Feeding ecology of the transparent goby Aphia minuta (Pisces, Gobiidae) in the northwestern Adriatic Sea
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3989/scimar.2008.72n199Keywords:
diet, feeding selectivity, transparent goby, copepods, Adriatic SeaAbstract
The feeding ecology of the transparent goby Aphia minuta was examined in spring (May 2003) in the coastal waters off Comacchio, in the northwestern Adriatic Sea. Stomach content analysis indicated A. minuta to be a planktivorous species, feeding exclusively on pelagic invertebrates. The diet composition was dominated by the calanoid copepods Acartia clausi and Temora longicornis, followed in decreasing order of importance by other copepods (especially calanoids and Oncaea spp.) and larvae of decapods, polychaetes and bivalves. A. minuta exhibited a generalistic feeding strategy with a relatively broad niche width. Abundant taxa in the environment, such as A. clausi and T. longicornis, were seldom selected, whereas rare taxa, such as larvae of polychaetes and decapods, were highly selected. According to the observed ontogenetic shift in diet, small-size individuals relied preferentially on juvenile T. longicornis and Oncaea spp., whereas large-sized specimens consumed preferably A. clausi and calanoids. The positive relationship found between prey and fish size may help to mitigate the intraspecific competition for food resources.
Downloads
References
Amundsen, P.A., H.M. Gabler and F.J. Staldvik. – 1996. A new approach to graphical analysis of feeding strategy from stomach contents data – modification of the Costello (1990) method. J. Fish Biol., 48: 607-614.
Borme, D. – 2006. Ecologia trofica dell’acciuga Engraulis encrasicolus in Adriatico settentrionale. PhD thesis, Univ. Studi di Trieste.
Budnichenko, E.V., A.V. Firulina and Y.V. Bulgakova. – 1999. Feeding conditions of Azov anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus maeoticus during summer-fall 1995-1996. J. Ichthyol., 39: 248-255.
Caputo, V., G. Candi, M. La Mesa and E. Arneri. – 2000. Pattern of gonad maturation and the question of semelparity in the paedomorphic goby Aphia minuta. J. Fish Biol., 58: 656-669. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2001.tb00520.x
Caputo, V., G. Candi, E. Arneri, M. La Mesa, C. Cinti, M. Provinciali, P. Nisi Cerioni and A. Gregorini. – 2002. Short lifespan and apoptosis in Aphia minuta. J. Fish Biol., 60: 775-779. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2002.tb01703.x
Cataletto, B. and S. Fonda Umani. – 1994. Seasonal variations in carbon and nitrogen content of Acartia clausi (Copepoda, Calanoida) in the Gulf of Trieste (northern Adriatic Sea). Hydrobiology, 292-293: 283-288. doi:10.1007/BF00229952
Cataletto, B., E. Feoli, S. Fonda Umani and S. Cheng-Yong. – 1995. Eleven years of time-series analysis on the net-zooplank ton community in the Gulf of Trieste. ICES J. Mar. Sci., 52: 669-678. doi:10.1016/1054-3139(95)80080-8
Chesalin, M.N., G.V. Zuev and T.L. Chesalina. – 2004. Transparent goby Aphia minuta (Gobiidae) in the pelagic zone of the Black Sea. J. Ichthyol., 44: 587-591.
Clarke, K.R. and R.M. Warwick. – 1994. Change in marine communities: an approach to statistical analysis and interpretation. Natural Environment Research Council, UK.
Clarke, K.R. and R.N. Gorley. – 2001. PRIMER v5: User Manual/ Tutorial. PRIMER-E, Plymouth Marine Laboratory.
Cortés, E. – 1997. A critical review of methods of studying fish feeding based on analysis of stomach contents: application to elasmobranch fishes. Can. J. Fish Aquat. Sci., 54: 726-738. doi:10.1139/cjfas-54-3-726
Costello, M.J. – 1990. Predator feeding strategy and prey importance: a new graphical analysis. J. Fish Biol., 36: 261-263. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.1990.tb05601.x
Fonda Umani, S. – 1996. Pelagic production and biomass in the Adriatic Sea. Sci. Mar., 60 (Suppl. 2): 65-77.
Fonda Umani, S., P. Franco, E. Ghirardelli and A. Malej. – 1992. Outline of oceanography and the plankton of the Adriatic Sea. In: G. Colombo, I. Ferrari, V.U. Ceccherelli, and R. Rossi (eds.), pp. 347 365. Marine Eutrophication and Population Dynamics, Proceedings of the 25th EMBS.
