Fish trophic structure in estuaries, with particular emphasis on estuarine typology and zoogeography

Harrison, Trevor D.; Whitfield, Alan K.

doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2012.03458.x

Cited by 29 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 71 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…However, individuals of all functional groups occurred in all salinity sectors and, thus, this metric was not useful for differentiating assemblages along the salinity gradient using a mean model. Our results differed from those of other studies, which emphasized the importance of functional groups in determining fish assemblages along salinity gradients (ELLIOTT; DEWAILLY, 1995;MATHIESON et al, 2000;BOUCHEREAU, 2004;WHITFIELD, 2012).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 57%

Analysis of fish assemblages in sectors along a salinity gradient based on species, families and functional groups

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A B S T R A C THere we test the effects of the east-west salinity gradient in the subtropical Paranaguá Bay Estuarine Complex (PEC) on the structure of shallow water fish fauna, determined according to taxonomic (families and species) and functional composition metrics. A total of 152 species were observed. The families with the largest number of species were the Sciaenidae, Carangidae, Haemulidae and Gobiidae. The most abundant species were Atherinella brasiliensis, Harengula clupeola, Anchoa januaria and Anchoa tricolor. Marine stragglers dominated in number of species, followed by marine migrants and estuarine species. Most species were zoobenthivores, followed by piscivores and zooplanktivores. Families and species more frequently associated with estuarine conditions dominated in the mesohaline sector, and those more frequently associated with marine conditions dominated in the euhaline sector. The fish assemblages along the estuarine salinity gradient were found to be better characterized by taxonomic metrics than by functional ones. This is most likely because individuals of all functional groups inhabit all salinity sectors, and thus these metrics are not useful for differentiating assemblages along salinity gradients. Our results differ from those of other studies in tropical and subtropical estuaries, which have emphasized the importance of functional groups in determining fish assemblages along salinity gradients. R E S U M ONeste trabalho foi testado o efeito do gradiente de salinidade do eixo-leste oeste do sistema subtropical Complexo Estuarino da Baía de Paranaguá na estrutura dos peixes de águas rasas, determinado de acordo com as métricas taxonômica (famílias e espécies) e de composição funcional. Um total de 152 espécies foi registrado. As famílias com maior número de espécies foram Sciaenidae, Carangidae, Haemulidae e Gobiidae. As espécies mais abundantes foram A. brasiliensis, H. clupeola, A. januaria e A. tricolor. Os visitantes marinhos dominaram em número de espécies, seguidos pelos migrantes marinhos e estuarinos. A maioria das espécies são zoobentívoras, seguidas pelas piscívoras e zooplanctívoras. As famílias e espécies mais relacionadas com condições estuarinas dominaram no setor mesohalino e aquelas mais relacionadas com condições marinhas dominaram no setor euhalino. A métrica taxonômica foi mais eficiente na caracterização das assembleias de peixes ao longo do gradiente estuarino de salinidade do que a funcional. Isso ocorreu principalmente porque indivíduos de todos os grupos funcionais estiveram presentes ao longo de todos os setores de salinidade, invalidando o emprego dessa métrica na diferenciação das assembleias nos diversos setores. Nosso resultado foi diferente do encontrado em outros estuários tropicais e subtropicais, que enfatizaram a importância dos grupos funcionais na estruturação das assembleias de peixes ao longo de um gradiente de salinidade.

show abstract

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 57%

Analysis of fish assemblages in sectors along a salinity gradient based on species, families and functional groups

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Similarly, in estuarine fish assemblages in South Africa most species belonged to trophic levels lower than 3.5 (Harrison and Whitfield 2012). The differences observed may be attributed to the characteristic environments sampled in these estuarine areas.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 51%

Tides, Salinity, and Biogeography Affect Fish Assemblage Structure and Function in Macrotidal Mangroves of the Neotropics

Castellanos‐Galindo

Krumme

2015

Ecosystems

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Identifying the drivers that explain the distribution of tropical coastal fishes remains a central goal in biogeography. However, a lack of comparisons with standardized data still prevents more robust generalizations. Here, we assess if general assembly rules apply in two intertidal mangrove fish assemblages from different biogeographical regions (Tropical Eastern Pacific and Western Atlantic). Using multivariate analyses on field data collected for about 1 year at each location, we examined if different community attributes (species richness, taxonomic, and trophic composition, density, and catch mass) varied temporally (according to tidal-diel rhythms) and spatially (salinity gradients and between biogeographical regions). Similar total fish species richness (ca. 50 species) mirrored the regional species richness of coastal fishes in these regions. Pufferfishes (Tetraodontidae) and catfishes (Ariidae) dominated (in catch mass) fish assemblages in both regions. Closely related species within these families responded in similar ways to tidal-diel changes suggesting the existence of a phylogenetic signal in temporal niche use. The strength of the influence of tidal-diel forces determining fish habitat use were likely related to differences in mangrove topography. The biogeography of the adjacent freshwater fish fauna could explain differences in taxonomic and trophic composition between regions. Our results highlight the role that tidal-diel dynamics play in influencing the structure of fish assemblages in macrotidal areas, and suggest that considering the regional biogeographical history and the local seascape configurations could help to explain differences in mangrove fish assemblage structure across regions.

show abstract

“…Other possible ecological explanations for the different nutritional conditions of fish larvae in the two estuaries under study might be different predation pressures (Harrison and Whitfield 2012) and the influence of the average maternal age (Berkeley et al 2004). With regard to predation pressure, and given the different hydrological characteristics of these two estuaries, the cues that attract marine fish into the estuaries will be different, and hence the numbers and types of predators entering the estuaries may also be different (Harrison and Whitfield 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The extent to which fish are affected by these alterations is still to be fully understood, despite studies on the ecological role of fish assemblages in South African estuaries (see Harrison and Whitfield 2012).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutritional condition of fish larvae in South African estuaries: an appraisal of three biochemical methods

Costalago¹,

Strydom²,

Frost³

2014

African Journal of Marine Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Estuaries are exposed to a number of threats and many South African estuarine systems are functionally and structurally altered. The extent to which fish are affected by these alterations is not fully understood. The estuarine round herring Gilchristella aestuaria is an appropriate species to use when examining such effects. The most widely used approaches to evaluating the nutritional condition of fish larvae are based on biochemical methods. In order to identify the most suitable technique for assessing body condition of fish larvae in estuaries, the nutritional condition of post-flexion larvae of G. aestuaria from the Sundays and Kariega estuaries on the south-east coast of South Africa was evaluated using three different biochemical techniques: (i) total lipid content analysis and the triacylglycerol/cholesterol (TAG/CHOL) ratio; (ii) protein content analysis; and (iii) the RNA/DNA ratio. Results from techniques (ii) and (iii) revealed that G. aestuaria larvae from the Kariega Estuary were in better condition than larvae from the Sundays Estuary, probably due to a recent plankton bloom. It is concluded that the individual RNA/ DNA ratio can provide a reliable, sensitive and cost-effective method to assess the immediate effects of environmental changes on the nutritional condition of estuarine fish larvae.

show abstract

Fish trophic structure in estuaries, with particular emphasis on estuarine typology and zoogeography

Cited by 29 publications

References 71 publications

Analysis of fish assemblages in sectors along a salinity gradient based on species, families and functional groups

Analysis of fish assemblages in sectors along a salinity gradient based on species, families and functional groups

Tides, Salinity, and Biogeography Affect Fish Assemblage Structure and Function in Macrotidal Mangroves of the Neotropics

Nutritional condition of fish larvae in South African estuaries: an appraisal of three biochemical methods

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About