Annual occurrence, abundance and diversity of fish in a South Carolina intertidal creek

Cain, Robert L.; Dean, John Mark

doi:10.1007/bf00389199

Cited by 113 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 5 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Kneib (1987) and Sogard & Able (1991) also observed that marsh creeks support higher densities for only a few species and that most species remain in adjacent (subtidal) areas. The dominance of a few species, which are regarded as generalists, is actually a general feature in studies which include marsh creeks (Cain & Dean 1976, Weinstein & Brooks 1983.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nekton communities of an intertidal creek of a European estuarine brackish marsh

Cattrijsse¹,

Makwaia²,

Dankwa³

et al. 1994

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The utilization of an estuarine braclush marsh in the Westerschelde estuary (southwest Netherlands) by fish and crustaceans visiting the intertidal creeks at rising tides was investigated over an 18 mo period. Samples were collected every month over a tidal cycle. A stow net passively fished the nekton migrating in and out of the marsh habitat. Simultaneous measurements of current speed and waterheight allowed for quantification of the catches. Multivariate clustering and ordination techniques were applied to assess temporal changes in the nekton assemblage. A total of 68 fish and crustacean species were caught but only 38 were regular visitors of the marsh creek. The marsh nekton commun~ty proved to have a very stable character. Only 40% of the observed variance could be explained. The seasonal appearance of juvenile stages of fish and crustaceans was found to differentiate between spring and summer-autumn communities. The environmental variables measured (i.e. temperature, salinity, oxygen concentration and detritus standing stock) did not correlate well with the observed changes in community structure. The mysid shrimp Neomysis integer dominated the community, both in density and biomass, during most of the year. Early postlarval flounder Pleuronectes flesus characterized the spring nekton assemblage. Early postlarval brown shnmp Crangon crangon was abundant from spring through autumn. In late summer juveniles of seabass Dicentrarchus labrax, common goby Pomatoschstus microps and shore crab Carcinus rnaenas were typical members of the marsh creek nekton. The hyperbenthic fauna of the marsh was comparable to the hyperbenthos found in the adjacent subtidal parts of the Westerschelde estuary while the epifauna of both areas dlffered substantially. It is argued that the marsh under study is a nursery ground for only a small number of estuarine inhabitants: C. crangon, P. flesus, C, rnaenas, P. microps, D. labrax and possibly 2 mullet species. Adult flounder, adult and juvenile common goby, juvenile seabass and the early postlarval brown shrimp all use the creeks as feeding ground, mainly preying upon the creek infauna and mysids. Given the high abundance of hyperbenthic mysid shrimp in the marsh and their presumed role in detritus-based food chains, we believe marsh studies should not refrain from considering t h s component of the nekton. This is the first study reporting on the nekton use of a European marsh. The need for similar research in other European marshes is stressed.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nekton communities of an intertidal creek of a European estuarine brackish marsh

Cattrijsse¹,

Makwaia²,

Dankwa³

et al. 1994

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As in many European and north American salt marshes, colonization varies according to seasons (Cain & Dean, 1976;Weinstein, 1979;Cattrijsse et al, 1994) and to life-history stage (Bozeman & Dean, 1980;Talbot & Able, 1984;Kneib, 1987). In Mont Saint-Michel Bay, the structure showed three seasonal phases, namely spring, summer clustered with autumn, and winter.…”

Section: Temporal Variationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Composition of Fish Communities in a European Macrotidal Salt Marsh (the Mont Saint-Michel Bay, France)

Laffaille¹,

Feunteun²,

Lefeuvre³

2000

Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

At least 100 fish species are known to be present in the intertidal areas (estuaries, mudflats and salt marshes) of Mont Saint-Michel Bay. These and other comparable shallow marine coastal waters, such as estuaries and lagoons, play a nursery role for many fish species. However, in Europe little attention has been paid to the value of tidal salt marshes for fishes. Between March 1996 and April 1999, 120 tides were sampled in a tidal creek. A total of 31 species were caught. This community was largely dominated by mullets (Liza ramada represent 87% of the total biomass) and sand gobies (Pomatoschistus minutus and P. lozanoi represent 82% of the total numbers). These species and also Gasterosteus aculeatus, Syngnathus rostellatus, Dicentrarchus labrax, Mugil spp., Liza aurata and Sprattus sprattus were the most frequent species (>50% of monthly frequency of occurrence). In Europe, salt marshes and their creeks are flooded only during high spring tides. So, fishes only invade this environment during short immersion periods, and no species can be considered as marsh resident. But, the salt marsh was colonized by fish every time the tide reached the creek, and during the short time of flood, dominant fishes fed actively and exploited the high productivity. Nevertheless, this study shows that there is little interannual variation in the fish community and there are three ' seasons ' in the fish fauna of the marsh. Marine straggler and marine estuarine dependent species colonize marshes between spring (recruitment period in the bay) and autumn before returning into deeper adjacent waters. Estuarine fishes are present all year round with maximum abundances in the end of summer. The presence of fishes confirms that this kind of wetland plays an important trophic and nursery role for these species. Differences in densities and stages distribution of these species into Mont Saint-Michel systems (tidal mudflats, estuaries and tidal salt marshes) can reduce the trophic competition. Academic Press

show abstract

“…Horizontal migrations of some decapod zoeae from estuaries along the east coast of the United States to coastal waters may also reduce fish predation, because fishes are most abundant in these estuaries during the summer when decapods hatch (McErlean etal. 1972;Cain and Dean 1976;Subrahmanyam and Drake 1975;Weinstein 1979;Crabtree and Dean 1982). The silverside, Menidia menidia, the anchovy, Anchoa mitchelli, and the killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus, are the predominant fishes in the upper estuary where many decapods reside (Richards and Castagna 1970;Derickson and Price 1973;Targett and McCleave 1974;Cain and Dean 1976).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1972;Cain and Dean 1976;Subrahmanyam and Drake 1975;Weinstein 1979;Crabtree and Dean 1982). The silverside, Menidia menidia, the anchovy, Anchoa mitchelli, and the killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus, are the predominant fishes in the upper estuary where many decapods reside (Richards and Castagna 1970;Derickson and Price 1973;Targett and McCleave 1974;Cain and Dean 1976). Silversides and anchovies eat plankton as adults (Bengston 1984;Smith et al 1984), and all fish larvae are planktivorous (Hunter 1980;Turner 1984).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Silversides and anchovies eat plankton as adults (Bengston 1984;Smith et al 1984), and all fish larvae are planktivorous (Hunter 1980;Turner 1984). Larval and juvenile fishes are particularly abundant in low salinity marshes (Cain and Dean 1976;Weinstein 1979), and the great abundance of young fishes can have a considerable impact on estuarine zooplankton communities (Thayer et al 1974;Bengston 1984). Thus, predation on larval populations of invertebrates may be great in the upper estuary.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Morphological and behavioral antipredatory adaptations of decapod zoeae

Morgan

1987

Oecologia

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Summary. Zoeae of some species of estuarine decapods are retained in the estuary throughout development while others are exported into nearshore coastal waters. The horizontal migrations of decapod zoeae to coastal waters may have evolved to reduce the probability of encountering planktivorous fishes which are most abundant in the estuary. If so, then the morphological vulnerability of zoeae to fish predation should be inversely related to the number of predators occurring where they develop. Six species of estuarine decapod zoeae were offered to Menidia menidia and Fundulus heteroclitus. The behavioral interactions were observed to determine the prey's vulnerability to predation, and the mode of operation and relative effectiveness of their defenses. Feeding trials and behavioral observations both demonstrated that M. menidia 6-16 mm long preferred Uca minax and Callinectes sapidus zoeae, which are exported from the estuary, to Rhithropanopeus harrisii, Sesarma reticulatum and Palaemonetes pugio, which are retained within estuaries. Pinnotheres ostreum zoeae develop in the lower estuary and fish demonstrated an intermediate preference for the zoeae. Menidia menidia 20-40 mm long showed similar preferences for R. harrisii, S. reticulatum, P. ostreum and U. minax as did small silversides. Large-mouthed demersal fish, Fundulus heteroclitus 6-10 mm long, also preferred U. minax to R. harrisii, but more readily preyed on zoeae than did M. menidia. The exported species of zoeae have shorter spines and smaller bodies than do retained zoeae, except P. ostreum which is small, spineless and passively sinks when attacked by fish. Other retained species of zoeae also have postcontact behavioral defenses which enhance the effectiveness of their morphological defenses. Zoeae do not evade attacks by fishes, but fishes quickly learned to avoid zoeae, which increases the effectiveness of the zoeae's antipredatory adaptations.

show abstract

Annual occurrence, abundance and diversity of fish in a South Carolina intertidal creek

Cited by 113 publications

References 5 publications

Nekton communities of an intertidal creek of a European estuarine brackish marsh

Nekton communities of an intertidal creek of a European estuarine brackish marsh

Composition of Fish Communities in a European Macrotidal Salt Marsh (the Mont Saint-Michel Bay, France)

Morphological and behavioral antipredatory adaptations of decapod zoeae

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About