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1.
The physiochemical variability inherent to estuaries makes it difficult to identify those variables of importance to habitat selection by fishes. We used factor analysis to investigate habitat partitioning of fishes in Contraband Bayou, an oligohaline creek within the City of Lake Charles, in southwestern Louisiana. This bayou receives runoff and organic wastes from the City of Lake Charles and adjacent farmland (adding levels of complexity to an analysis of fish habitat preferences). Fishes were sampled from locations within the Contraband drainage in winter and summer of 1983 and 1984. At each location, 14 environmental variables were measured. Distribution of each common species in a season relative to these variables was characterized by calculating means of individuals for each environmental variable. A species' mean for a variable (the state of the variable where individuals of the species are most likely to be found) was interpreted as the species' “preference” for the variable. Factor analysis was used to identify trends in habitat partitioning among species, based on their preferences for all environmental variables. In all seasons, habitat partitioning separated typically freshwater forms from estuarine fishes, and separated forms more tolerant of organic pollution from less tolerant species. Some species entered the bayou only in summer, and in this season, additional factors were related to the preference of some of these species for areas with little cover that were normally shunned by resident species. 相似文献
2.
Seasonal and interannual patterns in the spatial distribution of bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) within a Middle Atlantic Bight estuary were examined using multipanel gillnets fished biweekly at 14 fixeds stations in
the Sandy Hook Bay-N avesink River estuary during May–November of 1998 and 1999. To characterize habitats along the estuarine
gradient, we measured several abiotic and biotic variables concurrently with gillnet sampling. Juvenile (age-0 and age-1+)
bluefish were captured regularly during both years along with large numbers of Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus), which were confirmed by diet analyses to be bluefish’s primary forage species. The date of initial appearance of age-0
bluefish and menhaden in the estuary varied between years and may have been related to interannual differences in seawater
temperatures on the continental shelf during spring. Delayed estuarine arrival of prey fishes may have contributed to variability
in bluefish diets between years. Within the estuary, bluefish spatial distribution were consistent across seasons and years:
bluefish were most common in areas associated with high concentrations of suspended materials and the presence of menhaden.
Community analyses also indicated habitat overlap between bluefish and menhaden. Spatial distribution patterns revealed the
consistent occurrence of piscivorous bluefish in shallow estuarine habitats that retained suspended materials and aggregated
prey fishes. Foraging success of bluefish and other estuarine piscivores may be closely linked with the availability of these
productive habitat, highlighting the need for future study of biological interactions and the governing physical processes. 相似文献
3.
Oysters can create reefs that provide habitat for associated species resulting in elevated resident abundances, lower mortality
rates, and increased growth and survivorship compared to other estuarine habitats. However, there is a need to quantify trophic
relationships and transfer at created oyster reefs to provide a better understanding of their potential in creating suitable
nekton habitat. Stable isotope analyses (δ13C and δ15N) were conducted to examine the organic matter sources and potential energy flow pathways at a created intertidal oyster
(Crassostrea ariakensis; hereinafter, oyster) reef and adjacent salt marsh in the Yangtze River estuary, China. The δ13C values of most reef-associated species (22 of 37) were intermediate between those of suspended particle organic matter (POM)
and benthic microalgae (BMI), indicating that both POM and BMI are the major organic matter sources at the created oyster
reef. The sessile and motile macrofauna colonizing the reef make up the main prey of transient nekton (e.g., spotted sea bass,
Asian paddle crab, and green mud crab), thus suggesting that the associated community was most important in supporting higher
trophic levels as opposed to the direct dietary subsidy of oysters. The created oyster reef consistently supported higher
trophic levels than the adjacent salt marsh habitat due to the dominance of secondary consumers. These results indicate that
through the provision of habitat for associated species, created oyster reefs provide suitable habitat and support a higher
average trophic level than adjacent salt marsh in the Yangtze River estuary. 相似文献
4.
In Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (Grand Bay NERR), Mississippi, we used quantitative drop sampling in three
common shallow estuarine habitats—low profile oyster reef (oyster), vegetated marsh edge (VME), and nonvegetated bottom (NVB)—to
address the dearth in research comparing nekton utilization of oyster relative to adjacent habitats. The three habitats were
sampled at two distinct marsh complexes within Grand Bay NERR. We collected a total of 633 individual fishes representing
41 taxa in 22 families. The most diverse fish family was Gobiidae (seven species) followed by Blennidae and Poeciliidae (three
species each). We collected a total of 2,734 invertebrates representing 24 taxa in 11 families. The most diverse invertebrate
family was Xanthidae (six species) followed by Palaemonidae (five species). We used ordination techniques to examine variation
in species relative abundance among habitats, seasons, and sampling areas, and to identify environmental gradients correlated
with species relative abundances. Our resulted indicated that oyster provided a similarly complex and important function as
the adjacent VME. We documented three basic trends related to the importance of oyster and VME habitats: 1) Oyster and VME
provide habitat for significantly more species relative to NVB, 2) Oyster and VME provide habitat for rare species, and 3)
Several species collected across multiple habitats occurred at higher abundances in oyster or VME habitat. We also found that
salinity, temperature, and depth were associated with seasonal and spatial shifts in nekton communities. Lastly, we found
that the relative location of the two marsh complexes we studied within the context of the whole estuary may also explain
some of the temporal and spatial differences in communities. We conclude that oyster habitat supported a temporally diverse
and spatially distinct nekton community and deserves further attention in research and estuarine conservation efforts. 相似文献
5.
Philip W. Stevens Marin F. D. Greenwood Charles F. Idelberger David A. Blewett 《Estuaries and Coasts》2010,33(5):1216-1224
Research strategies for investigating the freshwater-inflow requirements of estuarine fishes often integrate life-history
information and correlative analyses of inflow and fish abundance. In tidal rivers, however, some fish have affinities for
embayments, oxbows, and smaller tributaries, often referred to collectively as river “backwaters”. The objective of this study
was to determine whether freshwater and estuarine fish assemblages differed between backwaters and the mainstem of the tidal
Caloosahatchee River, a highly managed river system located in an urban setting in southwest Florida. Nonmetric multidimensional
scaling of 21.3-m seine data revealed that fish assemblages did indeed differ between the backwater and mainstem habitats
in each of three river sections. Univariate analyses identified species that differed in abundance between the habitats, which
included ecologically and economically important fishes in the region. For example, striped mullet Mugil cephalus and pinfish Lagodon rhomboides were more abundant along the river's mainstem; common snook Centropomus undecimalis and bluegill Lepomis macrochirus were more abundant in the river's backwaters. For those species that were more abundant along the mainstem of the river or
showed no difference, studies that measure changes in the distribution and abundance of these species with varying inflow
along the mainstem of the river are justified. However, for species that were more abundant in backwater areas, geomorphological
features should be considered in the design of studies that assess factors affecting fish use. 相似文献
6.
David Valença Dantas Mario Barletta Jonas de Assis Almeida Ramos André Ricardo Araújo Lima Monica Ferreira da Costa 《Estuaries and Coasts》2013,36(2):237-256
This study describes the seasonal feeding habits of different size classes of Cathorops spixii and Cathorops agassizii along an estuarine ecocline and the food overlap when different size classes occur together. These species were essentially zoobenthivorous, feeding mainly on Polychaeta Nereis sp., Copepoda Pseudodiaptomus acutus, Ostracoda Asterope sp., Gastropoda: Littorinidae, and Bivalvia Mytilus sp. and Anomalocardia brasiliana. However, during their life cycle and between different habitats and seasons, their trophic guild can change to zooplanktivore. The competition for resources was observed among C. spixii and C. agassizii, but was significantly reduced due to the seasonal diference in habitat use by different ontogenetic phases in the main channel of the estuary. The food niche separation was strongly influenced by environmental fluctuations, principally of salinity, resulting from rainfall and river inflow. High abundance of some preys, such as P. acutus (all estuary), Asterope sp. (upper and middle estuary), and Littorinidae (upper and lower estuary), could influence the significant diet overlap, principally during the rainy season, and call for more detailed studies of the benthic community structure. Moreover, dietary overlap was observed mainly between smaller sizes (intraspecific and/or interspecific) or between corresponding ontogenetic phases (interspecific), suggesting some differentiation in the diet in relation to the size class. Differences in prey type and size between the different ontogenetic phases of these ariids, principally among juveniles and adults, could be related to the size of the mouth, since adults are able to successfully capture larger preys or larger quantities of particular items. 相似文献
7.
Linda A. Deegan John T. Finn Suzanne G. Ayvazian Cheryl A. Ryder-Kieffer John Buonaccorsi 《Estuaries and Coasts》1997,20(3):601-617
We tested hypotheses about how estuarine fish assemblages respond to habitat degradation and then integrated these responses into an overall index, the Estuarine Biotic Integrity Index (EBI), which summarized observed changes. Fish assemblages (based on trawl catches) and habitat quality were measured monthly or biweekly at nine sites in two estuaries from March 1988 to June 1990. Submerged aquatic vegetation habitats were classified as low or medium quality based on year-round measurements of chemical and physical characteristics (phytoplankton blooms; macroalgae; dissolved oxygen; nutrients; dredged channels). We tested 15 metrics and selected 8 for inclusion in the EBI: total number of species, dominance, fish abundance (number or biomass), number of nursery species, number of estuarine spawning species, number of resident species, proportion of benthic-associated fishes, and proportion abnormal or diseased. Fish assemblages in low-quality sites had lower number of species, density, biomass, and dominance compared with medium-quality sites. Fish abundance peaked in July and August, and was lowest in January to March. The seasonal cycle in low-quality sites was damped compared with medium-quality sites. Abundances of fishes using estuaries as a spawning and nursery area and of benthic species were lower in low-quality sites compared to medium-quality sites. The individual metrics and the overall index correlated with habitat degradation. The EBI based on biomass did not do better than the EBI based on number, indicating that the extra effort to obtain biomass may not be warranted. We suggest the EBI is a useful indicator of estuarine ecosystem status because it reflects the relationship between anthropogenic alterations in estuarine ecosystems and the status of higher trophic levels. 相似文献
8.
Fish-habitat relationships on the shallow inner continental shelf were quantified with video sled and metered beam trawl on
Fenwick and Weaver shoals offshore of Maryland and Delaware, U.S. These areas provide megascale physical relief and habitat
complexity, but for juvenile fishes, mesoscale and microscale habitat is very important particularly as refuge from predation.
At these smaller scales, much of the relief on the inner continental shelf is contributed by bedforms or sand waves and biogenic
structures such as tubes, shell beds, or pits. A quantitative association for juvenile fishes between and within benthic habitats
was found and related primarily to bedform size and amount of biogenic structure. The incidence of fishes was about four-times
higher for large bedforms (> 30 cm wavelength and about 10 cm crest height) relative to smaller bedforms (<30 cm wavelength
and about 5 cm crest height). For biogenic structure, going from high patch-mat tube densities to lower densities or no biogenic
structure increased fish incidence by 5.4 and 3.3 times, respectively. The significant relationships of fishes with bedform
size and density of biogenic structure indicated that seemingly small differences in physical structure of a habitat can make
the difference between unacceptable and essential habitat for juvenile fishes. Proximity of complex and simple habitats was
important in the diel use of habitat and in balancing pressure of refuge from predation provided by complex habitats with
foraging for increased resources available in simpler habitats. During the day, spatially complex habitats comprised ofDiopatra andAsabellides tube mats had about twice as many fishes relative to bare sandy habitats (8.3–9.9 versus 4.0–4.1 fishes 100 m−2, respectively). At night, the pattern was reversed with more fishes present in the bare sandy habitats (12.4–13.5 versus
5.6–8.7 fishes 100 m−2). Some fish, such asAmmodytes spp., were very habitat specific and occurred only on dynamic coarser sands near the top of the shoals. Others, such asUrophycis regia, showed less habitat preference and occurred in all habitats during both day and night. Combining the effects of physical
relief and biogenics, the habitat with the highest incidence of fishes had large bedforms with some biogenic structure. More
emphasis needs to be placed on quantifying the relationship between fishes and their habitats for the fisheries management
concept of essential fish habitat to develop into an effective tool on the inner continental shelf. The juvenile life history
stages need to be emphasized because fish-habitat interactions are the strongest for these stages and may be the most ecologically
important. 相似文献
9.
Seasonal variation in aquatic food web structure at Mad Island Marsh, Matagorda Bay, Texas, was examined using dietary information
obtained from the analysis of gut contents from large samples of fish and crustacean specimens. Unique aspects of this study
include the use of large samples of consumer gut contents (n=6,452), long-term sampling (bimonthly surveys over 18 mo), and
standard methods of data collection and analysis facilitating comparisons with other aquatic food webs. Dietary data were
partitioned for analysis into warm (summer) and cold (winter) seasons. Most consumers fed low in the food web, with trophic
levels ranging from about 2 to 3.5 during both summer and winter. Vegetative detritus was more important in macroconsumer
diets than live algae and macrophytes. Low trophic levels of consumers reflected the important role of abundant detritivores
(e.g., striped mulletMugil cephalus, Gulf menhadenBrevortia patronum, and macroinvertebrates) in linking detritus to top predators via short food chains, a finding consistent with many other
estuarine food web studies. Despite changes in community composition and population size structure of certain species, most
food web properties revealed comparatively little seasonal variation. The summer food web had more nodes (86), more links
(562), a higher density of links as indicated by connectance (0.08), and a slightly higher predator: prey ratio (0.51) compared
to the winter food web (75 nodes, 394 links, connectance = 0.07, predator: prey ratio = 0.47). Proportions of top (0.06–0.07),
intermediate (0.75–0.76), and basal (0.19) species did not vary significantly between seasons, but mean trophic level was
higher during summer. Addition of feeding links based on information from the literature increased connectance to 0.13 during
both seasons; other web parameters had values similar to those obtained for our directly estimated food webs. Seasonal variation
in food web structure was influenced by changes in community composition (e.g., influxes of postlarval estuarine-dependent
marine fishes during winter), availability of resources (e.g., more submerged macrophytes and amphipods during summer), and
size structure and ontogenetic diet shifts of dominant consumer taxa. Our findings suggest that some basic properties of estuarine
food web are resilient to seasonal changes in population and community structures and food web architecture. 相似文献
10.
We evaluated nekton habitat quality at 5 shallow-water sites in 2 Rhode Island systems by comparing nekton densities and biomass,
number of species, prey availability and feeding, and abundance of winter flounderPseudopleuronectes americanus. Nekton density and biomass were compared with a 1.75-m2 drop ring at 3 sites (marsh, intertidal, and subtidal) in Coggeshall Cove in Narragansett Bay and two subtidal sites (eelgrass
and macroalgae) in Ninigret Pond, a coastal lagoon. We collected benthic core samples and examined nekton stomach contents
in Coggeshall Cove. We identified 16 species of fish, 16 species of crabs, and 3 species of shrimp in our drop ring samples.
A multivariate analysis of variance indicated differences in total nekton, invertebrates, fish, and winter flounder across
the five sites. Relative abundance of benthic invertebrate taxa did not match relative abundance of prey taxa identified in
the stomachs. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling plots showed groupings in nekton and benthic invertebrate prey assemblages
among subtidal, intertidal, and marsh sites in Coggeshall Cove. Stepwise multiple regression indicated that biomass of macroalgae
was the most important variable predicting abundance of nekton in Coggeshall Cove, followed by elevation and depth. In Rhode
Island systems that do not experience chronic hypoxia, macroalgae adds structure to unvegetated areas and provides refuge
for small nekton. All sites sampled were characterized by high abundance and diversity of nekton pointing to the importance
of shallow inshore areas for production of fishes and decapods. Measurements of habitat quality should include assessment
of the functional significance of a habitat (this can be done by comparing nekton numbers and biomass), some measure of habitat
diversity, and a consideration of how habitat quality varies in time and space. 相似文献
11.
