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Tidal shifts in microhabitat use by Gobius cobitis: an adaptation to its feeding strategy?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 November 2008

C. Faria  and
V.C. Almada
C. Faria*
Affiliation:
Unidade de Investigação em Eco-Etologia, Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada, R. Jardim do Tabaco 34, P-1149-041 Lisboa, Portugal
V.C. Almada
Affiliation:
Unidade de Investigação em Eco-Etologia, Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada, R. Jardim do Tabaco 34, P-1149-041 Lisboa, Portugal
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: C. Faria, Unidade de Investigação em Eco-Etologia, Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada, R. Jardim do Tabaco 34, P-1149-041 Lisboa, Portugal email: cfaria@ispa.pt
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Abstract

During high-tide, the majority of Gobius cobitis exhibit a microhabitat shift, moving up to the mid-intertidal walls and cliffs, a typical blenniid habitat that is not used by this species during low-tide. Observations on feeding behaviour that showed that fish behave as an ambush predator, being capable of hunting fish of considerable size, combined with its movements to typical blenniid habitats, suggest that this species may have a predatory role as a fish predator on the rock intertidal.

Keywords

Gobius cobitisintertidal fishfeeding ecologypredatory behaviourtidal rhythmsmicrohabitat shifts
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 89 , Issue 3 , May 2009 , pp. 641 - 643
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2008

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References

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