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Diets and trophic guilds of small fishes from coastal marine habitats in western Taiwan
Author(s) -
Egan J. P.,
Chew U.S.,
Kuo C.H.,
VillarroelDiaz V.,
Hundt P. J.,
Iwinski N. G.,
Hammer M. P.,
Simons A. M.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of fish biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1095-8649
pISSN - 0022-1112
DOI - 10.1111/jfb.13355
Subject(s) - guild , trophic level , piscivore , omnivore , detritivore , biology , predation , ecology , fishery , habitat , estuary , ecomorphology , ecosystem , predator
The diets and trophic guilds of small fishes were examined along marine sandy beaches and in estuaries at depths <1·5 m in western Taiwan, Republic of China. Copepods were the most frequently identified item in fish guts, indicating they are key prey for the fish assemblages studied. Piscivore, crustacivore, detritivore, omnivore, zooplanktivore and terrestrial invertivore trophic guilds were identified. The zooplanktivore guild contained the most fish species. Maximum prey size consumption was positively correlated with standard length ( L S ) in seven species and at the assemblage level and negatively correlated with L S in a single detritivorous species. The diet data and trophic guild scheme produced by this study contribute to an understanding of coastal marine food webs and can inform ecosystem‐based fisheries management.