Food habits of tilapiine cichlids of the Upper Zambezi River and floodplain during the descending phase of the hydrologic cycle

Winemiller, Kirk O.; Kelso-Winemiller, Leslie C.

doi:10.1046/j.1095-8649.2003.00134.x

Cited by 44 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 24 publications

(29 reference statements)

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“…Piscivorous cichlids (Serranochromis spp.) of the Upper Zambezi River (Africa) revealed stronger patterns of resource partitioning and niche complementarity when the water level was descending (Winemiller, 1991), and similar patterns of habitat use and dietary overlap were observed for tilapiine cichlids of the upper Zambezi (Winemiller & Kelso-Winemiller, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 63%

Comparative feeding ecology and habitats use of Crenicichla species (Perciformes: Cichlidae) in a Venezuelan floodplain river

Montaña¹,

Winemiller²

2009

Neotrop. ichthyol.

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Feeding behavior and habitat use of two species of pike cichlids, or mataguaros, (Crenicichla lugubris and C. aff. wallacii) were studied in the río Cinaruco, a floodplain river in the Venezuelan llanos. We examined 309 individuals of C. lugubris and 270 individuals of C. aff. wallacii from both the main channel and lagoons throughout the falling-water phase of the annual hydrological cycle. Crenicichla lugubris was common within habitats that contained rocks or woody debris, whereas C. aff. wallacii was more abundant in lagoons than the main channel, especially within shallow areas containing leaf litter. Although we did not capture C. aff. wallacii in rocky shoals, they sometimes were observed in these habitats. Crenicichla lugubris was larger than C. aff. wallacii (198.4 mm and 44.6 mm, respectively). Analysis of stomach contents showed that larger specimens (> 100 mm SL) C. lugubris fed mostly on small fishes (e.g. characids, cichlids), but juveniles (< 100 mm SL) consumed mostly aquatic insects, fish scales, and shrimps. Crenicichla aff. wallacii fed on aquatic insects and other invertebrates associated with leaf litter substrates.O comportamento alimentar e o uso de habitat de duas espécies de "joanas", ou "mataguaros", (Crenicichla lugubris e C. aff. wallacii) foram estudados no río Cinaruco, uma planície de alagamento nos llanos Venezuelanos. Examinamos 309 indivíduos de C. lugubris e 270 de C. aff. wallacii do canal principal e lagoas ao longo da fase de vazante de um ciclo hidrológico anual. Crenicichla lugubris foi comum em ambientes que continham rochas, galhos e troncos, enquanto que C. aff. wallacii foi mais abundante em lagoas do que no canal principal, especialmente em áreas rasas contendo folhiço. Embora não tenhamos capturado C. aff. wallacii em cardumes em meio às rochas, em algumas ocasiões eles foram observados nestes ambientes. Crenicichla lugubris foi maior do que C. aff. wallacii (198,4 mm e 44,6 mm CP, respectivamente). Análise dos conteúdos estomacais de C. lugubris revelou que os indivíduos maiores (> 100 mm CP) se alimentaram principalmente de peixes pequenos (e.g. caracídeos e ciclídeos), e os menores (< 100 mm CP) consumiram principalmente larvas aquáticas de insetos, escamas de peixes e camarões. Crenicichla aff. wallacii se alimentou de insetos aquáticos e outros invertebrados associados ao folhiço.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 63%

Comparative feeding ecology and habitats use of Crenicichla species (Perciformes: Cichlidae) in a Venezuelan floodplain river

Montaña¹,

Winemiller²

2009

Neotrop. ichthyol.

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“…Knowledge on feeding ecology of fishes and shellfishes species is of great interest both for fisheries mana- gement and aquaculture [27][28][29]. Especially in aquaculture industries, information on food habit of a species is important to formulate appropriate dry food to satisfy nutritional need for rapid growth [22,30].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feeding ecology of the mangrove oyster, <i>Crassostrea gasar</i> (Dautzenberg, 1891) in traditional farming at the coastal zone of Benin, West Africa

Adité¹,

Sonon²,

Gbedjissi³

2013

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Wild collection management and farming of the mangrove oyster (Crassostrea gasar) occurring widely at the Benin (West Africa) coastal zone require knowledge on the feeding ecology to explore energy sources and nutritional needs. Six hundred thirty (630) individuals of C. gasar have been sampled in the rearing site at the Benin coastal lagoon to investigate on the trophic ecology of this cultivated bivalve. The diet analysis revealed that C. gasar is a filter-feeder foraging mainly on phytoplankton (72.70%) and substrate particles (22.95%). This trophic specialization results from anatomical structure, mainly the presence of gills which facilitate the filtering of number of plankton taxa. Dominant phytoplanktons ingested comprised of Diatomophycea (33.52%), Chlorophycae (17.19%), Scenedesmacae (13.80%), Dictyosphaeriacae (3.79%), and Pleurococcacae (2.75%). Eight genuses of phytoplankton, Polycystis, Coelosphaerium, Protococcus, Botryoccocus, Crucigenia, Melosira, Cyclotella, and Gyrosigma dominated the diet of C. gasar with aggregated volumetric proportions reaching 69.06% of the diet. Higher occurrences were recorded mainly for Melosira occurring in 263 (41.75%) stomachs, substrate particles in 211 (33.49%), and Polycystis in 151 (23.97%). C. gasar exhibited a high niche breadths varying from 4.54 to 5.78, suggesting that this bivalve consumed a high variety of food items, thus exhibiting a degree of trophic plasticity. Diet overlaps ( jk ) among different size classes were high and varied from 0.71 to 0.98, indicating an ontogenetic diet shift pattern in C. gasar. Probably, to adapt to the benthic-muddy environment and to increase survival, C. gasar has evolved a specialized feeding mechanism and strategy to retrieve only needed nutrients for growth and to reject awful and nondigestible foods. Also, at the oyster rearing grounds, there is an evidence of shift in the food web structure leading to an increase of the biological productivity at the coastal zone. The output from this study is a valuable documentation for the sustainable development of oyster aquaculture, wild stock management and conservation. However, further scientific knowledge on nutritional needs, phytoplankton toxicity and habitat degradation, and improvement of farming techniques are required for an integrated oyster management.

