Document Type
Article
Department/Program
Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Publication Date
1988
Journal
Marine Ecology Progress Series
Volume
48
First Page
37
Last Page
45
Abstract
Laboratory experiments determined the effects of 2 levels of habitat complexity upon pipefish Syngnathus fuscus foraging for amphipods. Habitats were composed of equal densities of either narrow (low complexity) or wide (high complexity) leafed artificial seagrass. Response to habitat - as measured by rate of encounter with amphipods, probability of attack after encounter, probability of success after attack, and overall rate of amphipod consumption - was determined for combinations of 2 fish size classes and 3 amphipod size classes. Small fish did not respond to changes in habitat complexity, while large fish did. Large fish encountered fewer amphipods in the high than in the low complexity habitat. In general encounter rate increased with amphipod size. Large fish attack probability was negatively related to amphipod size in the narrow leaf habitat, but positively related to amphipod size in the wide leaf habitat. Small fish attack probability was negatively related to amphipod size in both habitats. Success was negatively related to prey size and greater for large than for small fish, and showed no overall effect of habitat. The position that amphipods occupy in the structure of vegetation in part determines their vulnerability to predation, a criterion by which pipefish appear to select prey. In this respect pipefish behavior is flexible, allowing adjustment of foraging tactics to match habitat constraints. Results suggest that relative sizes of predator and prey are important factors in determining the effect of structural complexity upon predator-prey dynamics.
DOI
10.3354/meps048037
Recommended Citation
Ryer, CH, Pipefish foraging: effects of fish size, prey size and altered habitat complexity (1988). Marine Ecology Progress Series, 48, 37-45.
10.3354/meps048037
