2000) Growling for food: acoustic emissions during competitive feeding of the streaked gurnard. Journal of Fish Biology 57, 895–907.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anderson, M.J. (2001) A new method for non-parametric multivariate analysis of variance. Austral Ecology 26, 32–46.Google Scholar
Belghyti, D., Aguesse, P. and Gabrion, C. (1993) Éthologie alimentaire de Citharus linguatula et Dicologoglossa cuneata sur les côtes atlantiques du Marroc. Vie et Milieu 43, 95–108.Google Scholar
Boudaya, L., Neifar, L., Rizzo, P., Badalucco, C., Bouain, A. and Fiorentino, F. (2008) Growth and reproduction of Chelidonichthys lucerna (Linnaeus) (Pisces: Triglidae) in the Gulf of Gabès, Tunisia. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 24, 581–588.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Braber, L. and de Groot, S.J. (1973) The food of five flatfish species (Pleuronectiformes) in selection of estuarine nursery habitats. Journal of Fish Biology 47, 355–366.Google Scholar
Cabral, H., Lopes, M. and Loeper, R. (2002) Trophic niche overlap between flatfishes in a nursery area on the Portuguese coast. Scientia Marina 66, 293–300.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cabral, H. and Murta, A.G. (2002) The diet of blue whiting, hake, horse mackerel and mackerel off Portugal. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 18, 14–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Castro, J.J. and Hernández-García, V. (1995) Ontogenetic changes in mouth structures, foraging behaviour and habitat use of Scomber japonicus and Illex coindetii. Scientia Marina 59, 347–355.Google Scholar
Castro, N. (2008). Estrutura e ecologia alimentar das comunidades piscícolas em uma área de viveiro para espécies de interesse comercial da região centro de Portugal. MSc thesis. Faculty of Sciences of University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.Google Scholar
Costa, J.L., Domingos, I., Almeida, A.J., Feunteun, E. and Costa, M.J. (2008) Interaction between Halobatrachus didactylus and Anguilla anguilla: what happens when these species occur in sympatry? Cybium 32, 111–117.Google Scholar
Creutzberg, F. and Witte, J.I.J. (1989) An attempt to estimate the predatory pressure exerted by the lesser weever, Trachinus vipera Cuvier, in the southern North Sea. Journal of Fish Biology 34, 429–449.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cunha, M.R., Sorbe, J.C. and Bernardes, C. (1997) On the structure of the neritic suprabenthic communities from the Portuguese continental margin. Marine Ecology Progress Series 157, 119–137.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deniel, C. (1975) Régimes alimentaires d'Arnoglossus thori Kyle et d'Arnoglossus imperialis Rafinesque (Teleosteens–Bothidae) en Baie de Douarnenez. Revue des Travaux de l'Institut des Pêches Maritimes 39, 105–116.Google Scholar
Elliott, M., Hemingway, K.L., Costello, M.J, Duhamel, S., Hostens, K., Labropoulou, M., Marshall, S. and Winkler, H. (2002) Links between fish and other trophic levels. In Elliot, M. and Hemingway, K. (eds) Fishes in estuaries. London: Blackwell Science, pp. 54–123.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fehri-Bedoui, R., Mokrani, E. and Hassine, O.K.B. (2009) Feeding habits of Pagellus acarne (Sparidae) in the Gulf of Tunis, Central Mediterranean. Scientia Marina 74, 667–678.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
França, S., Vinagre, C., Costa, M.J. and Cabral, H.N. (2004) Use of the coastal areas adjacent to the Douro estuary as a nursery area for pouting Trisopterus luscus Linnaeus, 1758. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 20, 99–104.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Froese, R. and Binohlan, C. (2003) Simple methods to obtain preliminary growth estimates for fishes. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 19, 376–379.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garcia, S.M., Zerbi, A., Aliaume, C., Do Chi, T. and Lasserre, G. (2003) The ecosystem approach to fisheries. Issues, terminology, principles, institutional foundations, implementation and outlook. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper, No. 443.Google Scholar
