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The fish community of the Swartvlei estuary and the influence of food availability on resource utilization

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Abstract

Structural and functional characteristics of the Swartvlei estuary fish community are described. The detritivore group of fishes comprised 49% of the total catch biomass, zoobenthivores 25%, herbivores 18%, piscivores 6%, and epifauna/zooplanktivores 2%. The diets of 18 fish species, based on the analysis of 1,648 stomach contents, are presented. Selection by Swartvlei estuary fishes for zoobenthic invertebrates and aquatic macrophytes in different habitats was calculated using the linear index of selection. Results indicated a strong positive selection for epifaunal invertebrates and poor utilization of infauna and plants. Plant consumption by herbivorous fishes in the estuary centered around filamentous algae and diatoms growing onZostera capensis, rather than seagrass leaf material. The detrital base for both eelgrass- and sand-dominated areas in the Swartvlei estuary is emphasized, and most of the fish biomass was supported directly or indirectly by detritus. Large catches (mass per unit effort) in the macrophyte-free upper reaches site were attributed to the tidal input ofZostera leaves and associated algae to the area and its subsequent utilization by fishes through the detrital food chain.

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  1. Alan K. Whitfield

    Present address: J. L. B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology, Private Bag 1015, Grahamstown, South Africa

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  1. Institute for Freshwater Studies, Rhodes University, P.O. Box 94, 6140, Grahamstown, South Africa

    Alan K. Whitfield

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Whitfield, A.K. The fish community of the Swartvlei estuary and the influence of food availability on resource utilization. Estuaries 11, 160–170 (1988). https://doi.org/10.2307/1351968

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