Maintaining fish diversity in Thailand: variations in foraging behavior

We examined foraging adaptations and diet among dominant fishes within two species-rich riffle habitats in Thailand headwater rivers during the early and late portions of the dry season. All species exhibited diel temporal variations in feeding activity. Some species fed principally during daylight,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental biology of fishes 2012-10, Vol.95 (2), p.227-236
Main Authors: Nithirojpakdee, Patchara, Beamish, F. William H., Noakes, David L. G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agnatha. Pisces
Animal and plant ecology
Animal populations
Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Autoecology
Biological and medical sciences
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Community ecology
Diet
Environment
Ephemeroptera
Fish
Foraging behavior
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Homaloptera smithi
Life Sciences
Nature Conservation
Ostracoda
Trichoptera
Vertebrata
Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution
Zoology
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Summary:We examined foraging adaptations and diet among dominant fishes within two species-rich riffle habitats in Thailand headwater rivers during the early and late portions of the dry season. All species exhibited diel temporal variations in feeding activity. Some species fed principally during daylight, while others fed mainly during darkness. Feeding patterns within species were generally spatially and temporally consistent. All seven fishes exploited the same benthic prey, but their foraging activities were related to spatially distinct water velocities. Diets overlapped with Ephemeroptera and Trichoptera the quantitatively most important prey. Ostracods, while not a large contributor to diet biomass, were numerically important in the diet of Homaloptera smithi . Trophic diversification through diel temporal feeding patterns and microhabitat separation by water velocity are major tactics in maintaining high diversity in riffle assemblages in Thai headwater rivers.
ISSN:0378-1909
1573-5133
DOI:10.1007/s10641-012-9985-5