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Apparent predation on ichthyoplankton by zooplankton and fishes in nearshore waters of southern California

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Abstract

Plankton collected at discrete depths in Santa Monica Bay, California, USA, during January 1982 were examined for fish eggs and larvae that had been attacked or consumed by zooplankton. The bongo net remained open for only 3 min and samples were preserved within 5 min of capture. Juvenile and adult fishes that had been captured by otter trawl and preserved within 20 min of capture were examined for ingested fish eggs and larvae. Three copepods (Corycaeus anglicus, Labidocera trispinosa, and Tortanus discaudatus), one euphausid larva (Nyctiphanes simplex), one amphipod (Monoculoides sp.), and an unidentified decapod larva were found attached to fish larvae in the preserved plankton samples (attachment to 23% of the fish larvae was observed in one sample). Overall, about 5% of the white croaker (Genyonemus lineatus) larvae and 2% of the northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax) larvae had attached zooplankton predators. Most fish larvae with attached zooplankton predators were small. We found no indication of zooplankton predation on fish eggs. Few fish eggs and larvae were found in the digestive tracts of juvenile or adult fishes, and the ingested fish larvae were relatively large. The discussion considers apparent preyspecificity of the zooplankton predators as well as potential biases that may be associated with preserved samples collected by nets.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fish Harbor Marine Laboratory Institute for Marine and Coastal Studies, University of Southern California, 820 South Seaside Avenue, 90731, Terminal Island, California, USA

    G. D. Brewer, G. S. Kleppel & M. Dempsey

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  1. G. D. Brewer
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  2. G. S. Kleppel
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  3. M. Dempsey
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Communicated by N. D. Holland, La Jolla

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Brewer, G.D., Kleppel, G.S. & Dempsey, M. Apparent predation on ichthyoplankton by zooplankton and fishes in nearshore waters of southern California. Marine Biology 80, 17–28 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00393122

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