Seasonal changes in community composition and trophic structure of fish populations of five salt marshes along the Essex coastline, United Kingdom

Green, Benjamin C.; Smith, David J.; Earley, Sarah E.; Hepburn, Leanne J.; Underwood, Graham J. C.

doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2009.08.008

Cited by 52 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Only three of the identified larvae species (S. vulgaris, B. luteum and Syngnathus abaster) were not reported by Veiga et al (2006), suggesting that the salt marsh is mainly used during the early life cycle of these species. The larval fish assemblage composition differed from other European marshes in France (Laffaille et al 2000), Ireland (Koutsogiannopoulou and Wilson 2007), and the United Kingdom (Green et al 2009). However, the ER Pomatoschistus sp.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Diversity in the salt marsh creek agreed well with descriptions in the literature for other European marshes, where few species were found. Koutsogiannopoulou and Wilson (2007) observed 10 species over two years in Dublin Bay, Ireland, while Green et al (2009) reported 14 species over one year on the Essex coastline, United Kingdom. An exception is Laffaille et al (2000), who recorded 31 species in Mont Saint Michel Bay, France, but over a longer sampling period (three years).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These surveys exclusively aimed to capture juveniles and not larvae, as in the present study. Only Green et al (2009) attempted capture of larvae and juveniles simultaneously, but they were present in short seasonal peaks.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Environmental factors affecting larval fish community in the salt marsh area of Guadiana estuary (Algarve, Portugal)

Gonçalves¹,

Correia²,

Atanasova³

et al. 2015

Sci. Mar.

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Summary: Salt marsh areas in the Guadiana estuary are important nursery sites for many fish species of commercial and recreational value. More effective protection measures should be adopted as the area is highly affected by anthropogenic and natural threats. Studying larval fish communities in these impacted nursery areas will be relevant to the management of local ecosystems and to larval fish ecology in general. Spatial and seasonal distribution and the effect of environmental factors on the larval fish community of this ecosystem were studied for one year (April 2010 to March 2011). Larvae were sampled monthly in parallel with phytoplankton and zooplankton. Hydrological data and physical parameters were monitored. A decision tree model was used to assess the influence of environmental factors on the larval fish community. A total of 130 larvae and 1171 eggs were caught. Diplodus sargus, Sardina pilchardus, and Pomatoschistus microps were the most abundant larval fish species. The peaks of fish larvae abundance occurred in March and April. The output of the model demonstrates that the abundance of larval fish is determined by the abundance of eggs, zooplanktonic food, and water flood and flow. This study shows the importance of the Guadiana salt marsh as an area for fish nursery and highlights the need for conservation of this area.Keywords: larval fish; salt marsh; Guadiana estuary; fish eggs; food availability; flooding events; river flow.Factores ambientales que afectan a la comunidad de larvas de peces en las marismas del estuario del Guadiana (Algarve, Portugal) Resumen: Las zonas de marisma en el estuario del Guadiana constituyen zonas de cría importantes para muchas especies de peces de valor comercial y recreativo. Deberían ser adoptadas unas medidas de protección más efectivas ya que el área está altamente afectada por amenazas tanto antropogénicas como naturales. El estudio de las comunidades de larvas de pez en estas áreas de cría más impactadas será relevante para la gestión del ecosistema local y para la ecología de las larvas de pez en general. La distribución espacial y estacional, y el efecto de factores ambientales en las comunidades de larvas de pez de este ecosistema fueron estudiados durante un año (abril de 2010-marzo de 2011). El muestreo de las larvas fue realizado mensualmente en paralelo con el de fitoplancton y zooplancton. También fueron monitoreados datos hidrológicos y parámetros físicos. Un modelo de Árbol de Decisión fue utilizado para evaluar la influencia de factores ambientales en la comunidad de larvas de pez. Fueron recogidos un total de 130 larvas y 1171 huevos. Diplodus sargus, Sardina pilchardus y Pomatoschistus microps fueron las especies más abundantes. Los picos de abundancia de larvas de pez ocurrieron en marzo y abril. Los resultados del modelo demuestran que la abundancia de larvas de pez viene determinada por la abundancia de huevos, la comida zooplanctónica, los eventos de inundación y el caudal del río. Este estudio muestra la importancia de las marismas del Gua...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Environmental factors affecting larval fish community in the salt marsh area of Guadiana estuary (Algarve, Portugal)

Gonçalves¹,

Correia²,

Atanasova³

et al. 2015

Sci. Mar.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The present study was performed during winter months as it is guaranteed there is no overestimation of fish habitat colonization. Thus, fish density and diversity registered herein were relatively low, as expected for this season and region [5,6] and in other salt marsh areas of Portugal [16], North Europe [17,18] and United States [19,20].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…European salt marshes [6,18,21], and are particularly successful in temperate estuarine environments [22]. The mummichog was introduced in southwestern Iberian Peninsula in 1970's apparently due to cross-contamination of ballast water of ships coming from the USA [23].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is <em>Fundulus heteroclitus</em> Intrusion Depleting Winter Marsh Pools of Native Fish Species?

Gonçalves¹,

Cruz²,

Ben-Hamadou³

et al. 2017

Preprint

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This work updates the characterization of winter fish communities in salt marsh areas of Guadiana estuary (SE-Portugal) and discusses the potential risks of habitat dominance by a nonindigenous species (NIS). To this effect, six field campaigns were carried out during winter season targeting the collection of fish species. Individuals from seven different families (marine and estuarine) were collected although the community was dominated by two estuarine species -the native Pomatoschistus sp. (goby) and the NIS Fundulus heteroclitus (mummichog). Goby controlled the majority of salt marsh habitats, except one specific, marsh pool, where extreme environmental conditions were registered, namely high temperature and salinity. Such conditions may have boosted the intrusion of mummichog in this area. This species is well adapted to a wide range of abiotic factors enabling them to colonize habitats where no predators inhabit. Impacts of mummichog intrusion in the Guadiana salt marsh area are still unpredictable since this is the first recorded in such high density. Nevertheless, in scenarios of increased anthropogenic pressure and, consequently, habitat degradation, there is a potential risk of mummichog spread to other habitats and therefore compete for space and food resources with native species.

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Foraging microhabitat preferences of invertivorous fishes within tropical macroalgal meadows: identification of canopy specialists

2022

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Invertivorous fishes are key middle-order consumers that connect energy flows across different trophic levels. However, the potential for distinct functional roles to exist within this trophic guild has not been satisfactorily explored to date, meaning that current assessments of ecosystem resilience are likely to over-estimate the level of functional redundancy within a given invertivorous fish assembly. Our study examined the foraging behaviour and microhabitat preferences of invertivorous fish communities within the productive canopy macroalgal meadows of Ningaloo Marine Park, Western Australia. Our aim was to identify foraging specialisations that could yield distinct functional roles for species belonging to the guild. We found that invertivorous fishes at this location were chiefly represented by species belonging to the Labridae, Lethrinidae and Mullidae families. Individual species demonstrated strong preferences for foraging within specific microhabitat types, suggesting that the guild can be grouped into three categories of foraging specialists: ‘canopy forager’, ‘generalist’ and ‘abiotic forager’. Our results highlight subtle niche partitioning of foraging microhabitats within the trophic guild of invertivorous fishes associated with tropical macroalgal meadows. Moreover, this partitioning is consistent across seasons, despite significant fluctuations in canopy structure and biomass. The resulting refinement of foraging specialisations allows us to identify the functional roles of invertivorous fishes and afford greater protection to individual species that might otherwise be considered functionally redundant. Our results will help to inform knowledge of the functional impact of particular species and their ecological specialisations and improve our understanding of trophic flows in marine food webs for appropriate management and conservation.

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Seasonal changes in community composition and trophic structure of fish populations of five salt marshes along the Essex coastline, United Kingdom

Cited by 52 publications

References 37 publications

Environmental factors affecting larval fish community in the salt marsh area of Guadiana estuary (Algarve, Portugal)

Environmental factors affecting larval fish community in the salt marsh area of Guadiana estuary (Algarve, Portugal)

Is <em>Fundulus heteroclitus</em> Intrusion Depleting Winter Marsh Pools of Native Fish Species?

Foraging microhabitat preferences of invertivorous fishes within tropical macroalgal meadows: identification of canopy specialists

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