Garrido, S., Ben-Hamadou, R., Oliveira, P.B., Cunha, M.E., Chícharo, M.A. and van der Lingen, C.D. (2008) Diet and feeding intensity of sardine Sardina pilchardus: correlation with satellite-derived chlorophyll data. Marine Ecology Progress Series 354, 245–256.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gibson, R.N. and Ezzi, J.A. (1980) The biology of the scaldfish, Arnoglossus laterna (Walbaum) on the west coast of Scotland. Journal of Fish Biology 17, 565–575.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gunn, J.S. and Milward, N.E. (1985) The food, feeding habits and feeding structures of the whiting species Sillago sihama (Forskal) and Sillago analis Whitley from Townsville, North Queensland, Australia. Journal of Fish Biology, 26, 411–427.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hamerlynck, O. and Hostens, K. (1993) Growth, feeding and consumption in 0-group bib (Trisopterus luscus L.) and whiting (Merlangius merlangius L.) in a shallow coastal area of the south-west Netherlands. ICES Journal of Marine Science 50, 81–91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hostens, K. and Mees, J. (1999) The mysid-feeding guild of demersal fishes in the brackish zone of the Westerschelde estuary. Journal of Fish Biology 55, 704–719.Google Scholar
Hyslop, E.J. (1980) Stomach contents analysis: a review of methods and their application. Journal of Fish Biology 17, 411–429.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jardas, I., Šantić, M. and Pallaoro, A. (2004) Diet composition and feeding intensity of horse mackerel, Trachurus trachurus (Osteichthyes: Carangidae) in the eastern Adriatic. Marine Biology 144, 1051–1056.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jiménez, M.P., Sobrino, I. and Ramos, F. (1998) Distribution pattern, reproductive biology, and fishery of the wedge sole Dicologlossa cuneata in the Gulf of Cadiz, south-west Spain. Marine Biology 131, 173–187.Google Scholar
Jorge, I., Siborro, S. and Sobral, M.P. (2002) Contribuição para o conhecimento da pescaria da xávega da zona centro. Relatório Científico e Técnico do Instituto de Investigação de Pescas e do Mar 85, 1–22.Google Scholar
King, P.A., Fives, J.M. and McGrath, D. (1994) Reproduction, growth and feeding of the dragonet Callionymus lyra (Teleostei: Callionymidae), in Galway Bay, Ireland. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 74, 513–526.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krebs, C.J. (1989) Ecological methodology. New York: Harper Collins.Google Scholar
Laffaille, P., Feunteun, E. and Lefeuvre, J.-C. (1999) Feeding competition between two goby species, Pomatoschistus lozanoi (de Buen) and P. minutus (Pallas), in a macrotidal saltmarsh. Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences—Series III—Sciences de la Vie 322, 897–906.Google Scholar
Lasiak, T. and McLachlan, A. (1987) Opportunistic utilization of mysids shoals by surf-zone teleosts. Marine Ecology Progress Series 37, 1–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Macpherson, E. (1981) Resource partitioning in a Mediterranean demersal fish community. Marine Ecology Progress Series 4, 183–193.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mauchline, J. (1980) The biology of mysids. Advances in Marine Biology 18, 1–369.Google Scholar
Metcalf, S.J., Dambacher, J.M., Hobday, A.J. and Lyle, J.M. (2008) Importance of trophic information, simplification and aggregation error in ecosystem models. Marine Ecology Progress Series 360, 25–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Millán, M. (1999) Reproductive characteristics and condition status of anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus L. from the Bay of Cadiz (SW Spain). Fisheries Research 41, 73–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morato, T., Santos, R.S. and Andrade, J.P. (2000) Feeding habits, seasonal and ontogenetic diet shift of the blacktail comber, Serranus atricauda (Pisces: Serranidae), from the Azores, north-eastern Atlantic. Fisheries Research 49, 51–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moreira, F., Assis, C.A., Almeida, P.R., Costa, J.L. and Costa, M.J. (1992) Trophic relationships in the community of the upper Tagus estuary (Portugal): a preliminary approach. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 34, 617–623.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moreno-Amich, R. (1992) Feeding habits of red gurnard, Aspitrigla cuculus (L. 1758) (Scorpaeniformes, Triigliadae), along the Catalan coast (northwestern Mediterranean). Hydrobiology 214, 175–184.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moreno-Amich, R. (1996) Feeding habits of longfin gurnard, Aspitrigla obscura (L. 1764) along the Catalan coast (north-western Mediterranean). Hydrobiologia 324, 219–228.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morishita, J. (2008) What is the ecosystem approach for fisheries management? Marine Policy 32, 19–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Muñoz, M., Hernández, M.R., Sabat, M. and Casadevall, M. (2003) Annual reproductive cycle and fecundity of Aspitrigla obscura (Teleostei, Triglidae). Vie et Milieu 53, 123–129.Google Scholar
