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The role of the generally unrecognised microprey source as food for larval fish in the Irish Sea

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Abstract

Few studies have studied the food supply to larval fish in the Irish Sea; thus, we have assessed the full prey-field available to larval fish, ranging from protozoa to copepods. Specifically we assessed if fish larvae feed on protozoa, as suggested by others, and if densities of the protozoa and the appropriate size of metazoan prey were previously underestimated. By examining the gutcontents of fish larvae, the prey available to them, and the potential accessibility of prey to fish, we develop a simple food web, presented as a box-model. By doing so, we indicate that the lack of focus on small metazoa and protozoa has underestimated the food available to fish larvae; without these, we might have concluded that prey levels were too low to support the growth of the larval fish assemblage. Our methods were as follows. Sampling was at two sites, off the Isle of Man, with distinct physical and biological structures, soon after fish spawning: the southwest coast, where many species occur in spring-summer (23 April; 6, 19 May; 1, 22 June; 12 July) and the east coast, where only herring larvae occur in September–November (12, 28 October). Microplankton (15–200 μm), mesozooplankton, and larval fish were collected at 1, 15, and 25 m: microplankton with 1.5 L bottles and a 64 μm-mesh net; mesozooplankton and larval fish with a Gulf VII high-speed sampler (280 μm mesh). The 64 μm mesh net, mounted on the Gulf VII, provided simultaneous hauls. Fixed samples were evaluated to determine species composition, abundance, and biomass. Larval fish diet was determined from fish collected by short net hauls: fixed guts were examined and prey, including protozoa, analysed. Using physical data as a guide, plankton data were integrated through the water column to determine standing stocks. Size-based food availability to larval fish was estimated from the gut contents. The role of protozoa was examined, assuming that they are digested at the same rate as metazoan and if they are digested 2.5–10 times faster; increased digestion rates indicated that they contributed substantially to the larval fish diet.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Conselho Nacional of Desenvolvimento Científico (CNPq/Brazil), which provided Figueiredo GM with a Ph.D. fellowship. We are grateful to the crew of RV “Roagan” who helped in the sampling program and to three anonymous reviewers for helpful comments.

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Author notes

  1. Richard D. M. Nash

    Present address: Institute of Marine Research, PO Box 1870, 5817, Bergen, Norway

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Port Erin Marine Laboratory, University of Liverpool, Port Erin, Isle of Man, IM9 6JA, UK

    Gisela M. de Figueiredo & Richard D. M. Nash

  2. Laboratório de Ciências Marinhas, Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina, Avenida Colombo Sales 84, Laguna, SC, 88790-000, Brazil

    Gisela M. de Figueiredo

  3. School of Biological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, Liverpool, L69 7ZB, UK

    David J. S. Montagnes

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  1. Gisela M. de Figueiredo
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Correspondence to David J. S. Montagnes.

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Communicated by J. P. Thorpe, Port Erin

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de Figueiredo, G.M., Nash, R.D.M. & Montagnes, D.J.S. The role of the generally unrecognised microprey source as food for larval fish in the Irish Sea. Marine Biology 148, 395–404 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-005-0088-0

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