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Diet of Juvenile and Adult Atlantic Menhaden in Estuarine and Coastal Habitats

1994; Wiley; Volume: 123; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1577/1548-8659(1994)123 2.3.co;2

1548-8659

Vincent Pernell Lewis, David S. Peters,

Aquaculture Nutrition and Growth

Transactions of the American Fisheries SocietyVolume 123, Issue 5 p. 803-810 Article Diet of Juvenile and Adult Atlantic Menhaden in Estuarine and Coastal Habitats V. Pernell Lewis, V. Pernell Lewis National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Beaufort Laboratory, Beaufort, North Carolina, 28516 USASearch for more papers by this authorDavid S. Peters, David S. Peters National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Beaufort Laboratory, Beaufort, North Carolina, 28516 USASearch for more papers by this author V. Pernell Lewis, V. Pernell Lewis National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Beaufort Laboratory, Beaufort, North Carolina, 28516 USASearch for more papers by this authorDavid S. Peters, David S. Peters National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Beaufort Laboratory, Beaufort, North Carolina, 28516 USASearch for more papers by this author First published: September 1994 https://doi.org/10.1577/1548-8659(1994)123 2.3.CO;2Citations: 9AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Abstract The Atlantic menhaden Brevoortia tyrannus is a pelagic, obligate filter-feeding fish. Although much of the primary literature indicates that amorphous matter is a major component of the stomach contents of Atlantic menhaden, the diet of these fish is typically perceived to consist primarily of phytoplankton and zooplankton. This disparity between observation and perception results from the belief that amorphous matter in the stomachs is the remnants of plankton that were ingested alive or that it is detritus of low nutritional value and only incidentally ingested. In this study, we found that the stomach contents of juvenile and adult Atlantic menhaden in estuarine creeks were 81% amorphous matter, 17% phytoplankton, and 1% zooplankton, by dry weight. Sampling in two estuarine creeks in North Carolina revealed no seasonal change in diet. Stomachs of fish collected from coastal waters contained smaller amounts of amorphous matter (47%) and higher amounts of phytoplankton (36%) and zooplankton (18%) than stomachs of fish from estuarine creeks. The higher concentration of plankton in the diet of fish in coastal locations probably reflects the lower concentration of suspended amorphous matter and higher relative abundance of plankton typical of that environment. In stomachs that contained largely amorphous matter, the concentrations of ash (70%, dry weight) and humic compounds (38%, ash-free dry weight [AFDW]) were high and the carbohydrate content was moderately low (14%, AFDW). On the basis of reported concentrations of these compounds in plankton and amorphous aggregates, we conclude that the amorphous matter we found in the stomachs of Atlantic menhaden was not recently ingested living or moribund plankton, but was probably material that was produced in the environment by the aggregation of dissolved organics from various detrital sources, including decaying vascular plants. If vascular plants contribute to the production of amorphous matter, their role in coastal and estuarine energy flow and fishery production may be underestimated. Citing Literature Volume123, Issue5September 1994Pages 803-810 RelatedInformation