Peliz, Á., Dubert, J., Santos, A.M.P., Oliveira, P.B. and Le Cann, B. (2005) Winter upper ocean circulation in the western Iberian basin—fronts, eddies and poleward flows: an overview. Deep-Sea Research I 52, 621–646.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peliz, Á., Rosa, T.L.Santos, M.P. and Pissara, J.L. (2002) Fronts, jets and counter-flows in the western Iberian upwelling system. Journal of Marine Systems 35, 61–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pianka, E.R. (1969) Sympatry of desert lizards (Ctenotus) in western Australia. Ecology 50, 1012–1030.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Plounevez, S. and Champalbert, G. (1999) Feeding behaviour and trophic environment of Engraulis encrasicolus (L.) in the Bay of Biscay. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 49, 177–191.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Prista, N., Vasconcelos, R.P., Costa, M.J. and Cabral, H. (2003) The demersal fish assemblage of the coastal area adjacent to the Tagus estuary (Portugal): relationships with environmental conditions. Oceanologica Acta 26, 525–536.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ross, S.T. (1986) Resource partitioning in fish assemblages: a review of field studies. Copeia 1986, 352–388.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Santos, M.N., Monteiro, C.C. and Erzini, K. (1995) Aspects of the biology and gillnet selectivity of the axillary seabream (Pagellus acarne, Risso) and common pandora (Pagellus erythrinus, Linnaeus) from the Algarve (south Portugal). Fisheries Research 23, 223–236.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Santos, P.T. (1989) On the food of the pouting (Trisopterus luscus L.) in the north coast of Portugal. Publicações do Instituto de Zoologia Dr. Augusto Nobre 207, 1–15.Google Scholar
Siegel, S. and Castellan, N.J. Jr (1988) Nonparametric statistics for behavioural sciences. 2nd edition. New York: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
Sobral, M. (1985) Actividade relativa ao estudo da faneca—Trisopterus luscus L.—em 1983. Resultados preliminares sobre o ciclo reprodutivo, idade e crescimento. Relatório Interno do INIP 95, 1–63.Google Scholar
Sobral, M.P. (2007) Aspectos relativos à biologia reprodutiva da solha, Plathichthys flesus (Linnaeus, 1758), da Ria de Aveiro e litoral adjacente. Relatórios Científicos e Técnicos do IPIMAR, Série digital 44, 1–31.Google Scholar
Ter Braak, C.J.F. and Prentice, I.C. (1988) A theory of gradient analysis. Advances in Ecological Research 18, 271–313.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tudela, S. and Palomera, I. (1997) Trophic ecology of the European anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus in the Catalan Sea (northwest Mediterranean). Marine Ecology Progress Series 160, 121–134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van der Veer, H.W., Creutzberg, F., Dapper, R., Duineveld, G.C.A., Fond, M., Kuipers, B.R., van Noort, G.J. and Witte, J.I.J. (1990) On the ecology of the dragonet Callionymus lyra L. in the southern North Sea. Netherlands Journal of Sea Research 26, 139–150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vasconcelos, R., Prista, N., Cabral, H.N. and Costa, M.J. (2004) Feeding ecology of the lesser weever, Echiichthys vipera (Cuvier, 1829), on the western coast of Portugal. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 20, 211–216.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vinagre, C., França, S., Costa, M.J. and Cabral, H.N. (2005) Niche overlap between juvenile flatfishes, Platichthys flesus and Solea solea in a southern European estuary and adjacent coastal waters. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 21, 114–120.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wallace, R.K. Jr and Ramsey, J.S. (1983) Reliability in measuring diet overlap. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 40, 347–351.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Werner, E.E. and Mittelbach, G.G. (1981) Optimal foraging: field tests of diet choice and habitat switching. American Zoologist 21, 813–829.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wheeler, A. (1978) Key to the fishes of northern Europe. London: Frederick Warne.Google Scholar