Terrestrial subsidies in the diets of stream fishes of the USA: comparisons among taxa and morphology

Terrestrial food subsidies are important energy sources to stream fishes worldwide. However, their importance is not fully understood, except perhaps for some salmonid communities. Using the published literature, we investigated patterns of fish taxonomy and jaw morphology in the consumption of terrestrial food subsidies by nonsalmonid stream fishes in the USA. We hypothesised that: (1) in general, non-salmonid fishes would consume terrestrial food items to the same extent as salmonids; and (2) subsidy consumption would be associated with jaw morphology. Cyprinids and fundulids consumed terrestrial subsidies approaching levels observed in salmonids (20–44%)whereas other groups (e.g. catostomids and moronids) consumed far less (,2%) terrestrial food. Fishes with terminal jaw positions tended to consumemore terrestrial items than thosewith subterminal or inferior jaw positions.Within a species, there were highly variable propensities for consuming terrestrial subsidies. Our findings justify focusing on trophic linkages between fishes and riparian systems across a wide range of taxa, especially considering the spatio-temporal variability of environmental conditions across a variety of habitats. It is necessary to assess the relative contribution of terrestrial subsidies in fish growth and population dynamics with a focus on nutritional and energetic benefits across different groups. Additional keywords: allochthony, fish foraging, jaw position, subsidies, terrestrial prey. Received 15 October 2011, accepted 20 January 2012, published online 4 May 2012