Food preferences of larvae of Antarctic silverfish Pleuragramma antarcticum Boulenger, 1902 from Terre Adélie coastal waters during summer 2004

peer reviewed Ichthyoplankton samples were collected from 19 to 31 January 2004 in the Dumont d’Urville Sea (East Antarctic shelf). The Nototheniidae Pleuragramma antarcticum comprised more than 90 % of the sampled larvae. Gut contents of 95 P. antarcticum larvae were examined. Most larvae fed on ph...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar Science
Main Authors: Vallet, Carole, Beans, Cristina, Koubbi, Philippe, Courcot, Lucie, Hecq, Jean-Henri, Goffart, Anne
Other Authors: MARE - Centre Interfacultaire de Recherches en Océanologie - ULiège
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Elsevier Science Bv and NIPR 2011
Subjects:
Pleuragramma antarcticum
food preferences
Terre Adélie
Southern Ocean
phytoplankton
zooplankton
Census of Antarctic Marine Life
Life sciences
Aquatic sciences & oceanology
Sciences du vivant
Sciences aquatiques & océanologie
Antarc*
Antarctic
Antarctic silverfish
Antarctica
D’Urville Sea
Polar Science
Copepods
Online Access:https://orbi.uliege.be/handle/2268/90232
https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/90232/1/Vallet%20et%20al.%202011.pdf
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polar.2010.12.005
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Summary:peer reviewed Ichthyoplankton samples were collected from 19 to 31 January 2004 in the Dumont d’Urville Sea (East Antarctic shelf). The Nototheniidae Pleuragramma antarcticum comprised more than 90 % of the sampled larvae. Gut contents of 95 P. antarcticum larvae were examined. Most larvae fed on phytoplankton, especially diatoms, whereas some other specimens had a mixed diet with phyto- and zooplankton prey. A single specimen fed exclusively on copepods. The stomach contents was dominated by three diatoms taxa, such as Thalassiothrix antarctica, Fragilariopsis spp. and Chaetoceros spp. Prey selection was apparently food density dependent, with an inverse relationship between food abundance and selection feeding. Larvae selected positively some diatoms, such as Coscinodiscus spp. and T. antarctica, presenting a low concentration in the water column compared to Fragilariopsis spp., which were strongly negatively selected. During summer, larvae were opportunistic feeders with a broad trophic niche, which allowed them to switch between different food types.

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