Feeding habits, seasonal diet variation, and predator size-prey size relationships of red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) were investigated in Galveston Bay, Texas through stomach contents analysis. A total of 598 red drum ranging from 291–763 mm total length were collected and their stomach contents analyzed during fall 1997 and spring 1998. The diet of red drum showed significant seasonal patterns, and was dominated by white shrimp (Penaeus setiferus) during fall and gulf menhaden (Brevoortia patronus) during spring. Blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) was an important component of red drum diets during both seasons. Significant differences existed between prey types consumed during fall and spring as red drum diet reflected seasonal variation in prey availability. Predictive regression equations were generated to estimate original carapace width of blue crabs from several measurements taken from carapace fragments recovered in red drum stomachs. Regressions were highly significant (r2>0.97) and increased the number of blue crabs with size information nearly three fold. Predator size-prey size relationships were determined for red drum feeding on white shrimp, gulf menhaden, and blue crab. Although regression slopes were statistically significant, prey sizes increased only slightly with increasing red drum size. Comparisons of prey sizes consumed by red drum with sizes occurring in the field indicate that red drum feed in nearshore shallow water habitats, which serve as nursery areas for many juvenile fishes and crustaceans. Our findings demonstrate that red drum feed on several prey species of commercial and recreational value and may have important effects on estuarine community structure. 相似文献
12.
James P. Barry Mary M. Yoklavich Gregor M. Cailliet David A. Ambrose Brooke S. Antrim 《Estuaries and Coasts》1996,19(1):115-138
Food habits of the dominant fishes collected from 1974 to 1980 at eight locations in Elkhorn Slough, California, and the adjacent ocean were investigated. Epifaunal crustacea was the major prey group identified from stomach contents of more than 2,000 fishes, followed by epifaunal and infaunal worms, and molluscs. Overall, 18 fish species consumed 263 different prey taxa, ranging from 10 taxa to 125 taxa per fish species and including 99 crustacean, 56 polychaete, and 39 molluscan taxa. Mean prey richness was greatest at stations near the ocean and lowest at inshore stations. Detailed dietary data for all prey taxa were summarized as trophic spectra for each fish species. Trophic spectra represented functional groups of prey and were used for comparisons of dietary similarity. Cluster analyses, based on trophic spectra, resulted in four feeding guilds of fishes. Of 18 fish species, seven (Amphistichus argenteus, Leptocottus armatus, Embiotoca jacksoni, Clevelandia ios, Gillichthys mirabilis, Cymatogaster aggregata, andCitharichthys stimaeus) fed principally on epifaunal crustacea. Four species (Pleuronectes vetulus, Platichthys stellatus, Phanerodon furcatus, andMyliobatus californica) consumed mostly molluscs and infaunal worms. Two species (Psettichthys melanostictus andTriakis semifasciata) fed on mobile crustacea, and five species (Hyperprosopon anale, Engraulis mordax, Clupea pallasi, Atherinopsis californiensis, andAtherinops affinis) fed largely on zooplankton and plant material. Our results suggest that high food availability enhances the nursery function of imshore habitats, and emphasize the importance of invertebrate prey populations and the indirect linkage of plant production to the ichthyofaunal assemblarly marine immigrant species that are likely ‘estuarine dependent’. 相似文献
13.
We tested the hypothesis that strontium:calcium (Sr:Ca) in otoliths are reflective of environmental salinity experienced by
two estuarine fishes during early life. Laboratory and field experiments were performed to examine the effects of salinity
and temperature on Sr:Ca in otoliths of black drum (Pogonias cromis) and red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus). Otolith Sr:Ca of juveniles reared at four salinities (5‰, 15‰, 25‰, 35‰) differed significantly forP. cromis while no salinity effect was observed forS. ocellatus. Otolith Sr:Ca of both species were not affected by temperature (23°C and 30°C), suggesting that partitioning of Sr in otoliths
of these taxa is constant over the temperature range examined. A field verification trial was conducted forP. cromis and a positive relationship between otolith Sr:Ca and ambient salinity was observed, even though the percent variability
explained was modest. A series of Sr:Ca point measurements were taken from the core to the edge of the otoliths of wildP. cromis andS. ocellatus, and otolith Sr:Ca chronologies of both species showed conspicuous declines during the first few months of life. While Sr:Ca
chronologies of both species suggest that ingress is associated with a reduction in otolith Sr:Ca, inconsistencies in laboratory
and field experiments intimate that Sr uptake in the otolith may be insensitive to salinity and regulated by other factors
(aqueous chemistry, ontogenetic shifts in habitat, or physiology). Results from early life history transects of otolith Sr:Ca
conform to expected patterns of estuarine ingress-egress during early life and indicate that the approach may be useful for
detecting large-scale habitat transitions (marine to estuarine habitats). 相似文献
14.