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“…Earlier studies (Merron andBruton 1988, Winemiller andKelsoWinemiller 2003) indicate that Tilapia rendalli is a herbivore grazing mostly on aquatic macrophytes (and algae), however, this study showed that it occasionally feeds on fish (apart from grass, seeds, algae and detritus) corroborating Skelton (2001). O. andersonii, which was previously described as a detritivore (Merron and Bruton 1988, Skelton 2001, Winemiller and Kelso-Winemiller 2003, preyed actively on Barbus spp. in a newly inundated Lake Ngami, which had been dry for 20 years.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics of the feeding ecology of selected fish species from the Okavango River delta, Botswana

Mosepele¹,

Mosepele²,

Wolski³

et al. 2012

Acta Icth et Piscat

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Mosepele K., Mosepele B., Wolski P., Kolding J. 2012. Dynamics of the feeding ecology of selected fish species from the Okavango River delta, Botswana. Acta Ichthyol. Piscat. 42 (4): 271-289.Background. This study contributes to the understanding of the potential impact of changes in flooding patterns and (potential) fish production as a consequence of upstream developments in floodplain systems. Therefore, stomachs of eight fish species from the Okavango Delta were analysed to evaluate the feeding ecology of floodplain fish (and the effect of seasonal flooding), using the delta as a case study. Materials and methods. In total, 2101 fish stomachs of eight species, representing six families, were collected (in all seasons) from the delta using experimental fishing nets, from 2004 to 2009. Frequency of occurrence, Levin's diet breadth index, Pianka's overlap index, trophic levels, and Bray-Curtis similarities were used to evaluate feeding preferences. Detrended correspondence analysis was used to study temporal variations in diet. Multiple linear regressions were used to determine the influence of flooding on diet. ANOVA and MANOVA were used to determine the level of significance among variables, while LSD post hoc analysis revealed the source of significance.Results. Cluster analysis and Pianka's index highlighted inter-and intra-specific competition for food among different species and age classes, ANOVA highlighted dynamic changes in inter-and intra-specific trophic level partitioning, while detrended analysis showed that the terrestrial environment is subsidizing the aquatic environment. Regression analysis showed that Schilbe intermedius diet was driven by discharge (F = 7.03; P = 0.045; R 2 = 0.58) while that of Marcusenius macrolepidotus was driven by water depth (F = 25.88; P = 0.04; R 2 = 0.93). Conclusion.The terrestrial-aquatic ecotone is important in fish growth of seasonal floodplains. Energy uptake is optimised through cannibalism to ensure species survival. Furthermore, species inter-relations are dynamic due to variations in food availability driven by seasonal flooding, which shortens and lengthens the food chain periodically. This dynamic relation is pronounced at low floods when predation and competition increases within the fish community. The evidence from this study has shown that predation, cannibalism, inter-and intra-specific competition are regulating factors in floodplain fish communities, driven by seasonal flooding.

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Food habits of tilapiine cichlids of the Upper Zambezi River and floodplain during the descending phase of the hydrologic cycle

Cited by 44 publications

References 24 publications

Comparative feeding ecology and habitats use of Crenicichla species (Perciformes: Cichlidae) in a Venezuelan floodplain river

Comparative feeding ecology and habitats use of Crenicichla species (Perciformes: Cichlidae) in a Venezuelan floodplain river

Feeding ecology of the mangrove oyster, <i>Crassostrea gasar</i> (Dautzenberg, 1891) in traditional farming at the coastal zone of Benin, West Africa

Dynamics of the feeding ecology of selected fish species from the Okavango River delta, Botswana

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Food habits of tilapiine cichlids of the Upper Zambezi River and floodplain during the descending phase of the hydrologic cycle

Cited by 44 publications

References 24 publications

Comparative feeding ecology and habitats use of Crenicichla species (Perciformes: Cichlidae) in a Venezuelan floodplain river

Comparative feeding ecology and habitats use of Crenicichla species (Perciformes: Cichlidae) in a Venezuelan floodplain river

Feeding ecology of the mangrove oyster, &lt;i&gt;Crassostrea gasar&lt;/i&gt; (Dautzenberg, 1891) in traditional farming at the coastal zone of Benin, West Africa

Dynamics of the feeding ecology of selected fish species from the Okavango River delta, Botswana

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Feeding ecology of the mangrove oyster, <i>Crassostrea gasar</i> (Dautzenberg, 1891) in traditional farming at the coastal zone of Benin, West Africa