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Diet, stable isotopes and morphology of Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis) in littoral and pelagic habitats in the northern Baltic Proper

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Abstract

We present morphology, stable isotope signals and stomach contents of Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis) from littoral and pelagic habitats in a brackish water embayment in the northern Baltic Proper. Studies conducted in freshwater habitats repeatedly state that littoral perch have deeper bodies than the pelagic ones. In this study we observed the opposite; the perch from the pelagic study site had deeper bodies than the littoral ones, indicating that more factors than habitat structure affect the perch morphology. A possible explanation to this discrepancy is the diet choice; the pelagic perch in this study were more benthivorous than freshwater pelagic perch. Our results on stable isotope signals combined with the stomach contents also shed new light on the dietary preferences of perch. Perch is known to be a generalist predatory fish, but our results indicate that perch have individual diet preferences. Based on our results, it seems that at some point in their lives the perch in brackish water choose between the littoral and pelagic habitats and also specialise in a certain diet. This study shows that the perch morphology and diet in the Baltic Sea coast differ among habitats, but the patterns are not similar to those observed in freshwater studies.

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Acknowledgments

This study was financed by Baltic Sea 2020 Foundation, The Finnish Foundation for Nature Conservation, Åbo Akademi University Endowment and Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland. Special thanks to Henri Jokinen, Matias Scheinin, Sara Bystedt and Husö biological station. Finnish laws and ethical rules regarding experimental fishing were followed during this study.

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  1. Environmental and Marine Biology and Husö Biological Station, Åbo Akademi University, Tykistökatu 6, 20520, Turku, Finland

    N. Mustamäki & J. Mattila

  2. Husö Biological Station, Bergövägen 713, 22220, Emkarby, Åland, Finland

    T. Cederberg

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  1. N. Mustamäki
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Correspondence to N. Mustamäki.

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Mustamäki, N., Cederberg, T. & Mattila, J. Diet, stable isotopes and morphology of Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis) in littoral and pelagic habitats in the northern Baltic Proper. Environ Biol Fish 97, 675–689 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-013-0169-8

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