Feeding ecology of juvenile flatfishes of the surf zone of a sandy beach
In: Journal of Fish Biology. Fisheries Society of the British Isles: London,New York,. ISSN 0022-1112; e-ISSN 1095-8649, more |  |
| Keywords | Aquatic communities > Benthos > Zoobenthos
Availability > Food availability
Behaviour > Feeding behaviour
Diets
Feeding
Fishes > Osteichthyes > Pleuronectiformes > Bothidae > Scophthalmus > Scophthalmus rhombus
Fishes > Osteichthyes > Pleuronectiformes > Pleuronectidae > Limanda > Limanda limanda
Interspecific relationships > Predation > Prey selection
Scophthalmus maximus
Topographic features > Beach features > Surf zone
Topographic features > Landforms > Coastal landforms > Beaches
Vertebrates > Fishes > Osteichthyes > Pleuronectiformes > Bothidae > Scophthalmus
Pleuronectes platessa Linnaeus, 1758 [WoRMS]; Solea solea (Linnaeus, 1758) [WoRMS]
ANE, Belgium [Marine Regions]; Belgium [Marine Regions]
Marine/Coastal |
| Abstract | Prey items of 0- and 1-group plaice Pleuronectes platessa, sole Solea solea, brill Scophthalmus rhombus, turbot S. maximus and dab Limanda limanda of the surf zone of a Belgian sandy beach, included hyperbenthic (e.g; mysids), endobenthic (e.g. Polychaetes) and epibenthic (e.g. shrimps) species. Little dietary overlap was observed. If diet overlap did occur, it mainly involved prey species that are dominant in the surf zone of Belgian beaches, such as shrimps and mysids. These results suggest an opportunistic utilization by flatfish of the available food resources in surf zone ecosystems. Also, two strategically different feeding habits could be distinguished between the five flatfish species. Turbot and brill mainly fed on large, highly mobile prey (e.g. fish, mysids) and had a rather narrow prey spectrum, whereas plaice, dab and sole ate more benthic prey (e.g. Polychaetes) and had a broader prey spectrum. |
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