Food competition between 2+ tench (Tinca tinca L.), common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) and bigmouth buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus Val.) in pond polyculture

Abstract

Summary Natural diets of tench (Tinca tinca L.), carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) and bigmouth buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus Val.) were studied to determine food competition among them in polyculture stocks of two different densities. Tench diet consisted mainly of zooplankton (43.8%) and bottom sediments (21.2%). In contrast, carp diet consisted mainly of bottom items including plant debris and detritus (68.8%), which dominated over zooplankton (19.1%). In bigmouth buffalo, most food bulk comprised zooplankton (80.7%). Thus, the resulting food competition (i.e. similarity) was most pronounced between tench and carp (60.8%) and between tench and bigmouth buffalo (47.4%). When comparing growth performance of the three cultured species, the ratios between stocking and harvesting size were: in normal stocking density (392 kg ha−1) 1.72, 3.67 and 2.13, and in doubled stocking density (777 kg ha−1) 1.07, 2.33 and 2.16 in tench, carp and bigmouth buffalo, respectively.

The food niche overlap of five fish species in the Úpoř brook (Central Bohemia)

“…Moreover, evaluating these categories and the consumption of particular species (or families) of benthos using DCA demonstrated further divergence in food demands. The competitor groups formed by bullhead-stone loach and chub-dace reflect two competing morphologically similar species with a preference for the same microhabitat and the same niche (Adámek et al, 2003;Gatz et al, 1987;Pouilly et al, 2003;Volpe et al, 2001). The results from DCA, shown in Figure 5, clearly demonstrate the main findings of this study.…”

“…Often, basic parameters of fish assemblages such as abundance and biomass can be the result of food competition (Holmen et al, 2003) as well as the distribution of species and their preference of microhabitats (Cavalli et al, 1998;Fischer, 2000;Hestagen and Heggenes, 2002;Jansen et al, 2002). Interspecies trophic competition among morphologically similar species or species using the same microhabitats (Adámek et al, 2003;Hardwood et al, 2001;Pouilly et al, 2003;Volpe et al, 2001), or even other species (Baltz et al, 1982;Holmen et al, 2003) is generally expected and has often been demonstrated. Food competition has often been discussed in the literature (Copp et al, 1994;Dyk, 1932;Fischer, 2000;Gatz et al, 1987;Maitland, 1965;Welton et al, 1991).…”

The response of phytoplankton, zooplankton and macrozoobenthos communities to change in the water supply from surface to groundwater in aquaculture ponds

“…3(A); List of taxa and their abundances in two investigation years, see online material), being in line with the increasing fish biomass (Fig. 3(B)) conforming the consistent predator-prey link between these groups (Ada´mek et al, 2003;Rahman et al, 2010).…”

Common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) alters its feeding niche in response to changing food resources: direct observations in simulated ponds

“…Similarly, common carp might alter its food preference and behavior in response to changing food resources. Although there is some information about diet and feeding behavior of common carp (Adamek et al 2003;Rahman et al 2006Rahman et al , 2008a, their feeding niche in aquatic ecosystems under varying food resources is still not fully understood. Better information about how common carp changes its food selectivity and behavior with changing food resources is necessary to understand its ecology and to optimize feeding management.…”