TY - JOUR
T1 - The role of detritivory as a feeding tactic in a harsh environment – a case study of weatherfish (Misgurnus fossilis)
AU - Pyrzanowski, Kacper
AU - Zięba, Grzegorz
AU - Dukowska, Małgorzata
AU - Smith, Carl
AU - Przybylski, Mirosław
N1 - This study was supported by the University of Łódź, Grant No. B1711000001529.02 (grants for young scientists).
PY - 2019/6/11
Y1 - 2019/6/11
N2 - The weatherfish (Misgurnus fossilis) is a species that is
tolerant of unfavourable environmental conditions and can survive low
dissolved oxygen concentrations and high water temperatures. Although
this species occurs across almost the whole of Europe, and is protected
in many countries, relatively little is known regarding its ecology. To
determine the diet of weatherfish, 120 individuals from an artificial
drainage canal in central Poland were collected in two seasons (spring
and late summer) with contrasting abiotic condition (oxygen
concentration, water temperature and transparency). Analysis of gut
fullness showed that weatherfish consumed a greater quantity of food in
spring (0.92 ± 0.90) compared with summer (0.20 ± 0.26). Contrary to
other cobitid taxa, weatherfish fed actively during daytime in both
seasons. An estimate of the importance of each dietary component
indicated that the most important food categories were chironomids,
copepods, Asellus aquaticus and detritus. SIMPER analysis
indicated that these four categories together constituted over 65.8% of
cumulative dissimilarity in the diet between seasons. Additionally,
trophic niche breadth differed significantly between seasons. The study
demonstrated that the weatherfish is an opportunistic feeder, consuming
large quantities of detritus despite possessing a gut morphology that is
atypical of a detritivore. The quantity of detritus in the gut of
weatherfish was positively associated with fish total length and varied
seasonally, with a greater quantity of detritus in the diet in late
summer. These results demonstrate the importance of detritus as a source
of energy, particularly during periods of scarcity of alternative prey
categories.
AB - The weatherfish (Misgurnus fossilis) is a species that is
tolerant of unfavourable environmental conditions and can survive low
dissolved oxygen concentrations and high water temperatures. Although
this species occurs across almost the whole of Europe, and is protected
in many countries, relatively little is known regarding its ecology. To
determine the diet of weatherfish, 120 individuals from an artificial
drainage canal in central Poland were collected in two seasons (spring
and late summer) with contrasting abiotic condition (oxygen
concentration, water temperature and transparency). Analysis of gut
fullness showed that weatherfish consumed a greater quantity of food in
spring (0.92 ± 0.90) compared with summer (0.20 ± 0.26). Contrary to
other cobitid taxa, weatherfish fed actively during daytime in both
seasons. An estimate of the importance of each dietary component
indicated that the most important food categories were chironomids,
copepods, Asellus aquaticus and detritus. SIMPER analysis
indicated that these four categories together constituted over 65.8% of
cumulative dissimilarity in the diet between seasons. Additionally,
trophic niche breadth differed significantly between seasons. The study
demonstrated that the weatherfish is an opportunistic feeder, consuming
large quantities of detritus despite possessing a gut morphology that is
atypical of a detritivore. The quantity of detritus in the gut of
weatherfish was positively associated with fish total length and varied
seasonally, with a greater quantity of detritus in the diet in late
summer. These results demonstrate the importance of detritus as a source
of energy, particularly during periods of scarcity of alternative prey
categories.
U2 - 10.1038/s41598-019-44911-y
DO - 10.1038/s41598-019-44911-y
M3 - Article
SN - 2045-2322
VL - 9
JO - Scientific Reports
JF - Scientific Reports
M1 - 8467
ER -