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The food and feeding relationships of larval and 0+year juvenile fishes in lowland rivers and connected waterbodies. II. Prey selection and the influence of gape

Nunn, A. D.; Harvey, J. P.; Cowx, I. G.

Authors

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Dr Jon Harvey J.P.Harvey@hull.ac.uk
Senior Lecturer in Fisheries Science

I. G. Cowx



Abstract

The relative importance of taxa- and size-specific prey selection, and the influence of gape on the prey consumed by the larvae and 0+ year juveniles of four fish species were investigated in 'main river', 'marina' and 'pond' macrohabitats in the lower River Trent, England. A general sequence of ontogenetic shifts in food consumption was reflected in the electivity indices of particular prey taxa, partly due to the restrictions imposed by the gape of 0+ year fishes. Certain taxa, however, were consistently selected over others, irrespective of size, suggesting that taxa-specific, as well as size-specific, prey characteristics may be important in the selection process. There were significant, positive relationships between maximum prey (zooplankton) length and maximum gape height for larvae, but not for 0+ year juveniles. The majority of fishes, however, consumed prey substantially smaller than the maximum theoretically possible inferred from their gape. The greater size ranges of zooplankton in connected waterbodies compared with main river channels provide suitable prey for a range of developmental steps and fish species, and may, thus, enhance recruitment success. (c) 2007 The Authors. Journal compilation (c) 2007 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Citation

Nunn, A. D., Harvey, J. P., & Cowx, I. G. (2007). The food and feeding relationships of larval and 0+year juvenile fishes in lowland rivers and connected waterbodies. II. Prey selection and the influence of gape. Journal of fish biology, 70(3), 743-757. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.2007.01335.x

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Oct 17, 2006
Online Publication Date Feb 20, 2007
Publication Date 2007-03
Journal JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY
Print ISSN 0022-1112
Electronic ISSN 1095-8649
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 70
Issue 3
Pages 743-757
DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.2007.01335.x
Keywords 0+ year juvenile fishes; Feeding gape; Larval fishes; Lowland rivers; Prey selection
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/396016
Publisher URL https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1095-8649.2007.01335.x