Abstract
ABSTRACT Knowing the feeding biology of a population and its ontogenetic aspects can help in understanding the functioning of fish assemblages, essential to the conservation of the habitat biodiversity in which these species are found. Annual fishes complete their life cycle in temporary aquatic environments, existing in adult stage only for brief annual periods. Changes in the feeding habits between different size classes could indicate that a species belongs to different feeding groups in different growth phases. The aim of this work was to characterize the diet of Cynopoecilus fulgens Costa, 2002 in a temporary flooded area in the coastal plain of southern Brazil, taking into consideration possible alterations in feeding habits in different body size classes caused by ontogenetic changes, to explain the coexistence of these individuals in a short space of time. The diet analysis indicated that C. fulgens is a generalist, consuming small crustaceans and autochthonous insects. Intraspecific differences in diet were determined when compared between nine classes of standard length. Adults fed mainly on autochthonous insects, and juveniles ingested mostly crustaceans, with the population being separated into two trophic groups: invertivores and invertivores with a tendency towards zooplanktivory. It is possible to conclude that the ontogenetic changes in the diet of C. fulgens are related to morphological restrictions due to the size of the individuals, since feeding competitive relations are probably not so evident.
Highlights
Cynopoecilus fulgens Costa, 2002 (a senior synonym of C. multipapillatus according to Costa (2016) and Costa et al (2016)), is distributed in the northern coastal plain of State of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) and southern of State of Santa Catarina (SC) (Costa, 2002b)
Considering the biological characteristics of annual fishes, their vulnerability to habitat loss and the scarcity of ecological information for the majority of these species, the aim of this study was to characterize the diet of C. fulgens in a temporary flooded area in the coastal plain of State of Rio Grande do Sul, taking into consideration possible changes in feeding habits in different body size classes caused by ontogenetic changes, explaining the coexistence of these individuals in a short space of time, since it is an annual species
Cynopoecilus fulgens showed a wide spectrum of consumed food items
Summary
The same biological characteristics that allow annual fishes to live in temporary habitats, make them highly vulnerable to anthropic impacts, Iheringia, Série Zoologia, 107: e2017020 Such as drainage of wet areas for agriculture purposes and urbanization (Reis et al, 2003; Rosa & Lima, 2008; Lanés & Maltchik, 2010). Cynopoecilus fulgens Costa, 2002 (a senior synonym of C. multipapillatus according to Costa (2016) and Costa et al (2016)), is distributed in the northern coastal plain of State of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) and southern of State of Santa Catarina (SC) (Costa, 2002b) This species inhabit temporary ponds, including semipermanent wetlands, associated to rivers and lakes, where they are extremely abundant in mid-water (Costa, 2002b; Volcan et al, 2015). To our knowledge, there is only a few information on the trophic ecology of this species (Keppeler et al, 2013, 2015)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
