Feeding habits and ontogenic changes in digestive enzyme patterns in five freshwater teleosts

Abstract

Feeding habits and the activity of digestive enzymes (total alkaline proteases, α-amylase and lipase) from dace Leuciscus leuciscus, roach Rutilus rutilus, Prussian carp Carassius auratus gibelio, perch Perca fluviatilis and pikeperch Sander lucioperca fry were studied in the Malye Chany Lake-Kargat Estuary (western Siberia, Russia). The diet of fry from all studied species was mainly composed of chironomid larvae and zooplanktonic organisms (i.e. cladocera and copepoda), whereas carnivorous species such as P. fluviatilis and S. lucioperca also preyed on fry from other fishes while detritus and microalgae were also important in the diet of ommivorous species. When comparing diet similarity (Sørensen-Dice index, Q(S)) among fry at different stages of development, both omnivorous and carnivorous species showed a high level of similarity (0.67 < Q(S) < 0.89 and 0.73 < Q(S)< 0.89, respectively). Diet similarity values were in agreement with the overall digestive activity profile analysed by cluster analysis. Diet similarity suggested potential trophic competition when zooplanktonic and benthic prey began to decline towards autumn. The analysis of pancreatic digestive enzymes revealed a correlation among their activities and fry feeding habits with α-amylase:total proteases (A:P) values higher than 1 in omnivorous species and lower (A:P ≤ 1) in carnivorous species.

Digestive Enzyme Activity during Initial Ontogeny and after Feeding Diets with Different Protein Sources in Zebra Cichlid, Archocentrus nigrofasciatus

“…In particular, A. nigrofasciatus was fed only with cladocerans and Artemia metanauplii, whereas the peak in α-amylase activity in P. splendida and C. urophthalmus was detected after their weaning onto an inert compound diet (López-Ramírez et al 2011;Uscanga-Martínez et al 2011;Toledo-Solís et al 2015). In addition, the α-amylase activity was higher in A. nigrofasciatus and C. urophthalmus than in P. splendida, confirming results from previous studies that reported a higher α-amylase activity in herbivorous, omnivorous, and detritivorous species in comparison with carnivorous ones (Falcón-Hidalgo et al 2011;Solovyev et al 2014).…”

Diet and other environmental factors shape the bacterial communities of fish gut in an eutrophic lake

“…Identification of the prey organisms and determination of the importance of each prey in the fish dietary regime was previously described in Solovyev et al (2014). The degree of similarity of diet between fish with different feeding habits was analysed by Morista index which was carried out using PAST, ver.…”

Towards the standardization of brush border purification and intestinal alkaline phosphatase quantification in fish with notes on other digestive enzymes

“…The last but not the least, digestive enzyme activities in fishes are indicative of their feeding ecology and trophic niche in natural conditions, thus, correlating well with their diet (Solovyev et al, 2014). Generally, herbivorous, omnivorous and detritivorous fishes may have higher carbohydrase activity (i.e.…”