Feeding behaviour of Black Sea bottom fishes: Did it change over time?

• Published in: Acta Oecologica
• Main Authors: Bănaru, Daniela, Harmelin-Vivien, Mireille
• Other Authors: Diversité, évolution et écologie fonctionnelle marine (DIMAR), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de la Méditerranée - Aix-Marseille 2
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2009
• Subjects: [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; Turbot
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01833602; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2009.08.003

2nd Joint European Stable Isotope User Meeting (JESIUM), Presquile de Giens, FRANCE, AUG 31-SEP 05, 2008 International audience This Study was designed to improve knowledge in feeding behaviour of the round goby (Apollonia melanostomus (Pallas, 1814)), the red mullet (Mullus barbatus ponticus Essipov, 1927), the whiting (Merlangius merlangus (Linnaeus, 1758)), the flounder (Platichthys flesus (Linnaeus, 1758)), the sole (Solea solea (Linnaeus, 1758)), the turbot (Psetta maeotica (Pallas, 1814)) and the starry Sturgeon (Acipenser stellatus Pallas, 1771) from the north-western Black Sea. Gut content coupled with stable isotope analysis allowed describing food web variations according to species, in two seasons and at two areas located seawards the Danube River. Present results showed that most fishes have likely changed their feeding behaviour compared to past studies from the same area. Trophic niches were reduced and dietary overlap was common, as different fish species consumed the same dominant prey types. Fishes probably adapted their feeding behaviour to the increasingly low biodiversity of the Black Sea communities. (C) 2009 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.