Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Egg Deposition by Atlantic Silverside, Menidia menidia: Substrate Utilization and Comparison of Natural and Altered Shoreline Type

  • Published:
Estuaries and Coasts Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Egg deposition by the intertidal spawning fish Atlantic silverside (Menidia menidia) was compared among six shoreline types (Spartina alterniflora, Phragmites australis, sandy beach, riprap, riprap-sill, and bulkhead) and various substrates. In spring 2010, M. menidia egg density was measured daily near Roosevelt Inlet, Delaware Bay, USA. Over 3,000,000 eggs were collected during 50 sampling days. Eggs were deposited at all six shoreline types, with >93 % of eggs collected from S. alterniflora shorelines. Choice of substrate for egg attachment was similar across shoreline types with >91 % of eggs collected from filaments of the green alga Enteromorpha spp., a disproportionately high utilization rate in comparison with Enteromorpha spp.'s relative coverage. This study demonstrates that S. alterniflora shoreline, in association with Enteromorpha spp., is the preferred spawning habitat for M. menidia and that hardened shorelines and shorelines inhabited by P. australis support substantially reduced egg densities.

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

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Able, K.W., and M. Castagna. 1975. Aspects of an undescribed reproductive behavior in Fundulus heteroclitus (Pisces: Cyprinodontidae) from Virginia. Chesapeake Science 16: 282–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Able, K.W., and M.P. Fahay. 1998. The first year in the life of estuarine fishes in the Middle Atlantic Bight. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Able, K.W., and M.P. Fahay. 2010. Ecology of estuarine fishes: temperate water of the western North Atlantic. Baltimore, MD: The John Hopkins University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Able, K.W., and S.M. Hagan. 2003. Impact of common reed, Phragmites australis, on essential fish habitat: influence on reproduction, embryological development, and larval abundance of mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus). Estuaries 26: 40–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Able, K.W., J.P. Manderson, and A.L. Studholme. 1998. The distribution of shallow water juvenile fishes in an urban estuary: the effects of manmade structures in the lower Hudson River. Estuaries 21: 731–744.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Able, K.W., S.M. Hagan, and S.A. Brown. 2003. Mechanisms of marsh habitat alteration due to Phragmites: response of young-of-the-year mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus) to treatment for Phragmites removal. Estuaries 26: 484–494.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bayliff, W.H. 1950. The life history of the silverside, Menidia menidia (Linnaeus). Chesapeake Biological Laboratory 90: 1–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bigelow, H.B., and W.C. Schroeder. 1953. Fishes of the Gulf of Maine. United States Fish and Wildlife Service Fisheries Bulletin 53: 577.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bilkovic, D.M., and M.M. Roggero. 2008. Effects of coastal development on near shore estuarine nekton communities. Marine Ecology Progress Series 358: 27–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, G., and J.H. Skillings. 1985. Nonparametric stepwise multiple comparison procedures. Journal of the American Statistical Association 80: 998–1003.

    Google Scholar 

  • Conover, D.O., and B.E. Kynard. 1984. Field and laboratory observations of spawning periodicity and behavior of a northern population of the Atlantic silverside, Menidia menidia (Pisces:Atherinidae). Environmental Biology of Fishes 11: 161–171.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Sylva, D.P., F.A. Kalber Jr., and C.N. Shuster Jr. 1962. Fishes and ecological conditions in the shore zone of the Delaware River Estuary, with notes on other species collected in deeper water. Newark, DE: University of Delaware Marine Laboratories Information Series, University of Delaware.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeMartini, E.E. 1999. Intertidal spawning. In Intertidal Fishes: Life in Two Worlds, ed. M.H. Horn, K.L.M. Martin, and M.A. Chotkowski, 143–164. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Denny, M., and D. Wethy. 2001. Physical processes that generate patterns in marine communities. In Marine community ecology, ed. M.D. Bertness, S.D. Gaines, and M.E. Hay, 3–27. Sunderland, UK: Sinauer Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hardy Jr., J.D. 1978. Development of fishes of the Mid-Atlantic Bight: an atlas of egg, larval and juvenile stages, Volume VI, Stromateidae through Ogcolcephalidae. Washington D.C.: Fish and Wildlife Service, US Department of the Interior.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hildebrand, S.F. 1922. Notes on habits and development of eggs and larvae of the silversides Menidia menidia and Menidia beryllina. Bulletin of the Bureau of Fisheries 38: 113–120.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hutchinson, V.H. 1961. Critical thermal maxima in salamanders. Physiological Zoology 2: 92–125.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jonsson, P.R., L. Granhag, P.S. Moschella, P. Åberg, S.J. Hawkins, and R.C. Thomson. 2006. Interactions between wave action and grazing control the distribution of intertidal macroalgae. Ecology 87: 1169–1178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • King, R.S., W.V. Deluca, D.F. Whigham, and P.P. Marra. 2007. Threshold effects of coastal urbanization on Phragmites australis (common reed) abundance and foliar nitrogen in Chesapeake Bay. Estuaries and Coasts 30: 469–481.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kuntz, A., and L. Radcliffe. 1917. Notes on the embryology and larval development of teleostean fish. Bulletin of the Bureau of Fisheries 35: 89–134.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin, F.D. and G.E. Drewry. 1978. Development of fishes of the mid-Atlantic Bight. Volume VI. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Biology Service Program FWS/OBS-78/12. 416 pp.

