Feeding on protists and particulates by the leptocephali of the worm eels &lt;i&gt;Myrophis&lt;/i&gt; spp. (Teleostei: Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae), and the potential energy contribution of large aloricate protozoa

Govoni, John J.

doi:10.3989/scimar.2010.74n2339

Cited by 24 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 42 publications

(50 reference statements)

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“…Based on his comprehensive review of leptocephalus feeding ecology, Miller [8] seemed fairly convinced that marine snow-like material is the major food for leptocephali. The present study detected no specific DNA common to leptocephalus larvae, and previous studies reported a wide variety of small organisms, larvacean houses, and fecal pellets as food [23], [24]. This corresponds to Miller's implication and is further corroborated by stable isotope ratio analysis on the eel leptocephali and POM [21], [28].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Efficiency of Peptide Nucleic Acid-Directed PCR Clamping and Its Application in the Investigation of Natural Diets of the Japanese Eel Leptocephali

Terahara

Chow²,

Kurogi³

et al. 2011

PLoS ONE

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Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-clamping using blocking primer and DNA-analogs, such as peptide nucleotide acid (PNA), may be used to selectively amplify target DNA for molecular diet analysis. We investigated PCR-clamping efficiency by studying PNA position and mismatch with complementary DNA by designing PNAs at five different positions on the nuclear rDNA internal transcribed spacer 1 of the Japanese eel Anguilla japonica in association with intra-specific nucleotide substitutions. All five PNAs were observed to efficiently inhibit amplification of a fully complementary DNA template. One mismatch between PNA and template DNA inhibited amplification of the template DNA, while two or more mismatches did not. DNA samples extracted from dorsal muscle and intestine of eight wild-caught leptochephalus larvae were subjected to this analysis, followed by cloning, nucleotide sequence analysis, and database homology search. Among 12 sequence types obtained from the intestine sample, six were identified as fungi. No sequence similarities were found in the database for the remaining six types, which were not related to one another. These results, in conjunction with our laboratory observations on larval feeding, suggest that eel leptocephali may not be dependent upon living plankton for their food source.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Efficiency of Peptide Nucleic Acid-Directed PCR Clamping and Its Application in the Investigation of Natural Diets of the Japanese Eel Leptocephali

Terahara

Chow²,

Kurogi³

et al. 2011

PLoS ONE

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“…In our study, unidentified gut contents were observed in 27% of leptocephalus specimens (of the five dominant species) examined from off NC. Although we did not detect any food items in the guts of the dominant species of leptocephali in the GOM, Govoni () reported protists in the guts of GOM Myrophis spp. We would not have been able to observe protists, bacteria and other microscopic organisms in the digestive tracts if those were some of the main sources of food for the dominant leptocephalus species in the GOM.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assemblage structure, vertical distributions and stable‐isotope compositions of anguilliform leptocephali in the Gulf of Mexico

Quattrini

McClain‐Counts

Artabane

et al. 2019

Journal of Fish Biology

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In August 2007, October 2008 and September–October 2010, 241 Tucker trawl and plankton net tows were conducted at the surface to depths of 1377 m at six locations in the northern and eastern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) to document leptocephalus diversity and determine how assemblage structure, larval size, abundance and isotopic signatures differ across the region and with depth. Overall, 2696 leptocephali representing 59 distinct taxa from 10 families were collected. Five families accounted for 96% of the total catch with Congridae and Ophichthidae being the most abundant. The top four most abundant species composed 59% of the total catch and included: Ariosoma balearicum, Paraconger caudilimbatus, Rhynchoconger flavus and Ophichthus gomesii. Four anguilliform species not previously documented in the GOM as adults or leptocephali were collected in this study, including Monopenchelys acuta, Quassiremus ascensionis, Saurenchelys stylura and one leptocephalus only known from its larval stage, Leptocephalus proboscideus. Leptocephalus catches were significantly greater at night than during the day. Catches at night were concentrated in the upper 200 m of the water column and significantly declined with increasing depth. Leptocephali abundances and assemblages were significantly different between sites on the upper continental slope (c. 500 m depth) and sites on the middle to lower continental slope (c. 1500–2300 m). Sites on the lower continental slope had a mixture of deep‐sea demersal, bathypelagic and coastal species, whereas upper‐slope sites contained several numerically dominant species (e.g., A. balearicum, P. caudilimbatus) that probably spawn over the continental shelf and upper slope of the GOM. Standard lengths of the four dominant species differed between sites and years, indicating heterochronic reproduction and potential larval source pools within and outside of the GOM. Stable‐isotope analyses (δ13C and δ15N) conducted on 185 specimens from six families revealed that leptocephali had a wide range of isotopic values at the family and size‐class levels. Species in the families Muraenidae, Congridae and Ophichthidae had similar δ15N values compared with the broad range of δ15N values seen in the deep‐sea families Nemichthyidae, Nettastomatidae and Synaphobranchidae. Stable‐isotope values were variably related to length, with δ15N values being positively size correlated in ophichthids and δ13C values being negatively size correlated in A. balearicum and P. caudilimbatus. Results suggest that leptocephali feed in various water depths and masses, and on different components of POM, which could lead to niche partitioning. Ecological aspects of these important members of the plankton community provide insight into larval connectivity in the GOM as well as the early life history of Anguilliformes.

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“…Several studies have examined dietary habits of larvae and elvers of M. punctatus and revealed a progressive change from a planktivorous to a zoobenthivorous diet (Mochioka & Iwamizu, 1996; Duque, 2004; Govoni, 2010). This study provides information on the diet of juveniles after their recruitment to coastal habitats of the IRL.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The recruitment from pelagic to shallow coastal waters and the metamorphosis from leptocephali to juveniles coincide with a change of feeding habits and habitats. Leptocephalus larvae are planktivores and consume harpacticoid copepods, ostracods, diatoms and protozoa such as aloricate ciliates (Duque, 2004; Govoni, 2010). In the coastal waters of Louisiana, M. punctatus elvers rely primarily on organic matter from salt marshes (Duque, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stable-isotope analyses reveal the importance of seagrass beds as feeding areas for juveniles of the speckled worm eel Myrophis punctatus (Teleostei: Ophichthidae) in Florida

Vaslet

Phillips

Feller

et al. 2011

Journal of Fish Biology

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The feeding habits and habitats of the speckled worm eel Myrophis punctatus were studied on the mangrove edge of the Indian River Lagoon (IRL, Florida) using gut-content and stable-isotope analyses of carbon (δ(13) C) and nitrogen (δ(15) N). Four taxa were identified through analyses of gut contents, and the index of relative importance suggested that amphipods, microphytobenthos and annelids are the most important food sources in the fish's diet. To assess the feeding habits of the fish after their recruitment to the IRL, these food sources were collected from mangroves and nearby seagrass beds for isotope analyses. Stable isotopes constituted a powerful tool for discriminating fish prey items from mangroves (mean ± s.d.δ(13) C = -20·5 ± 0·6‰) and those from seagrass beds (mean ± s.d.δ(13) C = -16·9 ± 0·6‰), thus providing good evidence of food source origins. The 56 M. punctatus collected [10·0 < total length (L(T) ) < 16·2 cm] had average isotopic signatures of δ(13) C = -16·7 ± 0·2‰ and δ(15) N = 8·2 ± 0·1‰. A significant depletion in (13) C was observed for larger juveniles (15·0 < L(T) < 16·2 cm), suggesting that they found a portion of their food in mangroves. Estimation of the trophic level from stable isotopes (T(Liso)) was similar among different size groups of juvenile fish (T(Liso) = 3·2-3·5); therefore, M. punctatus was considered a secondary consumer, which is consistent with its zoobenthic diet. The concentration-dependent mixing Stable Isotope Analysis in R (SIAR) model revealed the importance of food sources from seagrass beds as carbon sources for all the fish collected, with a significant increase in mangrove prey contributions, such as annelids, in the diet of larger juveniles. This study highlights the importance of seagrass beds as feeding habitats for juveniles of M. punctatus after their recruitment to coastal waters.

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Feeding on protists and particulates by the leptocephali of the worm eels <i>Myrophis</i> spp. (Teleostei: Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae), and the potential energy contribution of large aloricate protozoa

Cited by 24 publications

References 42 publications

Efficiency of Peptide Nucleic Acid-Directed PCR Clamping and Its Application in the Investigation of Natural Diets of the Japanese Eel Leptocephali

Efficiency of Peptide Nucleic Acid-Directed PCR Clamping and Its Application in the Investigation of Natural Diets of the Japanese Eel Leptocephali

Assemblage structure, vertical distributions and stable‐isotope compositions of anguilliform leptocephali in the Gulf of Mexico

Stable-isotope analyses reveal the importance of seagrass beds as feeding areas for juveniles of the speckled worm eel Myrophis punctatus (Teleostei: Ophichthidae) in Florida

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