Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T06:45:59.119Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Gut length for several marine fish: relationships with body length and trophic implications

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 October 2010

Paraskevi K. Karachle  and
Konstantinos I. Stergiou
Paraskevi K. Karachle*
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Ichthyology, Department of Zoology, School of Biology, Aristotle University, Box 134, GR-54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
Konstantinos I. Stergiou
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Ichthyology, Department of Zoology, School of Biology, Aristotle University, Box 134, GR-54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: P.K. Karachle, Laboratory of Ichthyology, Department of Zoology, School of Biology, Aristotle University, Box 134, GR- 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece email: pkarachl@bio.auth.gr
Get access

Abstract

In the present study gut type was described and intestinal indices (i.e. mean gut length, relative gut length and Zihler's index) were estimated and compared for 58 fish species from the North Aegean Sea. A strong relationship between gut length (GL) and total length (TL) (significant relationships (P < 0.05) for 52 species) was found, whereas the hypothesis of the allometric growth of GL with TL was confirmed for 27 out of the 52 species. For the same TL, GL differs for species with different feeding habits (in omnivores > carnivores), as previously reported. Finally, for the same TL, GL also differs for species with different habitats (reef-associated > pelagic > benthopelagic > demersal) and gut types (Z-shaped with multiple loops > looped Z-shaped > Z-shaped >straight > convoluted > short with spiral valve).

Keywords

ecomorphologyalimentary tractintestine lengthtrophic levelsNorth Aegean SeaGreece
Type
Research Article
Information
Marine Biodiversity Records , Volume 3 , June 2010 , e106
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2010

