Food and habitat partitioning among juveniles of three fish species in the pelagial of a mesotrophic lake

Abstract

An analysis of the diet of 0+ perch, smelt and roach caught at night of the pelagial of a mesotrophic lake showed that their food was composed mainly of herbivorous and predatory cladocerans, copepods and Chaoborus larvae during summer, and of herbivorous cladocerans and copepods during October. An analysis of habitat use by juveniles revealed separation among the species: roach occurred in the upper, perch and smelt in the deeper water layers. Food and habitat were alternatively partitioned among the juveniles. In early summer the lowest food overlap between perch and smelt coincided with high habitat overlap. In October high food overlap between perch and smelt corresponded with low habitat overlap. Smelt and roach fry used common food resources throughout the season, but they were segregated in habitat.