Document of bibliographic reference 396787
BibliographicReference record
- Type
- Bibliographic resource
- Type of document
- Journal article
- BibLvlCode
- AS
- Title
- Small pelagic fish in the shallow Wadden Sea show opportunistic feeding with a strong benthic link
- Abstract
- Small pelagic fish (SPF) are crucial in marine food webs, transferring energy from plankton to higher trophic levels. This study focuses on herring (Clupea harengus) and sprat (Sprattus sprattus), addressing knowledge gaps in their feeding ecology in a nursery area, the Dutch Wadden Sea. We conducted a year-long, monthly survey, and used DNA metabarcoding to analyse zooplankton samples and stomach contents of two size classes of herring and sprat. Intra-, interspecific, and seasonal variations in fish condition, stomach fullness, and diet composition, along with selective feeding, were studied. Our study showed that condition and diet composition of herring and sprat, along with zooplankton density, exhibited a clear seasonal pattern. Juvenile herring and sprat displayed opportunistic feeding behaviour, rather than showing distinct prey selection. Besides copepods, we regularly observed (larvae of) benthic invertebrates in their diet. This emphasizes the crucial role of SPF as energy transfer agents, not solely between trophic levels, but also from benthic to pelagic habitats. Furthermore, fish post-larvae were part of the diet of larger herring (10–15 cm). Because of its unprecedented temporal and taxonomical detail, this study advances the understanding of seasonal dynamics of dominant components at the base of the Wadden Sea food web.
- Bibliographic citation
- Maathuis, M.A.M.; Tulp, I.; Valk, S.; van den Brink, X.; Couperus, A.S.; Keur, M.C.; Nijland, R.; Sakinan, S.; van der Vorst, V.; Poos, J.J. (2024). Small pelagic fish in the shallow Wadden Sea show opportunistic feeding with a strong benthic link. ICES J. Mar. Sci./J. Cons. int. Explor. Mer 81(8): 1521-1535. https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsae096
- Topic
- Marine
- Is peer reviewed
- true
- Access rights
- open access
- Is accessible for free
- true
Authors
- author
-
- Name
- Margot Maathuis
- author
-
- Name
- Ingrid Tulp
- author
-
- Name
- Sophie Valk
- author
-
- Name
- Xantia van den Brink
- author
-
- Name
- Abraham Couperus
- author
-
- Name
- Marinus Keur
- author
-
- Name
- Reindert Nijland
- author
-
- Name
- Serdar Sakinan
- author
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- Name
- Valerie van der Vorst
- author
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- Name
- Jan Jaap Poos
thesaurus terms
- term
- Zooplankton (term code: 9443 - defined in term set: ASFA Thesaurus List)