Food resource utilization partitioning of fifteen fish species at Bukit Merah Reservoir, Malaysia

Abstract

Statistical and mathematical models have been used to measure the subtle differences in food resources utilisation of fifteen (15) fish species at Bukit Merah Reservoir, Malaysia. The models employed are niche breadth, dietary overlap indices and discriminant analysis. A diet measure based on the relative importance index of food items was used for the analysis, to correct for biases of the single indices consisting of the volumetric, numerical and occurrence frequency. Niche breadth (B,) indicating the diversity or breadth of the food resource gradient utilized by a fish classifies species as generalized feeders (Bi > 4.5), intermediate and specialized feeders (Bi< 2). Niche overlap (Oij) quantifying the sharing of food resource between two species varies from 0.07 to 0.81 and describes high dietary overlap (Oij > 0.60) for most fish at the reservoir;but Trichogaster pectoralis (Anabantidae) feeding on the plankton shows relatively low dietary overlap. A scatter plot and a territorial map of the discriminatory analysis on the dietary composition result in combination an objective basis for trophic classification of the fish community, and describe (1) Osteochilus hasselti and Puntius gonionotus as herbivores, (2) Oxyeleotris marmorata, Clarias batrachus, Ophicephalus striatus, Mystus planicep, and presumably Wallago leerii and Hampala macrolepidota as carnivores, (3) Puntius schwanenfeldii, Cyclocheilichthys apogon, and presumably Labiobarbus festiva as detritivores, (4) Notopterus notopterus as a generalist, and (5) Trichogaster pectoralis as a planktivore. This multivariate analysis is relatively superior to the traditional subjective method for trophic classification and discerning subtle differences objectively, though intermingling occur.

Stability versus diversity of the dentition during evolutionary radiation in cyprinine fish

“…Poropuntiini are mostly recognized as omnivorous, with some species preferentially feeding on plant matter, for example Puntioplites, and others on animal matter (insects, crustaceans or even fish), for example Cyclocheilichthys [31,32]. Labeonini are mostly reported as phytophagous and microphagous, mostly feeding on algae, periphyton, phytoplankton and, in lesser proportion, zooplankton [30][31][32]. By exploiting the whole benthopelagic zone, Poropuntiini thus display a wider range of food habits than Labeonini.…”

Food and habitat of four Xenotilapia species (Teleostei, Cichlidae) in a sandy bay of northern Lake Tanganyika (Burundi)

“…Liem (1984) states that many teleosts, including cichlid fishes, show a high degree of flexibility in the use of the buccal apparatus and are able to exploit more than one food source, which enables the exploitation of broader and more overlapping niches than, for instance, terrestrial tetrapods. This hypothesis is supported by studies which show a high degree of overlap in diet between fishes belonging to the same community (Hynes, 1950;Fuller & Hynes, 1987;Siaw-Yang, 1988;Bolger et al, 1990;Urban & Brandt, 1993). More detailed studies have shown that often a very subtle niche differentiation exists between coexisting species that were once thought to occupy the same trophic niche (Gladfelter & Johnson, 1983;Goldschmidt et al, 1990;Yamaoka, 1991).…”

First record of Barbonymus schwanenfeldii (Bleeker) in the Iberian Peninsula

“…Barbonymus schwanenfeldii is native to the Mekong and Chao Phraya basins (Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam), the Malay Peninsula, Borneo and Sumatra (Kottelat, 2001). It is a schooling species growing up to 340 mm standard length ( L S ) (Kottelat, 2001) with an omnivorous and detritivorous habit, feeding on aquatic and terrestrial macrophytes, filamentous algae, small fishes and occasionally insects (Siaw‐Yang, 1988; Rainboth, 1996). It is a highly fecund species with females producing 7900–16 000 eggs for fish weighing 220–382 g (Christensen, 1992) and a spawning frequency of three times per year in a regulated river (McAdam et al , 1999).…”