Trophic interactions of Platichthys flesus and Solea solea juveniles in the Lima estuary nursery (NW Portugal)

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event Trophic interactions of Platichthys flesus and Solea solea juveniles in the Lima estuary nursery (NW Portugal) Cláudia Mendes1, 2*, Sandra Ramos2, Michael Elliott3 and A.A. Bordalo1, 2 1 Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto (ICBAS-UP), Portugal 2 Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), Portugal 3 Institute of Estuarine and Coastal Studies, University of Hull, United Kingdom Trophic interactions play a key role in nursery habitats, and by affecting growth and condition of the juveniles, may control the quality of a given estuarine nursery. This study investigated the trophic ecology of flounder (Platichthys flesus) and common sole (Solea solea) juveniles in the Lima estuary nursery. Feeding location, main organic matter sources, and prey of the target species were assessed by carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotopes, as well as by stomach content analysis. The juveniles, macroinvertebrates, and sediment and water column samples were collected in August 2014 in the lower, middle and upper sections of the Lima estuary. The diet of 0+ flounder relied upon prey from the upper estuary (salinity >5), namely Chironomid larvae and Corophium spp. which showed the role of the upper estuary prey to the 0+ flounder diet and suggest the relative site fidelity of the young juveniles. In contrast, 1+ flounder juveniles had a diverse diet based on bivalves, polychaetes and crustaceans, and a variable stable isotope signature indicating they fed in different areas along the estuary. The 1+ sole juveniles also fed on polychaetes, crustaceans, and bivalves, but the stable isotope values suggested a dependence on the lower estuary (salinity >30) and marine food web sources. Such differential use of food may be understood as a strategic approach to reduce intra- and interspecific competition and thus ensuring the use of Lima estuary as nursery area for these two flatfish species. Acknowledgements This study was supported by FCT through SFRH/BD/86325/2012 and SFRH/BPD/26782/2006 and project Pest-C/MAR/LA0015/2013. Keywords: Platichthys flesus, Solea solea, trophic ecology, stable isotope analysis, Nursery area Conference: XV European Congress of Ichthyology, Porto, Portugal, 7 Sep - 11 Sep, 2015. Presentation Type: Oral Presentation Topic: Life Cycles, Migration and Connectivity Citation: Mendes C, Ramos S, Elliott M and Bordalo A (2015). Trophic interactions of Platichthys flesus and Solea solea juveniles in the Lima estuary nursery (NW Portugal). Front. Mar. Sci. Conference Abstract: XV European Congress of Ichthyology. doi: 10.3389/conf.FMARS.2015.03.00252 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 30 Dec 2015; Published Online: 30 Dec 2015. * Correspondence: Ms. Cláudia Mendes, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto (ICBAS-UP), Porto, 4050-313, Portugal, claudiavrmendes@gmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Cláudia Mendes Sandra Ramos Michael Elliott A.A. Bordalo Google Cláudia Mendes Sandra Ramos Michael Elliott A.A. Bordalo Google Scholar Cláudia Mendes Sandra Ramos Michael Elliott A.A. Bordalo PubMed Cláudia Mendes Sandra Ramos Michael Elliott A.A. Bordalo Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.