The predation impact of juvenile herring Clupea harengus and sprat Sprattus sprattus on estuarine zooplankton
Maes, J.; Tackx, M.; Soetaert, K. (2005). The predation impact of juvenile herring Clupea harengus and sprat Sprattus sprattus on estuarine zooplankton. Hydrobiologia 540(1-3): 225-235. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10750-004-7146-3
Ook verschenen in:Meire, P.; Van Damme, S. (Ed.) (2005). Ecological structures and functions in the Scheldt Estuary: from past to future. Hydrobiologia, 540(1-3). Springer: Dordrecht. 1-278 pp., meer
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| Trefwoorden |
Consumption
Consumption
Consumption
Fishes > Osteichthyes > Clupeiformes > Clupeidae > Clupea > Marine fishes > Herrings
Herrings
Interspecific relationships > Predation
Production
Production
Production
Water bodies > Coastal waters > Coastal landforms > Coastal inlets > Estuaries
Acartia tonsa Dana, 1849-1852 [WoRMS]; Calanoida [WoRMS]; Clupea harengus Linnaeus, 1758 [WoRMS]; Clupea harengus Linnaeus, 1758 [WoRMS]; Eurytemora affinis (Poppe, 1880) [WoRMS]; Eurytemora affinis (Poppe, 1880) [WoRMS]; Sprattus sprattus (Linnaeus, 1758) [WoRMS]; Sprattus sprattus (Linnaeus, 1758) [WoRMS]
België, Zeeschelde [Marine Regions]; België, Zeeschelde, Doel [Marine Regions]
Marien/Kust; Brak water; Zoet water |
| Author keywords |
top-down control; predation; consumption; production; herring; sprat; calanoid copepods; estuary; Eurytemora affinis; Acartia tonsa |
| Abstract |
The consumption of estuarine copepods by juvenile herring and sprat during estuarine residency was estimated using fish biomass data and daily rations calculated from two models of feeding in fish: a bioenergetic model and a gastric evacuation model. The bioenergetic model predicted daily rations that were, on average, three times higher than those estimated by a model based on field records of stomach contents. The biomass of herring and sprat in the estuary was negatively correlated with the daily ration suggesting that the clupeid fish populations were resource-limited. Copepod production decreased towards the winter and peaked in spring and summer. The relative importance of predation changed seasonally in function of the migration pattern of herring and sprat. In the spring and the summer, in situ production of copepod biomass was higher than the in situ consumption by fish. During the fall and the winter, consumption exceeded production. This suggests that top–down control exerted by marine pelagic fish may be an important force structuring estuarine copepod populations. |
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