Diet and trophic plasticity of an herbivorous blenny <i>Scartella cristata</i> of subtropical rocky shores

Mendes, Thiago C.; Villaça, Roberto Campos; Ferreira, Carlos E. L.

doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2009.02434.x

Cited by 21 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…The fishes we studied are known to be omnivorous. Mobley and Fleeger (1999) and Mendes et al (2009) found that S. cristata consumes algae and small invertebrates such as amphipods on rocky reefs. B. capriscus feeds on algae and softbodied and protected prey such as barnacles and oysters (Vose and Nelson 1998).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Is the Relative Importance of Phytoplankton and Attached Macroalgae and Epiphytes to Food Webs on Offshore Oil Platforms?

et al. 2013

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Offshore oil platforms function as artificial reefs, but little is known about the food webs that fuel platform‐dwelling biota. Here, we use carbon and nitrogen isotopes in tissues of biota from two offshore oil platforms to estimate the importance of phytoplankton and platform‐associated macroalgae and epiphytic microalgae to the diets of platform‐dwelling consumers. Although the consumption of macroalgae was indicated for small, mobile consumers including crabs, amphipods, and harpacticoid copepods, both a Bayesian mixing model and temporal changes in isotope composition identified phytoplankton as the most important basal resource for these consumers. Sessile suspension‐feeding barnacles and oysters consumed phytoplankton and epiphytes, and probably redirected large amounts of pelagic production to other consumers. Secondary consumers including syllid polychaetes and the blennies, Molly Miller Scartella cristata and Tessellated Blenny Hypsoblennius invemar, exhibited a distinct contribution from epiphytes although large ranges in all potential basal resources were observed. Elemental and isotope analysis of the gut contents of individuals indicated that the nektonic Gray Triggerfish Balistes capriscus was omnivorous, directly consuming reef‐derived macroalgae and epiphytes as well as animal tissue. Although we found that reef‐derived resources entered benthic and nektonic food webs surrounding platforms, phytoplankton was the dominant basal resource fueling platform‐dwelling communities at the time of our study, and no consumer studied specialized on a diet of red macroalgae. If these findings are generally representative, platform‐derived benthic algae would not be integral to food‐web function on artificial reefs, and reef function should be similar in areas both favorable to and unfavorable to in situ algal growth. Received April 20, 2012; accepted January 31, 2013

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Is the Relative Importance of Phytoplankton and Attached Macroalgae and Epiphytes to Food Webs on Offshore Oil Platforms?

et al. 2013

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“…These syntopic species prefer this type of habitat, in which vegetation and shelters were abundant. Furthermore, the abundance of these herbivorous/ detrivorous species, S. cristata in particular (Nieder 1997, Mendes et al 2009), in this wave-exposed habitat was probability also due to the positive correlation with the availability of epilithic algae and detritus (Wilson 2001). In this habitat type, Parablennius incognitus, which is a species that mainly feeds on algae and detritus (Goldschmid and Kotrschal 1981), was also relatively abundant.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

Habitat preference of combtooth blennies (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Blenniidae) in very shallow waters of the Ionian Sea, south-eastern Sicily, Italy

Tiralongo¹

2016

Acta Ichthyol. Piscat.

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Background. In the Mediterranean Sea, habitat preferences of small benthic fi shes of shallow waters have been poorly investigated. Although combtooth blennies are not of interest for fi sheries, they are often the dominant fi sh community on rocky bottoms within the fi rst meter of depth and in tidal pool environments, playing so an important role in the functioning of the coastal ecosystem. This study represents the fi rst detailed investigation concerning habitat preference and depth distribution of combtooth blennies in the Ionian Sea. Materials and methods.Occurrence and abundance of species were investigated by a non-destructive visual census method using snorkelling or SCUBA diving. We investigated 5 habitat types (bathymetric intervals between 0 and 3 m of depth) to fi nd difference in species richness and abundance in each one and between. Studies were conducted from June to October 2014 in the south-eastern coast of Sicily. Statistical method of the electivity index (EI) and principal component analysis (PCA) were utilized for the evaluation of the habitat preference of 11 species of combtooth blennies. Depth distribution for each species was box-plotted. For each habitat and depth, the Shannon-Wiener Index (H') and the Simpson Index (D) were calculated. Diversity profi les were performed in order to give a better understanding of the correlation between diversity and both habitat types and depth. Conclusion. This study highlights the importance of depth and habitat heterogeneity in biological diversity, species richness and population abundances of combtooth blennies in the Mediterranean Sea.

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“…Scartella cristata and other blennies of the Salariini tribe are herbivores, consuming principally filamentous algae and debris (Mendes, Villaça, & Ferreira, 2009;Wilson, 2000). However, Lipophrys pholis consumes mussels, gastropods, barnacles and goose barnacles (Mazé, Domínguez, & Pérez-Cardenal, 1999 The diagram approach suggested by Amundsen et al (1996) showed that most of the resources do not contribute to increasing the species niche breadth.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal and ontogenetic changes in the diet of blennyHypleurochilus fissicornis: An estuarine mariculture as a model of the reef environment

Possamai

Fávaro

2019

Marine Ecology

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The Blenniidae family is characterised by small cryptic fish. Due to the small size of these specimens, the sampling is very difficult and information about the ecological role of these fishes is vague. However, mariculture adds reef encrusting organisms that attract blennies, which makes sampling easier. Furthermore, recognising species feeding is critical to understand biological communities. In this study, we evaluated the diet of blenny Hypleurochilus fissicornis in a mariculture, to clarify its influence on the benthic fauna and its interactions with the reef environment. We evaluated the seasonal variation (four seasons chosen by the abiotic variables) and the ontogenic changes (three classes defined by L50 of the species: juvenile, transition and adult) in the diet. Hydrozoans were the main prey, but H. fissicornis fed on a variety of other benthic organisms, exhibiting opportunistic habits. The diet of H. fissicornis was complemented by Amphipods in autumn, Ostracods in winter, and bivalves in summer. Juveniles fed more on Ostracods than the other classes, while the transition class fed mainly on Hydrozoans and a variety of rare items, and adults consumed almost exclusively Hydrozoans and some Cirripedia. Therefore, we conclude that H. fissicornis is an opportunistic feeder and may influence benthic organisms. The establishment of fouling organisms on the mariculture structures allows the use of this area by the blenny, since they promote its feeding base.

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Diet and trophic plasticity of an herbivorous blenny Scartella cristata of subtropical rocky shores

Cited by 21 publications

References 62 publications

What Is the Relative Importance of Phytoplankton and Attached Macroalgae and Epiphytes to Food Webs on Offshore Oil Platforms?

What Is the Relative Importance of Phytoplankton and Attached Macroalgae and Epiphytes to Food Webs on Offshore Oil Platforms?

Habitat preference of combtooth blennies (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Blenniidae) in very shallow waters of the Ionian Sea, south-eastern Sicily, Italy

Seasonal and ontogenetic changes in the diet of blennyHypleurochilus fissicornis: An estuarine mariculture as a model of the reef environment

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