Increase in predation risk and trophic level induced by nocturnal visits of piscivorous fishes in a temperate seagrass bed.

ABSTRACT: The majority of surveys on food webs of aquatic ecosystems have been conducted during the day owning to difficulties in sampling animals at night. In this study, to examine diurnal changes in predator-prey interactions in a temperate seagrass Zostera marina bed, a quantitative day/night survey of fish, the dominant animal community, coupled with acoustic telemetry of their predators, was conducted. The number of species, abundance, and biomass of piscivorous predators and mean trophic level during the night were significantly higher than those in the day in all seasons. Analysis of the stomach contents of 182 piscivorous predators showed that no fish predation occurred during the day whereas predation occurred during the night in winter, spring, and summer. Acoustic telemetry demonstrated

SUBMITTER: Shoji J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5478620 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature