Feeding Selectivity and Diet Shift of Protosalanx chinensis during Spring in Lake Dalong, Northeastern China

Ontogenetic niche shifts have played an important role in the life history and ecological functions of fish. The clearhead icefish ( Protosalanx chinensis , Basilewsky, 1855) is a small, pelagic, and commercially important fish that mainly feeds on zooplankton and will transition to feeding on fish...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Water
Main Authors: Haoyu Zeng, Fujiang Tang, Zhe Li, Wanqiao Lu, Yi Zheng
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023
Subjects:
Protosalanx chinensis
feeding selectivity
cladocera
copepoda
diet shift
Hydraulic engineering
TC1-978
Water supply for domestic and industrial purposes
TD201-500
Icefish
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3390/w15101847
https://doaj.org/article/7bd980b9e6124e548394b8e7b5147a0e
Description
Summary:Ontogenetic niche shifts have played an important role in the life history and ecological functions of fish. The clearhead icefish ( Protosalanx chinensis , Basilewsky, 1855) is a small, pelagic, and commercially important fish that mainly feeds on zooplankton and will transition to feeding on fish when prey fish are available, though its life span is only about one year. In fact, we know little about the food selectivity and diet shifting of P. chinensis before its transition to feeding on fish. To reveal the food selectivity of P. chinensis before its transition to feeding on fish, the gut contents and environmental zooplankton community were investigated simultaneously in Lake Dalong of Northeastern China from April to June 2021. The results showed that P. chinensis experienced a diet shift from copepoda to cladocera during spring in Lake Dalong. From April to early June, both the size of cladocera and copepoda in guts increased as the size of P. chinensis increased. However, the favorite category changed to the smaller cladocera in late June, when the density of the smaller cladocera was rather high relatively. Considering June was the critical period for P. chinensis to prepare for transitioning to feeding on fish, the food resources availability must be seriously considered for sustainable aquaculture of P. chinensis . It was hypothesized that there was a trade-off of feeding selectivity between the size and density of the prey.

Similar Items