Experimental evidence of predation by juvenile flounder, Platichthys flesus, on a shallow water meiobenthic community.
نویسنده
چکیده
In the northern Baltic Sea juvenile flounder, Platichthys flesus, occur in high abundances on shallow sandy bottoms in late summer and autumn. They feed mainly on meiofauna and the ontogenetic switch to macrofaunal sized food occurs at a larger size here than in other areas, exemplifying the high relative importance of meiofauna. Consequently, juvenile P. flesus in the Baltic feed for a longer period on meiofauna, and could thus be expected to have a stronger predation effect on the meiofaunal assemblages. In this study the predation effects of juvenile P. flesus on meiofaunal abundances and community structure were studied using microcosms that were sampled repeatedly over a 3-week period. Significant differences between treatment and control were found for the total number of taxa, for abundances of harpacticoids, copepod nauplii and ostracods. The nematode community was not affected, but one genus, Axonolaimus, was negatively affected by predation. The predation affected meiofaunal community structure as the major taxon diversity was significantly reduced. The results suggest that the meiofauna on shallow sandy bottoms may be structured by juvenile P. flesus, and the combined predation pressure of juvenile flounder and other epibenthic predators in the area might be considerable. Microcosms are effective in testing natural predation, especially on meiofaunal communities, but field experiments should be conducted to account for the physical characteristics of the area studied.
منابع مشابه
Juvenile flounder, Platichthys flesus (L.), under hypoxia: effects on tolerance, ventilation rate and predation efficiency
The flounder, Platichthys flesus, is the most abundant flatfish species in the northern Baltic Sea. Juvenile P. flesus are important epibenthic predators on shallow sandy bottoms in this area, and play an important role in structuring benthic infaunal communities by both lethal and sublethal predation. These areas are affected by periodic oxygen deficiency during summer and autumn when drifting...
متن کاملSmelling Danger – Alarm Cue Responses in the Polychaete Nereis (Hediste) diversicolor (Müller, 1776) to Potential Fish Predation
The harbour ragworm, Nereis (Hediste) diversicolor is a common intertidal marine polychaete that lives in burrows from which it has to partially emerge in order to forage. In doing so, it is exposed to a variety of predators. One way in which predation risk can be minimised is through chemical detection from within the relative safety of the burrows. Using CCTV and motion capture software, we s...
متن کاملCryptic Behaviour of Juvenile Turbot Psetta maxima L. and European Flounder Platichthys flesus L
The aim of this study was to examine the burying behaviour of hatchery-reared European flounder Platichthys flesus and turbot Psetta maxima, and whether conditioning on a sandy substrate would improve burying efficiency. Both species buried shortly after release on a sandy substrate. However, the study revealed interspecies differences; the flounder buried immediately after release, while the t...
متن کاملOrganotin and osmoregulation: quantifying the effects of environmental concentrations of sediment-associated TBT and TPhT on the freshwater-adapted European flounder, Platichthys flesus (L.).
Chronic (5 weeks) exposure of freshwater-adapted European flounder, Platichthys flesus (L.), to environmental concentrations of sediment-associated tri-n-butyltin chloride (TBTCl) and triphenyltin chloride (TPhTCl) caused significant changes to hydromineral fluxes and membrane permeability, mechanisms that maintain osmotic homeostasis. The half-time of exchange of tritiated water (THO) in TBTCl...
متن کاملIntestinal glutathione S-transferase activity in flounder Platichthys flesus collected from contaminated and reference sites
Intestinal glutathione S-transferase activities were measured during the GEEP Workshop in flounder Platichthys flesus collected from Langesundfjord, Norway. Though enzyme activities were generally higher in fish collected from 3 polluted sites by comparison with a reference site, the only significant differences in activities between the 3 sites ran counter to the anticipated pollution gradient...
متن کاملذخیره در منابع من
با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید
عنوان ژورنال:
- Journal of experimental marine biology and ecology
دوره 246 1 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2000