Fonda Umani, S., M. Specchi, B. Cataletto and A. De Olazabal. – 1994. Distribuzione stagionale del mesozooplankton nell’Adriatico settentrionale e centrale. Boll. Soc. Adriat. Sci. Trieste, 75: 145-176.
Fonda Umani, S., L. Milani, D. Borme, A. de Olazabal, S. Parlato, R. Precali, R. Kraus, D. Lucic, J. Njire, C. Totti, T. Romagnoli, M. Pompei and M. Cangini. – 2005. Inter-annual variations of planktonic food webs in the northern Adriatic Sea. Sci. Tot. Environ., 353: 218-231. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2005.09.016
Franco, P. – 1984. Fattori influenti sulla produttività primaria dell’Adriatico Settentrionale. Boll. Oceanol. Teor. Applic., 22: 125-140.
Grancini, G. and B. Cescon. – 1973. Dispersal processes of freshwaters in the Po river coastal area. Arch. Oceanogr. Limnol., 18: 705-710.
Hay, S.J., T. Kiørboe and A. Matthews. – 1991. Zooplankton bioweight and production in the North Sea during the Autumn
Circulation experiment, October 1987-March 1988. Cont. Shelf Res., 11: 1453-1476.
Hesthagen, I.H. – 1971. The winter food of the gobies from one of the deeper channels of the Kieler Bucht, with particular reference to the sand goby, Pomatoschistus minutus (Pallas). Kieler Meeresforsch., 27: 28-35.
Hyslop, E.J. – 1980. Stomach contents analysis-a review of methods and their application. J. Fish Biol., 17: 411-429. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.1980.tb02775.x
Hure, J., A. Ianora and B. Scotto di Carlo. – 1980. Spatial and temporal distribution of copepod communities in the Adriatic Sea. J. Plankton Res., 2: 295-316. doi:10.1093/plankt/2.4.295
Kiørboe, T. and M.E. Sabatini. – 1994. Reproductive and life cycle strategies in egg-carrying cyclopoid and free-spawning calanoid copepods. J. Plankton Res., 10: 1353-1366. doi:10.1093/plankt/16.10.1353
Iglesias, M. and B. Morales-Nin. – 2001. Life cycle of the pelagic goby Aphia minuta (Pisces: Gobiidae). Sci. Mar., 65: 183-192.
Iglesias, M., E.B. Brothers and B. Morales-Nin. – 1997. Validation of daily deposition in otoliths. Age and growth determination of Aphia minuta (Pisces: Gobiidae) from the Northwest Mediterranean. Mar. Biol., 129: 279-287. doi:10.1007/s002270050168
Ivlev, V.S. – 1961. Experimental ecology of the feeding of fishes. Yale University Press, New Haven. La Mesa, M. – 1999. Age and growth of Aphia minuta (Pisces, Gobiidae) from the central Adriatic Sea. Sci. Mar., 63: 147-155.
La Mesa, M., E. Arneri, V. Caputo and M. Iglesias. – 2005. The transparent goby, Aphia minuta: review of biology and fisheries of a paedomorphic European fish. Rev. Fish Biol. Fisheries, 15: 89-109. doi:10.1007/s11160-005-1613-4
Lucˇic´, D. and V. Onofri. – 1990. Seasonal variation of neritic mesozooplankton in Mali Ston Bay (Southern Adriatic). Acta Adriat., 31: 117-137.
Marshall, S. and M. Elliot. – 1997. A comparison of univariate and multivariate numerical and graphical techniques for determining inter- and intraspecific feeding relationships in estuarine fish. J. Fish Biol., 51: 526-545. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.1997.tb01510.x
Martínez-Baño, P., F. Vizuete and J. Mas. – 1993. The fishery of the transparent goby A. minuta (Risso, 1810) on the fishing grounds off Murcia (South-eastern Spain). Sci. Mar., 57: 199-205.
Miller, P.J. – 1973. The species of Pseudaphya (Teleostei: Gobiidae) and the evolution of the aphyiine gobies. J. Fish Biol., 5: 353-365. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.1973.tb04464.x
Miller, P.J. – 1986. Gobiidae. In: P.J.P. Whitehead, M.L. Bauchot, J.C. Hureau, J. Nielsen and E. Tortonese (eds.), pp. 1019-1085. Fishes of the North-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean, vol.3, UNESCO, Paris.
Miller, P.J. – 1989. The tokology of gobiid fish. In: G.W. Potts and R.J. Wootton (eds.), Fish Reproduction: Strategies and Tactics, pp. 119-153. Academic Press, London.
Miralto, A., L. Guglielmo, G. Zagami, I. Buttino, A. Granata and A. Ianora. - 2003. Inhibition of population growth in the copepods Acartia clausi and Calanus helgolandicus during diatom blooms. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 254: 253-268. doi:10.3354/meps254253
Pinkas, L., M.S. Oliphant and I.L.K. Iverson. – 1971. Food habits of albacore, bluefin tuna, and bonito in California waters. Calif. Fish Game, 152: 1–105.
Postel, L., H. Fock and W. Hagen. – 2000. Bioweight and abundance. In: R. Harris, P. Wiebe, J. Lenz, H.R. Skjoldal and M. Huntley (eds.), pp 83-174. ICES Zooplankton Methodology Manual. Academic Press, San Diego.
Pugnetti, A., M. Armeni, E. Camatti, E. Crevatin, A. Dell’Anno, P. Del Negro, A. Milandri, G. Socal, S. Fonda Umani and R. Danovaro. - 2005. Imbalance between phytoplankton production and bacterial C demand in relation to mucilage formation in the Northern Adriatic Sea. Sci. Tot. Environ., 353: 162-177. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2005.09.014
Rose, M. – 1933. Faune de France. Copépodes pélagiques. Fédération des Sociétés Sciences Naturelles.
Paul Lechevalier, Paris. Sabatini, M. and T. Kiørboe. – 1994. Reproductive and life cycle strategies in egg-carrying cyclopoid and free-spawning calanoid copepods. J. Plankton Res., 16: 1353-1366. doi:10.1093/plankt/16.10.1353
Sautour, B. and J. Castel. – 1995. Spring zooplankton distribution and production of the copepod Euterpina acutifrons in Marennes-Oléron Bay (France). Hydrobiology, 310: 163-175. doi:10.1007/BF00006828
Sokal, R.R. and F.J. Rohlf. - 1995. Biometry. The principle and practice of statistics in biological research. WH Freeman and Co, San Francisco.
Ticˇina, V., O. Vidjak and I. Kacˇic´. – 2000. Feeding of adult sprat, Sprattus sprattus, during spawning season in the Adriatic Sea. Ital. J. Zool., 67: 307-311.
Tortonese, B. – 1975. Osteichthyes. Pesci ossei. Fauna d’Italia XI. Edizioni Calderini, Bologna.
Trègouboff, G. and M. Rose. – 1957. Manuel de planctonologie mediterranéenne. Tome 1, 2. CNRS, Paris.
Tudela, S. and I. Palomera. – 1995. Diel feeding intensity and daily ration in the anchovy Engraulis encrasicholus in the Catalan Sea during the spawning season. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 129: 55-61. doi:10.3354/meps129055
Van Guelpen, L., D.F.Markle and D.J. Duggan. – 1982. An evaluation of accuracy, precision, and speed of several zooplankton subsampling techniques. ICES J. Mar. Sci., 40: 226-236. doi:10.1093/icesjms/40.3.226
Vidjak, O., N. Bojanic´, G. Kušpilic´, I. Marasovic´, Z. Nincˇevic´ Gladan and E. Brautovic´. – 2006. Annual variability and trophic relations of the mesozooplankton community in the eutrophicated coastal area (Vranjic Basin, eastern Adriatic Sea). J. Mar. Biol. Ass. UK, 86: 19-26. doi:10.1017/S0025315406012811
White, J.R. and M.R. Roman. – 1992. Seasonal study of grazing by metazoan zooplankton in the mesohaline Chesapeake Bay. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 86: 251-261. doi:10.3354/meps086251
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2008 Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
© CSIC. Manuscripts published in both the print and online versions of this journal are the property of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, and quoting this source is a requirement for any partial or full reproduction.
All contents of this electronic edition, except where otherwise noted, are distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. You may read the basic information and the legal text of the licence. The indication of the CC BY 4.0 licence must be expressly stated in this way when necessary.
Self-archiving in repositories, personal webpages or similar, of any version other than the final version of the work produced by the publisher, is not allowed.