  • Merriman, D. 1941. Studies on striped bass of the Atlantic coast. United States Fisheries and Wildlife Service Bulletin 50: 1–77.

    Google Scholar 

  • Middaugh, D.P. 1981. Reproductive ecology and spawning periodicity of the Atlantic silverside. Environmental Biology of Fishes 6: 269–276.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Middaugh, D.P., and T. Takita. 1983. Tidal and diurnal spawning cues in the Atlantic silverside, Menidia menidia. Environmental Biology of Fishes 8: 97–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Middaugh, D.P., G.I. Scott, and J.M. Dean. 1981. Reproductive behavior of the Atlantic silverside, Menidia menidia (Pisces, Atherinidae). Environmental Biology of Fishes 6: 269–276.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Middaugh, D.P., H.W. Kohl, and L.E. Burnett. 1983. Concurrent measurement of the intertidal environmental variables and embryo survival for the California grunion, Leuresthes tenuis, and Atlantic silverside, Menidia menidia (Pisces: Atherinidae). California Fish and Game 69: 89–96.

    Google Scholar 

  • Middaugh, D.P., R.G. Domey, and G.I. Scott. 1984. Reproductive rhythmicity of the Atlantic silverside. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 113: 472–478.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Minchinton, T.E., J.C. Simpson, and M.D. Bertness. 2006. Mechanisms of exclusion of native coastal marsh plants by an invasive grass. Journal of Ecology 94: 342–354.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore, C.J. 1980. Spawning of the Menidia menidia (Pisces: Atherinidae). Copeia 1980: 886–887.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nichols, J.T. 1908. A note on the silverside. American Naturalist 42: 731.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pister, B. 2009. Urban marine ecology in southern California: the ability of riprap structures to serve as rocky intertidal habitat. Marine Biology 156: 861–873.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richards, C.E., and M. Castagna. 1970. Marine fishes of Virginia's eastern shore (inlet and marsh, seaside waters). Chesapeake Science 11: 235–248.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schaefer, R.H. 1970. Feeding habits of striped bass from the surf waters of Long Island. New York Fish and Game Journal 17: 1–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schneider, C.W., and R.B. Searles. 1991. Seaweeds of the Southeast United States. Cape Hatteras to Cape Canaveral, 553. Durham & London: Duke University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seitz, R.D., R.N. Lipcius, N.H. Olmstead, M.S. Seebo, and D.M. Lambert. 2006. Influence of shallow-water habitats and shoreline development on abundance, biomass, and diversity of benthic prey and predators in Chesapeake Bay. Marine Ecology Progress Series 326: 11–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Southward, A.J., and J.H. Orton. 1954. The effects of wave-action on the distribution and numbers of the commoner plants and animals living on the Plymouth breakwater. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 33: 1–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tewksbury, H.T., and D.O. Conover. 1987. Adaptive significance of intertidal deposition in the Atlantic silverside, Menidia menidia. Copeia 1987: 76–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Toft, J.D., J.R. Cordell, C.A. Simenstad, and L.A. Stamatiou. 2007. Fish distribution, abundance, and behavior along city shoreline types in Puget Sound. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 27: 465–480.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • USGS. 2011. National Assessment of Shoreline Change: Historical Shoreline Change along the New England and Mid-Atlantic Coasts. Open File Report 2010-1118.

  • Wang, J.C.S. 1974. Atherinidae—silversides. Pages 143-151 In: A.J. Lippson and R.L. Moran, eds. Manual for identification of early developmental stages of fishes of the Potomoc River estuary. Maryland Department of Natural Resources Power Plant Siting Program, PPSP-MP-13. 282 pp.

  • Weinstein, M.P., and J.H. Balletto. 1999. Does common reed, Phragmites australis, affect essential fish habitat? Estuaries 22: 793–802.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank Adriana Aruajo and Benjamin Ciotti for field assistance. Special thanks are extended to Dr. Patrick Gaffney for help with statistical analysis. This research was supported by NOAA, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research (award number NA09NOS4780219) to T.E. Targett.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment, School of Marine Science and Policy, University of Delaware, Lewes, DE, 19958, USA

    Richard G. Balouskus & Timothy E. Targett

Authors
  1. Richard G. Balouskus
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Timothy E. Targett
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Richard G. Balouskus.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Balouskus, R.G., Targett, T.E. Egg Deposition by Atlantic Silverside, Menidia menidia: Substrate Utilization and Comparison of Natural and Altered Shoreline Type. Estuaries and Coasts 35, 1100–1109 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-012-9495-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-012-9495-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation