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Opportunistic predation by small fishes on epibiota of jetty pilings in urban waterways
Citation
Moreau, S and Peron, C and Pitt, KA and Connolly, RM and Lee, SY and Meziane, T, Opportunistic predation by small fishes on epibiota of jetty pilings in urban waterways, Journal of Fish Biology, 72, (1) pp. 205-217. ISSN 0022-1112 (2008) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
Copyright 2008 The Authors
DOI: doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2007.01705.x
Abstract
Epibiota were sampled on nine small jetties in the tidal, urban canals of south-east Queensland,
Australia, to determine if the small fishes that are associated with these jetties prey on the
epibiota on the pilings of the jetties and whether these fishes depend on the epibiota as a source
of food. Epibiota was dominated by barnacles, filamentous and foliose algae and ranged in
thickness from 4 to 11 mm. The two species of fishes that associated most closely with
jetty pilings, Pandaka lidwilli (Gobiidae) and Monodactylus argenteus (Monodactylidae), were
sampled twice during the day and twice during the night for analysis of stomach contents.
During the day, the diet of P. lidwilli was dominated by amphipods (c. 70%, by mass of organic
content), with copepods, bivalves and bryozoans each contributing <10%. At night, amphipods
contributed less (c. 45%) and copepods more (c. 35%). The diet of M. argenteus was dominated
by filamentous algae (55%) and amphipods (20%) during the day and filamentous algae (70%)
and barnacle cirri (23%) at night. Epibiota, therefore, made a substantial contribution to the
diet of the fishes but were not the sole source of food for either species. As jetties were the only
structures that supported epibiota in the area, fishes probably sourced their epibiota from the
pilings of the jetties. Whether fishes depended on the epibiota was, therefore, tested using
a manipulative before-after-control-impact (BACI) study. Three jetties were assigned randomly
to each of three treatments: (1) epibiota removed from pilings, (2) epibiota cut and damaged
(a procedural control) and (3) epibiota left undisturbed. Abundances of P. lidwilli and
M. argenteus around jetty pilings remained similar across all treatments from before to after
the removal of epibiota. These results indicate that although fishes consumed epibiota on the
jetties, they did not depend on the epibiota of the jetties for food.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | artificial structures, canals, Monodactylus argenteus, Pandaka lidwilli, trophic ecology |
Research Division: | Biological Sciences |
Research Group: | Ecology |
Research Field: | Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology) |
Objective Division: | Expanding Knowledge |
Objective Group: | Expanding knowledge |
Objective Field: | Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences |
UTAS Author: | Moreau, S (Dr Sebastien Moreau) |
UTAS Author: | Peron, C (Dr Clara Peron) |
ID Code: | 92769 |
Year Published: | 2008 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 18 |
Deposited By: | Sustainable Marine Research Collaboration |
Deposited On: | 2014-06-26 |
Last Modified: | 2017-07-31 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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