Diet and isotopic niche of eastern sand darter (Ammocrypta pellucida) near the northern edge of its range: a test of niche specificity
| Autor: | Michael Power, Mary Finch, D. Andrew R. Drake, Jacob Burbank |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
education.field_of_study biology Ecology Range (biology) 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology Population Niche Ammocrypta Test (biology) biology.organism_classification 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Darter Pellucida Animal Science and Zoology education Trophic niche Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics |
| Zdroj: | Canadian Journal of Zoology. 97:763-772 |
| ISSN: | 1480-3283 0008-4301 |
| DOI: | 10.1139/cjz-2018-0291 |
| Popis: | Niche specificity can predispose species to population declines during periods of resource limitation, yet trophic niche specificity is poorly known for many small-bodied freshwater fishes. Applying a two-tiered approach involving stomach content and stable isotope analyses, we examined the diet and trophic niche of the threatened eastern sand darter (Ammocrypta pellucida (Putnam, 1863)) and co-occurring fishes in the Thames River, Ontario, Canada. As with previous studies, stomach content analysis revealed that eastern sand darter consumed a variety of benthic organisms including Chironomidae, Cladocera, Ostracoda, Oligochaeta, and Ephemeroptera; however, proportional contributions of prey groups differed based on stable isotope analysis, highlighting the potential for seasonal variation in prey consumption. Despite evidence of a generalist strategy, stable isotope analysis indicated eastern sand darter exhibited a relatively narrow trophic niche relative to co-occurring fishes. Trophic niche overlap was relatively minor between eastern sand darter and drift-feeding fishes (spotfin shiner (Cyprinella spiloptera (Cope, 1867)), emerald shiner (Notropis atherinoides Rafinesque, 1818), and buffalo sp. (genus Ictiobus Rafinesque, 1820)), but was more evident between eastern sand darter and benthic and benthopelagic fishes (johnny darter (Etheostoma nigrum Rafinesque, 1820) and blackside darter (Percina maculata (Girard, 1859))), indicating that competition with these species may be more likely during periods of prey scarcity. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|