Selective Feeding by Atlantic Herring (Clupea harengus) Larvae on Zooplankton in Natural Assemblages

Abstract

The hypothesis that larval herring Clupea harenyus select food by type as well as size was tested in laboratory experiments. Herring larvae were reared at 7 to 9'C on wild zooplankton. The percentage of herring larvae with food at day's end increased from 4 % (4 d) to 68 % (9 d) and averaged 83 % for larvae 25 to 74 d old. Larval herring selected particles according to type as well as size; this selectivity varied with larval age and hence size. Copepod nauplii and copepodites were preferred by larvae of all sizes. Among copepodites, Pseudocalanus sp, and Oithona sp. were preferred by smaller and larger larvae, respectively, while Acartia sp. was rarely ingested, even when of acceptable size. Mollusc veligers comprised a significant portion of the diet of young (4 to 24 d) larvae but were actively rejected by older larvae even when perceived and of acceptable size. Particles smaller than the largest acceptable size were consistently preferred, atypical of predation by vertebrates. These results indicate that larval herring select prey according to type as well as size and that this behavior is acquired through experience.

Reproduction and fecundity of the musselmytilus edulis at helgoland (North sea)

“…Noctiluca miliarls, spionid larvae, zoea larvae, ctenophores (own observations), herring larvae (Lebour, 1933, Checkley, 1982 and even adult mussels (Bayne, 1964}. The importance of the larvae as food organisms must be especially discussed in the light of their locally and temporally patchy distribution.…”

Prey selection and dietary overlap among zooplanktivorous jellyfish and juvenile fishes in Prince William Sound, Alaska

“…over those of Pseudocalanus sp. as fish size increased (Checkley 1982). In the North Sea, small larvae selected Acartia tonsa while larger larvae selected Calanus finmarchicus (Munk 1992).…”

“…In the North Sea, small larvae selected Acartia tonsa while larger larvae selected Calanus finmarchicus (Munk 1992). However, young herring preferred copepods of constant relative size (Checkley 1982, Munk 1992 and, like pollock, consumed prey in a narrower size range than they were capable of. Non-selective filter-feeding on very small, highly abundant prey like invertebrate eggs, which we pooled in 'other,' has been shown for both pollock (e.g.…”

“…Purcell et al (1991) showed that 99% of the bivalve veligers were egested alive by the scyphomedusan Chrysaora quinquecirrha, even after retention in the medusae for up to 7 h. In the present study, ≤ 0.5% of the bivalve veligers were digested in the preserved gut contents of medusae: Aurelia labiata (10 of 9398 veligers), Cyanea capillata (2 of 413 veligers), and Aequorea aequorea (0 of 52 veligers). Mollusc veligers appeared to be undigested in northern anchovy and herring larva gut contents (summarized in Checkley 1982). Similarly, bivalve veligers were usually closed in the fish gut contents (Sturdevant unpubl.…”

“…Herring feed selectively with respect to both particle size and type; selection varies with particle visibility, prey escape ability and larval feeding experience (Checkley 1982, Munk 1992, Tsuda et al 1998, as well as the prey taxa available by region. For example, Pacific herring up to 33 mm long selected Acartia longiremis females and rarely consumed the larger calanoids Pseudocalanus newmani, Neocalanus plumchrus or Eucalanus bungii (Tsuda et al 1998).…”