Roy T. Churchwell Steve J. Kendall Arny L. Blanchard Kenneth H. Dunton Abby N. Powell 《Estuaries and Coasts》2016,39(3):798-814
Unlike lower latitude coastlines, the estuarine nearshore zones of the Alaskan Beaufort Sea are icebound and frozen up to 9 months annually. This annual freezing event represents a dramatic physical disturbance to fauna living within intertidal sediments. The main objectives of this study were to describe the benthic communities of Beaufort Sea deltas, including temporal changes and trophic structure. Understanding benthic invertebrate communities provided a baseline for concurrent research on shorebird foraging ecology at these sites. We found that despite continuous year-to-year episodes of annual freezing, these estuarine deltas are populated by a range of invertebrates that represent both marine and freshwater assemblages. Freshwater organisms like Diptera and Oligochaeta not only survive this extreme event, but a marine invasion of infaunal organisms such as Amphipoda and Polychaeta rapidly recolonizes the delta mudflats following ice ablation. These delta sediments of sand, silt, and clay are fine in structure compared to sediments of other Beaufort Sea coastal intertidal habitats. The relatively depauperate invertebrate community that ultimately develops is composed of marine and freshwater benthic invertebrates. The composition of the infauna also reflects two strategies that make life on Beaufort Sea deltas possible: a migration of marine organisms from deeper lagoons to the intertidal and freshwater biota that survive the 9-month ice-covered period in frozen sediments. Stable isotopic analyses reveal that both infaunal assemblages assimilate marine and terrestrial sources of organic carbon. These results provide some of the first quantitative information on the infaunal food resources of shallow arctic estuarine systems and the long-term persistence of these invertebrate assemblages. Our data help explain the presence of large numbers of shorebirds in these habitats during the brief summer open-water period and their trophic importance to migrating waterfowl and nearshore populations of estuarine fishes that are the basis of subsistence lifestyles by native inhabitants of the Beaufort Sea coast. 相似文献
15.
Fish community ecology in an Altered River delta: Spatial patterns in species composition, life history strategies, and biomass 总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1
Matthew L. Nobriga Frederick Feyrer Randall D. Baxter Michael Chotkowski 《Estuaries and Coasts》2005,28(5):776-785
We sampled nearshore fishes in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California, United States, during 2001 and 2003 with beach seines and gill nets. We addressed three questions. How and why did fish assemblages vary, and what local habitat features best explained the variation? Did spatial variation in assemblages reflect greater success of particular life history strategies? Did fish biomass vary among years or, across habitats? Nonmetric multidimensional scaling showed that habitat variables had more influence on fish assemblages than temporal variables. Results from both gear types indicated fish assemblages varied between Sacramento and San Joaquin River sampling sites. Results from gill net sampling were less pronounced than those from beach seine sampling. The Sacramento and San Joaquin river sites differed most notably in terms of water clarity and abundance of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), suggesting a link between these habitat characteristics and fish relative abundance. Among-site differences in the relative abundance of periodic and equilibrium strategist species suggested a gradient in the importance of abiotic versus biotic community structuring mechanisms. Fish biomass varied among years, but was generally higher in SAV-dominated habitats than the turbid, open habitats in which we found highest abundances of striped bassMorone saxatilis and special-status native fishes such as delta smeltHypomesus transpacificus, Chinook salmonOncorhyncus tschawytscha, and splittailPogonichthys macrolepidotus. The low abundance of special-status fishes in the comparatively productive SAV-dominated habitats suggests these species would benefit more from large-scale restoration actions that result in abiotic variability that mirrors natural river-estuary habitat than from actions that emphasize local (site-specific) productivity. 相似文献
16.
Steven Y. Litvin Michael P. Weinstein Marcus Sheaves Ivan Nagelkerken 《Estuaries and Coasts》2018,41(6):1539-1550
Estuaries and other coastal habitats are considered essential for the survival of early life stages of commercial, recreational, and other ecologically important species. While early designations simply referred to habitats with higher densities of juveniles as nurseries, the definition was improved by arguing that contribution per unit area to the production of individuals that recruit to adult populations is greater, on average, in nursery habitats. However, this and related approaches typically consider critical habitats as individual, homogeneous entities that are static in nature and do not specifically incorporate important dynamics that determine nursery function. The latter include environmental variability, estuarine hydrodynamics, trophic coupling, ontogenetic habitat shifts, and spatially explicit usage of habitat patches and corridors within larger seascapes. Subsequent studies have identified important factors that regulate nursery value, and researchers working independently across the globe have not only supported the advances made in defining the processes underlying nursery function but, as set forth in this narrative, have advanced it while suggesting that much work still needs to be done to improve our understanding of the links between juvenile nekton survival and the estuarine-coastal seascape. We discuss the current nursery role hypothesis and the data supporting (or refuting) it along with the implications for management of estuarine habitats for the conservation or restoration of nursery function. 相似文献
17.
Accurate measures of intertidal benthic microalgal standing stock (biomass) and productivity are needed to quantify their potential contribution to food webs. Oxygen microelectrode techniques, used in this study, provide realistic measures of intertidal benthic microalgal production. By dividing a salt-marsh estuary into habitat types, based on sediment and sunlight characteristics, we have developed a simple way of describing benthic microalgal communities. The purpose of this study was to measure and compare benthic microalgal biomass and production in five different estuarine habitats over an 18-mo period to document the relative contributions of benthic microalgal productivity in the different habitat types. Samples were collected bimonthly from April 1990 to October 1991. Over the 18-mo period, tall Spartina zone habitats had the highest (101.5 mg chlorophyll a (Chl a) m?2±6.9 SE) and shallow subtidal habitats the lowest (60.4±8.9 SE) microalgal biomass. There was a unimodal peak in biomass during the late winter-early spring period. The concentrations of photopigments (Chl a and total pheopigments) in the 0–5 mm of sediments were highly correlated (r2=0.73 and 0.88, respectively) with photopigment concentrations in the 5–10 mm depth interval. Biomass specific production (μmol O2 mg Chl a ?1 h?1) was highest in intertidal mudflat habitats (206.3±11.2 SE) and lowest in shallow subtidal habitats (104.3±11.1 SE). Regressions of maximum production (production at saturating irradiances) vs. biomass (Chl a) in the upper 2 mm of sediment by habitat type gave some of the highest correlations ever reported for benthic microalgal communities (r2 values ranged from 0.43 to 0.73). The habitat approach and oxygen microelectrode techniques provide a useful, realistic ranged from 0.43 to 0.73). The habitat approach and oxygen microelectrode techniques provide a useful, realistic method for understanding the biomass and production dynamics of estuarine benthic microalgal communities. 相似文献
18.
We used a mesocosm approach to examine howratch characteristics influenced predation and habitat selection in a tritrophic food web. Our experiments included juvenile
red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus; RD), juvenile pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides; PF), and grass shrimp (Palaemonetes sp.; GS), members of a food web common in seagrass meadows of the northern Gulf of Mexico. We added an additional level of
complexity to the experiment by including a predator that could feed at two different trophic levels. RD were top predators,
PF were both prey items for RD and predators of GS, and GS were prey for RD and PF. We used 4 different artificial seagrass
habitats that varied by size (0.049 and 0.203 m2) and shape (circular and stellate) to control for covariation between patch size and seagrass density. Predation on GS was
measured in each habitat when PF, RD, and PF+RD were present, and predation on PF was measured when RD and RD+GS were present.
Habitat selection by each of these 3 species was measured individually and in the presence of every other combination of the
3 species. Neither predation nor habitat selection were consistently influenced by patch characteristics (size, shape, or
perimeter: area ratios) or the number of trophic levels. For GS, there was a significant negative relationship between patch
size and predation rates in the GS+PF+RD treatment. Habitat selection by GS without the threat of predation suggested a preference
for smaller habitats, but when in the presences of RD or RD+PF, GS preferred larger habitats. In predation experiments, PF
predation by RD showed no significant relationships with patch characteristics or trophic structure. For our habitat selection
experiments, PF preference was for larger habitats in the PF only and GS+PF+RD treatments. There were no significant relationships
between patch size, shape, or trophic structure and RD habitat selection. 相似文献
19.
Establishing links between migration patterns and trophic dynamics is paramount to ecological studies investigating the functional role habitats provide to resident and transient species. Natural tags in fishes, such as otolith chemistry and tissue stable isotopes, can help reconstruct previous environmental and dietary histories, although these approaches are rarely combined. A novel multiproxy natural tag approach was developed to estimate immigration patterns of juvenile Atlantic croaker Micropogonias undulatus, across contrasting salinity gradients in three subtropical estuaries of the western Gulf of Mexico. Juvenile young-of-year Atlantic croaker were collected along a latitudinal gradient that included positive, neutral, and negative estuaries, based on physicochemical (temperature, salinity, dissolved element) and isotopic (δ15N and δ13C) parameters. Otolith elemental chronologies of Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca were used to classify migratory types within each estuary, while tissue-specific isotope ratios revealed time since recent (liver~weeks) and longer term (muscle~months) diet shifts. Nitrogen isotopes in both liver and muscle tissues were highly correlated, suggesting tissue equilibrium and estuarine residence of at least 3 months, with geographic δ15N gradients reflecting the magnitude of anthropogenic nutrient enrichment within each estuary. Differences in isotopic equilibrium of muscle-liver δ13C values and variation in marginal edge otolith Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca suggested recent shifts in carbon source and habitat utilization, reflecting individualized movement across seascapes and connectivity of habitat mosaics. The multiproxy approach presented here identified diverse migration patterns and linked feeding and movement on regional (inter-estuary), local (intra-estuary), and individual scales to improve our understanding of habitat function across estuarine gradients. 相似文献
20.
Fish diets play a critical role in our understanding of aquatic trophic dynamics and are an important component in developing ecosystem-based approaches to fisheries management. Although large nektonic fishes exert top-down predator effects on the food web and typically support viable commercial and recreational fisheries, little is known about the diet of this guild. We evaluated the diets (6327 stomachs) of four nektonic predatory fishes (Pomatomus saltatrix [78–395 mm], Cynoscion regalis [91–520 mm], Morone americana [156–361 mm], and Morone saxatilis [82–785 mm]) in Delaware Bay and in the adjacent ocean. To assess ontogenetic, geographic, and interspecific variation in diets, observations from individual fish stomachs were clustered into species-size class groups, and dietary overlap was estimated using multivariate analyses. A shift in diet composition, as well as diversity, occurred along the estuarine gradient and into the adjacent ocean. Some prey were shared by most predators, including some crustaceans (dominated by Callinectes sapidus, mysids, and Palaemonetes spp.), fundulids (dominated by Fundulus heteroclitus), engraulids (dominated by Anchoa mitchilli), and clupeids (dominated by Brevoortia tyrannus). However, inter- and intra-specific variation in diet was observed as well. In particular, M. americana consumed fewer engraulids and clupeids, and many more and diverse types of invertebrates, while P. saltatrix consumed more clupeids and less invertebrates. The lack of overlap in diet between the four predators evaluated, and between size groups for each predator, supports previous evidence that these groups feed in trophic guilds defined by species and by size within a species. The highly variable diets for these predators suggest high resolution spatial data are necessary in order to quantify their most important prey and their role in coastal ecosystems. 相似文献