Feeding ecology of juvenile marine fish in a shallow coastal lagoon of southeastern Mexico

Many species of marine fish use coastal lagoons during early stages of their life cycles due to the protection provided by their turbid waters and complex structure of the environment, such as mangroves and mudflats, and the availability of food derived from the high productivity of these sites. In...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inLatin american journal of aquatic research Vol. 43; no. 4; pp. 621 - 631
Main Authors Arceo-Carranza, Daniel, Chiappa-Carrara, Xavier
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Portuguese
Published Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso. Facultad de Recursos Naturales. Escuela de Ciencias del Mar 01.09.2015
Escuela de Ciencias del Mar, Facultad de Recursos Naturales, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso
Subjects
amplitud de dieta
contenidos estomacales
FISHERIES
MARINE & FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
OCEANOGRAPHY
peces juveniles
piscivoría
traslape trófico
traslape trófico
peces juveniles
piscivory
stomach contents
trophic overlap
contenidos estomacales
diet breadth
amplitud de dieta
piscivoría
juvenile fish
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Summary:Many species of marine fish use coastal lagoons during early stages of their life cycles due to the protection provided by their turbid waters and complex structure of the environment, such as mangroves and mudflats, and the availability of food derived from the high productivity of these sites. In this study, we analyzed the diet of six species of juvenile marine fishes that use a karstic lagoon system in the northwest portion of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Through stomach contents analysis we determined the trophic differences among Caranx latus, Oligoplites saurus, Trachinotus falcatus, Synodus foetens, Lutjanus griseus, and Strongylura notata. C. latus, O. saurus, S. foetens, and S. notate, which are ichthyophagous species (>80% by number). L. griseus feeds mainly on crustaceans (>55%) and fish (35%), while T. falcatusfeeds on mollusks (>50% bivalves, >35% gastropods). The analysis of similarities (ANOSIM) showed differences in the diet of all species. Cluster analysis, based on the Bray-Curtis similarity matrix revealed three groups; one characterized by the ichthyophagous guild (S. notata, S. foetens, C. latus, and O. saurus), other group formed by the crustacean consumers (L. griseus), and the third, composed by the mollusk feeder (T. falcatus). Species of the ichthyophagous guild showed overlap in their diets, which under conditions of low prey abundance may trigger competition, hence affecting juvenile stages of these marine species that use coastal lagoons to feed and grow.
ISSN:0718-560X
0718-560X
DOI:10.3856/vol43-issue4-fulltext-1