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Ontogenetic feeding shift and size‐based zooplanktivory in Sardinella lemuru (Pisces, Clupeidae) during an upwelling in southeastern Sulu Sea, The Philippines
Author(s) -
Metillo Ephrime B.,
Campos Wilfredo L.,
Villanoy Cesar L.,
Hayashizaki Kenichi,
Tsunoda Takashi,
Nishida Shuhei
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
fisheries management and ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1365-2400
pISSN - 0969-997X
DOI - 10.1111/fme.12319
Subject(s) - zooplankton , trophic level , upwelling , biology , juvenile , plankton , omnivore , ontogeny , ecology , planktivore , phytoplankton , food web , clupeidae , fishery , zoology , nutrient , fish <actinopterygii> , predation , genetics
Diet overlap and the importance of plankton were investigated by comparing stomach contents and 13 C and 15 N isotopes using a Bayesian linear mixed model of early juvenile, juvenile and adult Sardinela lemuru Bleeker during a coastal upwelling event in southeastern Sulu Sea. Assimilated food of all life stages was mainly due to the preferential ingestion of large size meso‐zooplankton at inshore areas while keeping the ability to ingest smaller zooplankton sizes. Few phytoplankton cells were ingested, and only by adults. Early juveniles and adults showed more depleted δ 13 C values than juveniles, indicating ontogenetic and spatial dietary shift with juveniles ingesting large herbivorous zooplankton in deeper inshore areas least influenced by terrestrial food particles. Hence, S. lemuru is chiefly an omnivorous zooplanktivore, but combined approaches of stomach contents and C and N stable isotope analyses provided new insights of its trophic ecology useful to the management of the species in the Sulu Sea.