Feeding Ecology of Sicydium bustamantei (Greeff 1884, Gobiidae) Post-Larvae: The 'Little Fish' of São Tomé Island
| Autor: | Vânia Baptista, Joana Cruz, Maria Alexandra Teodósio, Ester Dias, Sara Vieira, Maria Branco |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Microplastics animal structures Detritus Ecology Consumer 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology fungi Eastern Atlantic Isotopic analysis Biology Plankton biology.organism_classification 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Zooplankton Predation Chaetognatha Gut contents Sicydium |
| Zdroj: | Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (RCAAP) instacron:RCAAP |
| ISSN: | 2673-1924 |
| DOI: | 10.3390/oceans1040020 |
| Popis: | The rivers of São Tomé Island are colonized by Sicydium bustamantei (Greeff 1882), an amphidromous fish that spawns in those areas. After hatching, larvae drift to the ocean with the river flow. In the marine realm, the planktonic larvae develop and migrate to freshwater as post-larvae. The migrations of post-larvae support important local fisheries at the mouth of rivers in tropical volcanic islands. Amphidromous post-larvae rely on plankton as their main source of organic matter. However, the biology and ecology of S. bustamantei in the West African islands are understudied, despite its importance for local fisheries. Thus, this study aimed to start bridging this gap by studying its feeding ecology. Our objectives were to identify the main prey of S. bustamantei post-larvae, combining gut content with stable isotope analyses. The gut contents included zooplankton (Chaetognatha, Ostracoda, and unidentified crustaceans), debris from plant and/or macroalgae-derived material, and microplastics (including microfibers). The stable isotopes analysis indicated that zooplankton and macroalgae detritus were the main sources of organic matter assimilated by this species. We also demonstrated that S. bustamantei post-larvae are omnivorous and secondary consumers. These data provide pioneering information that can be used in management plans that still need to be developed. This study received Portuguese national funds from FCT—Foundation for Science and Technology—through project UIDB/04326/2020 and UIDB/04423/2020. Vânia Baptista was funded through project LuandaWaterFront—“Luanda Bay Ecological Assessment: A waterfront based approach to reduce environmental risks and increase quality of life” (333191101) supported by Aga Khan, Network for Development and the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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