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Feeding rates and prey selectivity of planktonic decapod larvae in the Western English Channel

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Abstract

Meroplankton are seasonally important contributors to the zooplankton, particularly at inshore sites, yet their feeding ecology is poorly known relative to holoplankton. While several studies have measured feeding in decapod larvae, few studies have examined the feeding rates of decapod larvae on natural prey assemblages throughout the reproductive season. We conducted 8 feeding experiments with Necora puber, Liocarcinus spp. and Upogebia spp. zoea larvae collected from the L4 monitoring site off Plymouth (50°15.00′N, 4°13.02′W) during spring–summer 2009 and 2010. This period spanned moderate-to-high food availability (0.5–1.6 µg chl-a L−1), but a great range in food composition with small cells <20 µm dominating in 2010. Daily rations averaged 17, 60 and 22 % of body C for the 3 respective decapod species. Clearance rates differed according to prey type, and all 3 decapod genera showed evidence of selection of dinoflagellates. Importantly, small cells including nano- and pico-plankton were ingested, this being demonstrated independently by flow cytometric analysis of the feeding experiments and molecular analysis. PCR-based analysis of the haptophyte portion of the diet revealed ingestion of Isochrysis galbana by decapod larvae in the bottle incubations and Isochrysis galbana and Phaeocystis globosa by decapod larvae collected directly from the field. This study has shown that pico- and nano-sized plankton form an important supplement to the diverse and variable diet of decapod larvae.

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Acknowledgments

This work was in part funded by the EU INTERREG IV CHARM 3 project (www.charm-project.org) (Management number 4037/1938) and the Natural Environment Research Council National Capability funding for the Western Channel Observatory (Agreement number R8-H12-84). We are grateful to Denise Cummings and the crew of PML RV Quest for water collection, James Highfield for experimental help, Katharine Pemberton for molecular analysis, Glen Tarran for help and advice on flow cytometry, Claire Widdicombe for L4 phytoplankton data, Denise Cummings for L4 chlorophyll data and John Bruun for his expert statistical advice. We also thank three anonymous reviewers whose comments have greatly improved this manuscript.

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  1. Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Prospect Place, West Hoe, Plymouth, Devon, PL1 3DH, UK

    Elaine S. Fileman, Penelope K. Lindeque, Rachel A. Harmer & Angus Atkinson

  2. Akvaplan-niva AS, Fram Centre, 9296, Tromsö, Norway

    Claudia Halsband

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  1. Elaine S. Fileman
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  2. Penelope K. Lindeque
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Correspondence to Elaine S. Fileman.

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Communicated by X. Irigoyen.

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Fileman, E.S., Lindeque, P.K., Harmer, R.A. et al. Feeding rates and prey selectivity of planktonic decapod larvae in the Western English Channel. Mar Biol 161, 2479–2494 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-014-2520-9

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