Feeding ecology of Chaeturichthys stigmatias during autumn in Haizhou Bay

Abstract

Research about feeding ecology of fish is important to understand individual behavior and population development, which is also the basic to analyze trophic structure and function of aquatic ecosystems. Chaetrichthys stigmatias is one of the key species in the Haizhou Bay fisheries ecosystem, which has critical ecological niche within the food web. In this study, we collected samples through bottom trawl surveys during the fall of 2018 in the Haizhou Bay, and analyzed the feeding ecology of C. stigmatias based on both stomach content analysis and stable isotope technology. The results showed that the primary diet groups for C. stigmatias were Ophiuroidea and Shrimp, including Ophiothrix marenzelleri, Ophiopholis mirabilis, Ophiura sarsii, Penaeidae, and Alpheus japonicus. The range of δ13C values of C. stigmatias was from -19.39‰ to -15.74‰, with an average value of (-18.07±0.87)‰, which had no significant correlation with body length. The range of δ15N values was from 8.16‰ to 12.86‰, with an average value of (10.14±1.51)‰, which was positively correlated with body length. The trophic level of C. stigmatias showed a positive relationship with body length, with an average value of (3.74±0.34) and a range value of 3.32 to 4.20 among different size groups. The contribution rates of different prey groups varied significantly. Based on the structural equation modeling, we found that the feeding intensity of C. stigmatias was primally influenced by body length, sea bottom salinity, sea bottom temperature, and water depth, with a particularly signi-ficant positive correlation with body length. The combination of stable isotope technology and stomach content analysis methods could contribute to comprehensive understanding on the feeding ecology of C. stigmatias, providing essential data and foundation for research on trophic structures and resource conservation in the Haizhou Bay ecosystem.