Juvenile spot (Pisces) and grass shrimp predation on meiobenthos in muddy and sandy substrata

Experiments were conducted to determine whether, when given the choice, juvenile spot ( Leiostomus xanthurus Lacépède) or the grass shrimp ( Palaemonetes pugio Holthius) would feed on meiobenthos in both muddy and sandy sediments or whether meiofauna from one sediment type would be preferred. Specia...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of experimental marine biology and ecology 1987-03, Vol.105 (2), p.123-136
Main Authors: Smith, L.David, Coull, Bruce C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Biological and medical sciences
Fish
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Leiostomus xanthurus
Marine
Meiobenthos
Mud vs. sand
Palaemonetes pugio
Predation
Sea water ecosystems
Shrimp
Synecology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Experiments were conducted to determine whether, when given the choice, juvenile spot ( Leiostomus xanthurus Lacépède) or the grass shrimp ( Palaemonetes pugio Holthius) would feed on meiobenthos in both muddy and sandy sediments or whether meiofauna from one sediment type would be preferred. Specially designed aquaria were used to collect and transport sandy and muddy sediments from the field into laboratory sea-water tables. Predators were allowed to feed on meiofauna in aquaria containing an all-mud substratum, an all-sand substratum, or a combination substratum with one side sand and the other mud. Given no sediment choice (all-mud or all-sand), juvenile spot fed upon meiofauna in both sediment types. When fish were presented with a choice (half-mud and half-sand), however, spot clearly demonstrated a preference for feeding on meiofauna in muddy substrata. Predation by juvenile spot resulted in the significant removal of seven of nine meiobenthic taxa. In contrast, grass shrimp removed only two taxa.
ISSN:0022-0981
1879-1697
DOI:10.1016/0022-0981(87)90167-5