Search results for "Sand smelt"
showing 3 items of 3 documents
Stable carbon and nitrogen ratios in the sand smelt from a Mediterranean coastal area: Feeding habits and effect of season and size
2002
Enriched (δ13C values (annual average - 11·2%) suggest that in the study site (Stagnone di Marsala, Italy) the sand smelt Atherina boyeri exploited benthic prey throughout the year. In particular, Mysidacea and Isopoda seemed to dominate the diet. Stomach content data from the literature was in partial agreement with the present isotopic analysis suggesting that, while Mysidacea and Isopoda are exploited by A. boyeri, Copepoda Harpacticoida and Amphipoda are the dominant food items of the sand smelt diet. Several hypotheses are proposed to explain such partially different results from the two techniques. Both season and size influenced the δ13C and δ15N values of A. boyeri. Although through…
Co-existing with the alien: evidence for environmental control on trophic interactions between a native (Atherina boyeri) and a non-indigenous fish s…
2022
Biological invasions are a widespread problem worldwide, as invasive non-indigenous species (NIS) may affect native populations through direct (e. g., predation) or indirect (e.g., competition) trophic interactions, leading to changes in the food web structure. The trophic relationships of the invasive eastern mosquitofish Gambusia holbrooki and the native big-scale sand smelt Atherina boyeri coexisting in three Mediterranean coastal ponds characterized by different trophic statuses (from oligotrophic to hypereutrophic) were assessed in spring through isotopic niche analysis and Bayesian mixing models. The two fish relied on the distinctive trophic pathways in the different ponds, with the …
Feeding ecology of the sand smelt, Atherina boyeri (Risso, 1810) (Osteichthyes, Atherinidae), in the western Mediterranean: evidence for spatial vari…
2005
The feeding ecology of the sand smelt Atherina boyeri Risso 1810 (Osteichthyes, Atherinidae) was investigated in a Mediterranean coastal basin (Stagnone di Marsala, Italy) by means of carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios. Sampling was carried out seasonally in 1999 in two locations characterised by different depth and vegetal coverage. Throughout the year the sand smelt showed enriched δ 13C and δ 15N values in both sampling locations (δ 13C about −12‰ and δ 15N about 12‰). This result suggests the overall importance of the benthic pathway in the food web leading to A. boyeri. Our isotopic picture is only in partial agreement with stomach content data from the literature. Stomach conte…