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Study of a sand smelt ( Atherina boyeri Risso 1810) population reproducing in fresh water
Author(s) -
Rosecchi E.,
Crivelli A. J.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
ecology of freshwater fish
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.667
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1600-0633
pISSN - 0906-6691
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0633.1992.tb00076.x
Subject(s) - marsh , population , biology , ecology , zooplankton , fishery , benthic zone , fecundity , wetland , demography , sociology
A population of sand smelts, Atherina boyeri , lives in the Camargue wetland, southeast France. This study deals with the part of the population that migrates towards the Fumemorte drainage canal, flowing into the brackish lagoon, the Etang du Vaccarès. Between autumn and early spring, some sand smelts migrate from the canal into seasonally flooded freshwater marshes, where they breed, and then leave between March and July, just before the marshes dry out. The sand smelts remaining in the canal use the vegetation‐choked smaller branches of the canal for breeding. In summer, most of the sand smelts leave freshwater habitats for the Vaccarès. Male and female sand smelts reach a maximum age of 4 years (5 winters), have the same weight and show a peak in condition in spring. Breeding occurs from March to July. Sand smelts are multiple spawners and batch fecundity increases with the female size. The mean egg diameter is independent of the female length but decreases towards the end of the spawning season. Sand smelts feed mainly on zooplankton and secondarily on benthic invertebrates. Temporary marshes are richer in submerged macrophytes needed for spawning and have lower densities of fish than the canal. In these marshes, sand smelts feed on the large forms of zooplankton that develop because of the low fish abundance. The life‐history traits of this population of A. boyeri living in fresh water in Camargue indicate that this environment is not unfavourable for this species. This study showed that this species can undertake local migrations to colonize various habitats. The adaptability of A. boyeri favours its survival in very unstable Mediterranean environments.