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

Al-Hussaini, A.H. (1947) The feeding habits and the morphology of the alimentary tract of some teleosts living in the neighbourhood of the Marine Biological Station, Ghardaqa, Red Sea. Publications of the Marine Biological Station, Ghardaqa (Red Sea) 5, 1–61.Google Scholar
Benavides, A.G., Cancino, J.M. and Ojeda, F.P. (1994) Ontogenetic changes in gut dimensions and macroalgal digestibility in the marine herbivorous fish, Aplodactylus punctatus. Functional Ecology 8, 46–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chivers, D.J. and Hladik, C.M. (1980) Morphology of the gastrointestinal tract in primates: comparisons with other mammals in relation to diet. Journal of Morphology 166, 337–386.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cleveland, A. and Montgomery, Z.W.L. (2003) Gut characteristics and assimilation efficiencies in two species of herbivorous damselfishes (Pomacentridae: Stegastes dorsopunicans and S. planifrons). Marine Biology 142, 35–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Groot, S.J. (1971) On the interrelationships between morphology of the alimentary tract, food and feeding behaviour in flatfishes (Pisces: Pleuronectiformes). Netherlands Journal of Sea Research 5, 121–196.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eggold, B.T. and Motta, P.J. (1992) Ontogenetic dietary shifts and morphological correlates in striped mullet, Mugil cephalus. Environmental Biology of Fishes 34, 139–158.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elliott, J.P. and Bellwood, D.R. (2003) Alimentary tract morphology and diet in three coral reef fish families. Journal of Fish Biology 63, 1598–1609.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Froese, R. and Pauly, D. (2010) FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. URL: www.fishbase.org, 1/2010.Google Scholar
Galis, F., Terlouw, A. and Osse, J.W.M. (1994) The relation between morphology and behaviour during ontogenetic and evolutionary changes. Journal of Fish Biology 45, 13–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gatz, A.J. Jr (1979) Community organization in fishes as indicated by morphological features. Ecology 60, 711–718.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
German, D.P. and Horn, M.H. (2006) Gut length and mass in herbivorous and carnivorous prickleback fishes (Teleostei: Stichaeidae): ontogenetic, dietary, and phylogenetic effects. Marine Biology 148, 1123–1134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Honda, H. (1984) Food acquisition patterns in some demersal teleosts. Tohoku Journal of Agricultural Research 35, 33–54.Google Scholar
Junger, H., Kotrschal, K. and Goldschmid, A. (1989) Comparative morphology and ecomorphology of the gut in European cyprinids (Teleostei). Journal of Fish Biology 34, 315–326.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kapoor, B.G., Smit, H. and Verighina, I.A. (1975) The alimentary canal and digestion in teleosts. Advances in Marine Biology 13, 109–239.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Karachle, P.K. and Stergiou, K.I. (2006) Relationship between gut length, feeding and trophic level for several fish species from the N–NW Aegean Sea (Greece). In Anon, (ed.) Proceedings of the 8th Panhellenic Symposium of Oceanography and Fisheries, Thessaloniki, Greece, 4–8 June 2006, pp. 1–228.Google Scholar
Karachle, P.K. and Stergiou, K.I. (2007) ‘Uncoiling’ information on fish gut. In Snoeks, J., Boden, G. and Musschoot, T. (eds) Third FishBase Mini SymposiumTervuren, Belgium, 5 September 2007. Tervuren: Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA), pp. 17–18.Google Scholar
Karachle, P.K. and Stergiou, K.I. (2008) The effect of season and sex on trophic levels of marine fishes. Journal of Fish Biology 72, 1463–1487.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Karachle, P.K. and Stergiou, K.I. (2010) Intestine morphometrics: a compilation and analysis of bibliographic data. Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria 40, 45–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kramer, D.L. and Bryant, M.J. (1995a) Intestine length in the fishes of a tropical stream. 1. Ontogenetic allometry. Environmental Biology of Fishes 42, 115–127.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kramer, D.L. and Bryant, M.J. (1995b) Intestine length in the fishes of a tropical stream. 2. Relationships to diet—the long and short of a convoluted issue. Environmental Biology of Fishes 42, 129–141.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lleonart, J., Salat, J. and Torres, G.J. (2000) Removing allometric effects of body size in morphological analysis. Journal of Theoretical Biology 205, 85–93.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Motta, P.J. (1988) Functional morphology of the feeding apparatus of ten species of Pacific butterflyfishes (Perciformes, Chaetodontidae): an ecomorphological approach. Environmental Biology of Fishes 22, 39–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O'Grady, S.P., Morando, M., Avila, L. and Dearing, M.D. (2005) Correlating diet and digestive tract specialization: examples from the lizard family Liolaemidae. Zoology 108, 201–210.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pauly, D. (1994) On becoming an adult fish. In Pitcher, T.J. (ed.) On the sex of the fish and the gender of scientists. A collection of essays in fisheries science. London: Chapman & Hall, pp. 74–73. [Fish and Fisheries Series, no. 14.]Google Scholar
Pennisi, E. (2005) The dynamic gut. What's eating you? Science 307, 1896–1899.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pérez-España, H. and Abitia-Cárdenas, L.A. (1996) Description of the digestive tract and feeding habits of the king angelfish and the Cortes angelfish. Journal of Fish Biology 48, 807–817.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Piet, G.J. (1998) Ecomorphology of a size-structured tropical freshwater fish community. Environmental Biology of Fishes 51, 67–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pouilly, M., Lino, F., Bretenoux, J.-G. and Rosales, C. (2003) Dietary–morphological relationships in a fish assemblage of the Bolivian Amazonian floodplain. Journal of Fish Biology 62, 1137–1158.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ribble, D.O. and Smith, M.H. (1983) Relative intestine length and feeding ecology of freshwater fishes. Growth 47, 292–300.Google ScholarPubMed
Ricklefs, R.E. (1996) Morphometry of the digestive tracts of some passerine birds. Condor 98, 279–292.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stergiou, K.I. and Karpouzi, V.S. (2002) Feeding habits and trophic levels of Mediterranean fish. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 11, 217–254.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Verigina, I.A. (1991) Basic adaptations of the digestive system in bony fishes as a function of diet. Journal of Ichthyology 31, 8–20.Google Scholar
Wagner, C.E., McIntyre, P.B., Buels, K.S., Gilbert, D.M. and Michel, E. (2009) Diet predicts intestine length in Lake Tanganyika's cichlid fishes. Functional Ecology 23, 1122–1131.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ward-Campbell, B.M.S., Beamish, F.W.H. and Kongchaiya, C. (2005) Morphological characteristics in relation to diet in five coexisting Thai fish species. Journal of Fish Biology 67, 1266–1279.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wikramanayake, E.D. (1990) Ecomorphology and biogeography of a tropical stream fish assemblage: evolution of assemblage structure. Ecology 71, 1756–1764.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Winemiller, K.O. (1991) Ecomorphological diversification in lowland freshwater fish assemblages from five biotic regions. Ecological Monographs 61, 343–365.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wootton, R.J. (1998) Ecology of teleost fishes. 2nd edition. London: Kluwer Academic Publishers. [Fish and Fisheries Series, no. 24.]Google Scholar
Zar, J.H. (1999) Biostatistical analysis. 4th edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.Google Scholar
Zihler, F. (1982) Gross morphology and configuration of digestive tracts of Cichlidae (Teleostei, Perciformes): phylogenetic and functional significance. Netherlands Journal of Zoology 32, 544–571.CrossRefGoogle Scholar