Do different degrees of human activity affect the diet of Brazilian silverside Atherinella brasiliensis?

The aim of the present study was to test whether different degrees of human activity affect the diet of the Brazilian silverside Atherinella brasiliensis in two tropical estuaries. Fish were collected along the salinity gradient of two Brazilian estuaries, the heavily impacted Paraiba Estuary and th...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of fish biology 2016-08, Vol.89 (2), p.1239-1257
Main Authors: Alves, V. E. N., Patrício, J., Dolbeth, M., Pessanha, A., Palma, A. R. T., Dantas, E. W., Vendel, A. L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Atlantic Ocean
Brazil
Diet
ecological indicator
Environment
Estuaries
Feeding Behavior - physiology
Gastrointestinal Contents
generalist fish
Human Activities
Humans
omnivory
resident fish
Salinity
Seasons
Smegmamorpha - physiology
Tropical Climate
tropical estuaries
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The aim of the present study was to test whether different degrees of human activity affect the diet of the Brazilian silverside Atherinella brasiliensis in two tropical estuaries. Fish were collected along the salinity gradient of two Brazilian estuaries, the heavily impacted Paraiba Estuary and the less impacted Mamanguape Estuary, in the dry and wet seasons. The findings confirm that A. brasiliensis has generalist feeding habits and is able to change its diet under different environmental conditions. The results indicate clear spatial (i.e. along the estuarine gradient) changes in diet composition in both estuaries, but diet was also influenced by the degree of anthropogenic disturbance. During the wet season in the nutrient enriched Paraiba Estuary, when human activity was higher, the diet of A. brasiliensis was poorer and dominated by few dietary items, reflecting the potential impoverishment of prey items in this heavily disturbed system. The specimens collected in the most affected estuary also had a greater frequency of micro‐plastics and parasites in their stomachs, reflecting the greater degree of human disturbance in the estuary. The present findings suggest that the diet of A. brasiliensis could be a useful indicator of changes in the ecological quality of these and other tropical estuaries of the western Atlantic Ocean.
ISSN:0022-1112
1095-8649
DOI:10.1111/jfb.13023