Diet and movement of the killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus, in a Maine salt marsh assessed using gut contents and stable isotope analyses

被引:56
作者
McMahon, KW
Johnson, BJ
Ambrose, WG
机构
[1] Bates Coll, Dept Biol, Lewiston, ME 04240 USA
[2] Bates Coll, Dept Geol, Lewiston, ME 04240 USA
来源
ESTUARIES | 2005年 / 28卷 / 06期
关键词
D O I
10.1007/BF02696024
中图分类号
X [环境科学、安全科学];
学科分类号
08 ; 0830 ;
摘要
Killifish are ecologically important components of salt marsh ecosystems, but no studies have determined the importance of locally produced versus allochthonous food sources on a scale of less than multiple kilometers. The goal of our study was to examine diet and movement of the killifish, Fundulus heteroditus, collected from a Maine salt marsh to assess the importance of locatly produced versus allochthonous food sources on a scale of several hundred meters. We compared the gut contents and stable isotope signatures of F. heteroditus from four regions along the central river of a Maine salt marsh to the distinct food sources and isotopic signatures of the region of the marsh in which they were caught. F. heteroditus were relying on locally produced food sources even on the scale of several hundred meters. They fed daily in a small area less than 6 ha and maintained relatively strong site fidelities over the course of several months. Phytoplankton and salt marsh detritus both contributed to the high production of F. heteroclitus, terrestrial plant detritus was not an important component of their diet. The diet and feeding patterns of F. heteroditus from this small Maine salt marsh were similar to the patterns found in much larger salt marshes, suggesting that locally produced organic matter is essential to the production of these ecologically important fish.
引用
收藏
页码:966 / 973
页数:8
相关论文
共 59 条
[1]  
Akpan A.W., 2004, Journal of Aquatic Sciences, V19, P51
[2]   GUT CONTENTS OF COMMON MUMMICHOGS, FUNDULUS-HETEROCLITUS L, IN A RESTORED IMPOUNDED MARSH AND IN NATURAL REFERENCE MARSHES [J].
ALLEN, EA ;
FELL, PE ;
PECK, MA ;
GIEG, JA ;
GUTHKE, CR ;
NEWKIRK, MD .
ESTUARIES, 1994, 17 (02) :462-471
[3]  
BAKERDITTUS AM, 1978, COPEIA, P383
[4]   Total cover and cover quality: predicted and actual effects on a predator's foraging success [J].
Bartholomew, A .
MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES, 2002, 227 :1-9
[5]   FEEDING AND DIGESTION BY THE MUSSEL MYTILUS-EDULIS-L (BIVALVIA-MOLLUSCA) IN MIXTURES OF SILT AND ALGAL CELLS AT LOW CONCENTRATIONS [J].
BAYNE, BL ;
HAWKINS, AJS ;
NAVARRO, E .
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MARINE BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY, 1987, 111 (01) :1-22
[6]   Selectivity of subtidal benthic invertebrate communities for local microalgal production in an estuarine mangrove ecosystem during the post-monsoon period [J].
Bouillon, S ;
Koedam, N ;
Baeyens, W ;
Satyanarayana, B ;
Dehairs, F .
JOURNAL OF SEA RESEARCH, 2004, 51 (02) :133-144
[7]   Sources of suspended organic matter and selective feeding by zooplankton in an estuarine mangrove ecosystem as traced by stable isotopes [J].
Bouillon, S ;
Mohan, PC ;
Sreenivas, N ;
Dehairs, F .
MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES, 2000, 208 :79-92
[8]  
Busby MS, 1995, CALIF FISH GAME, V81, P133
[9]   CARBON ISOTOPIC COMPOSITIONS OF ESTUARINE BACTERIA [J].
COFFIN, RB ;
FRY, B ;
PETERSON, BJ ;
WRIGHT, RT .
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY, 1989, 34 (07) :1305-1310
[10]   IMPORTANCE OF REFRACTORY PLANT-MATERIAL TO THE CARBON BUDGET OF THE OYSTER CRASSOSTREA-VIRGINICA [J].
CROSBY, MP ;
LANGDON, CJ ;
NEWELL, RIE .
MARINE BIOLOGY, 1989, 100 (03) :343-352