Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Nineteenth International Seaweed Symposium pp 483–488Cite as

Seaweeds preferred by herbivorous fishes

  • Chapter

Part of the book series: Developments in Applied Phycology ((DAPH,volume 2))

Abstract

Marine macrobenthic algae (or seaweeds), epiphytic microalgae, and other aquatic plants constitute the main food items of marine herbivorous fishes. About 5% of all fish species are herbivorous; only 30% of these are marine, most of them living in coral reefs. An analysis was performed on all the seaweeds that formed part of the natural diet of these fishes, based on information contained in FishBase (http://www.fishbase.org). The results showed that many coral-reef-associated marine herbivorous fishes, such as the families Blennidae, Kyphosidae and Siganidae, fed selectively on filamentous and turf fleshy seaweeds, which they prefer over calcareous coralline and encrusting species. In particular, Chlorophyceae of the genera Cladophora, Enteromorpha and Ulva were preferred by Scartichthys viridis (Blennidae), Girella spp. (Kyphosidae), Sarpa salpa (Sparidae), and Phaeophyceae in the genera Sargassum and Dictyota were preferred by Kyphosus spp. (Kyphosidae) and Siganus spp. (Siganidae). A web-based tool was developed to provide information on plants (algae, seagrasses, terrestrial plants and fruits) preferred as food by herbivorous fishes (http://www.incofish.org/herbitool.php). The tool is intended to assist aquaculturists, conservationists and ecosystem-based fisheries managers.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Andrew NL, Jones GP (1990) Patch formation by herbivorous fish in a temperate Australian kelp forest. Oecologia 85:57–68

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benavides AG, Cancino JM, Ojeda FP (1994) Ontogenetic change in the diet of Aplodactylus punctatus (Pisces: Aplodactylidae): an ecophysiological explanation. Mar Biol 118:1–5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cetrulo GL, Hay ME (2000) Activated chemical defenses in tropical versus temperate seaweeds. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 207:243–253

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Choat JH, Clements KD, Robbins WD (2002) The trophic status of herbivorous fishes on coral reefs. I. Diet analyses. Mar Biol 140:613–623

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Clements KD, Choat JH (1993) Influence of season, ontogeny and tide on the diet of the temperate marine herbivorous fish Odax pullus (Odacidae). Mar Biol 117:213–220

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cronin G, Hay ME (1996) Within-plant variation in seaweed palatability and chemical defenses: optimal defense theory versus the growth-differentiation balance hypothesis. Oecologia 105:361–368

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cronin G, Valerie JP, Hay ME, Fenical W (1997) Are tropical herbivores more resistant than temperate herbivores to seaweed chemical defenses? diterpenoid metabolites from Dictyota acutiloba as feeding deterrents for tropical versus temperate fishes and urchins. J Chem Ecol 23:289–302

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Crossman DJ, Choat JH, Clements KD, Hardy T, McConochie J (2001) Detritus as food for grazing fishes on coral reefs. Limnol Oceanogr 47:1596–1605

    Google Scholar 

  • Crossman DJ, Choat JH, Clements KD (2005) Nutritional ecology of nominally herbivorous fishes on coral reefs. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 296:129–142

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Duffy JE, Paul VJ (1992) Prey nutritional quality and the effectiveness of chemical defenses against tropical reef fishes. Oecologia 90:333–339

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Edwards TW, Horn MH (1982) Assimilation efficiency of a temperate-zone intertidal fish (Cebidichthys violaceus) fed diets of macroalgae. Mar Biol 67:247–253

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Erickson AA, Paul VJ, Van Alstyne KL, Kwiatkowski LM (2006) Palatability of macroalgae that use different types of chemical defenses. J Chem Ecol 32:1883–1895

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Floeter SR, Behrens MD, Ferreira CEL, Paddack MJ, Horn MH (2005) Geographical gradients of marine herbivorous fishes:patterns and processes. Mar Biol 147:1435–1447

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Froese R, Pauly D (eds) (2007) FishBase. World wide web electronic publication. http://www.fishbase.org. Cited February 2007

  • Guiry MD, Guiry GM (2007) AlgaeBase version 4.2. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org. Cited 14 March 2007

  • Hay ME (1984) Predictable spatial escapes from herbivory: how do these affect the evolution of herbivore resistance in tropical marine communities? Oecologia 64:396–407

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hay ME (1997) The ecology and evolution of seaweed-herbivore interactions on coral reefs. Coral Reefs 16:68–76

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Horn M (1989) Biology of marine herbivorous fishes. Oceanogr Mar Biol Annu Rev 27:167–272

    Google Scholar 

  • Horn MH, Messer KS (1992) Fish guts as chemical reactors: a model of the alimentary canals of marine herbivorous fishes. Mar Biol 113:527–535

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Horn MH, Murray SN, Edwards TW (1982) Dietary selectivity in the field and food preferences in the laboratory for two herbivorous fishes (Cebidichthys violaceus and Xiphister mucosus) from a temperate intertidal zone. Mar Biol 67:237–246

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Horn MH, Neighbors MA, Murray SN (1986) Herbivore response to a seasonally fluctuating food supply: growth potential of two temperate intertidal fishes based on the protein and energy assimilated from their macroalgal diets. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 103:217–234

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones GP, Andrew NL (1990) Herbivory and patch dynamics on rocky reefs in temperate Australasia: the roles of fish and sea urchins. Aust J Ecol 15:505–520

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keshavanath P, Gangadhar B, Ramesh TJ, van Dam AA, Beveridge MCM, Verdegem MCJ (2002) The effect of periphyton and supplemental feeding on the production of the indigenous carps Tor khudree and Labeo fimbriatus. Aquaculture 213:207–218

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewis SM (1985) Herbivory on coral reefs: algal susceptibility to herbivorous fishes. Oecologia 65:370–375

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Montgomery WL, Gerking SD (1980) Marine macroalgae as foods for fishes: an evaluation of potential food quality. Env Biol Fish 5:143–153

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muñoz AA, Ojeda FP (2000) Ontogenetic changes in the diet of the herbivorous Scartichthys viridis in a rocky intertidal zone in central Chile. J Fish Biol 56:986–998

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neighbors MA, Horn MH (1991) Nutritional quality of macrophytes eaten and not eaten by two temperate-zone herbivorous fishes: a multivariate comparison. Mar Biol 108:471–476

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neori A, Chopin T, Troell M, Buschmann AH, Kraemer GP, Halling C, Shpigel M, Yarish C (2004) Integrated aquaculture: rationale, evolution and state of the art emphasizing seaweed biofiltration in modern mariculture. Aquaculture 231:361–391

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ochavillo DG, Dixon PI, Aliño PM (1992) The daily food ration of parrotfishes in the fringing reefs of Bolinao, Pangasinan, Northwestern Philippines. Proceedings 7th International Coral Reef Symposium. Guam 2:927–933

    Google Scholar 

  • Ojeda FP, Muñoz AA (1999) Feeding selectivity of the herbivorous fish Scartichthys viridis: effects on macroalgal community structure in a temperate rocky intertidal coastal zone. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 184:219–229

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paul VJ, Hay ME (1986) Seaweed susceptibility to herbivory: chemical and morphological correlates. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 33:255–264

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pauly D, Sa-a P (2000). Estimating trophic levels from individual food items. In: Froese R, Pauly D (eds) FishBase 2000: concepts, design and data sources. ICLARM, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines, p 185

    Google Scholar 

  • Pillans RD, Franklin CE, Tibbetts IR (2004) Food choice in Siganus fuscescens: influence of macrophyte nutrient content and availability. J Fish Biol 64:297–309

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sa-a P, Palomares ML, Pauly D (2000) The FOOD ITEMS table. In: Froese R, Pauly D (eds) FishBase 2000: concepts, design and data sources. ICLARM, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines, pp 182–188

    Google Scholar 

  • Steinberg PD (1986) Chemical defenses and the susceptibility of tropical marine brown algae to herbivores. Oecologia 69:628–630

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson SK, Bellwood DR, Choat JH, Furnas MJ (2003) Detritus in the epilithic algal matrix and its use by coral reef fishes. Oceanogr Mar Biol Annu Rev 41:279–309

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Philippine Office / Natural Resource Management, WorldFish Center, Khush Hall, IRRI College, Los Baños, Laguna, 4031, Philippines

    G. Tolentino-Pablico, N. Bailly & C. Elloran

  2. Leibniz-Institut für Meereswissenschaften IfM-GEOMAR, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105, Kiel, Germany

    R. Froese

Authors
  1. G. Tolentino-Pablico
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. N. Bailly
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. R. Froese
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. C. Elloran
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to G. Tolentino-Pablico .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences Algal Biotechnology, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA, 6150, Australia

    Michael A. Borowitzka

  2. Acadian Seaplants Ltd., 30 Brown Avenue, Dartmouth, NS, B3B 1X8, Canada

    Alan T. Critchley

  3. Martin Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland

    Stefan Kraan

  4. Bezhin Rosco, 28 Rue de Perharidy, 29680, Roscoff, France

    Akira Peters

  5. Department of Biology, University of Bergen, 5020, Bergen, Norway

    Kjersti Sjøtun

  6. Department of Marine Bioscience, Tokyo University of Marine Science & Technology, 4 Konan, Tokyo, Minato-ku, 108-8477, Japan

    Masahiro Notoya

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2007 Springer Science + Business Media B.V.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Tolentino-Pablico, G., Bailly, N., Froese, R., Elloran, C. (2007). Seaweeds preferred by herbivorous fishes. In: Borowitzka, M.A., Critchley, A.T., Kraan, S., Peters, A., Sjøtun, K., Notoya, M. (eds) Nineteenth International Seaweed Symposium. Developments in Applied Phycology, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9619-8_58

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation