Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Diet and movement of the killifish,Fundulus heteroclitus, in a Maine salt marsh assessed using gut contents and stable isotope analyses

  • Published:
Estuaries Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Killifish are ecologically important components of salt marsh ecosystems, but no studies have determined the importance of locally produced versus allochthonous food sources on a scale of less than multiple kilometers. The goal of our study was to examine diet and movement of the killifish,Fundulus heteroclitus, collected from a Maine salt marsh to assess the importance of locally produced versus allochthonous food sources on a scale of several hundred meters. We compared the gut contents and stable isotope signatures ofF. heteroclitus from four regions along the central river of a Maine salt marsh to the distinct food sources and isotopic signatures of the region of the marsh in which they were caught.F. heteroclitus were relying on locally produced food sources even on the scale of several hundred meters. They fed daily in a small area less than 6 ha and maintained relatively strong site fidelities over the course of several months. Phytoplankton and salt marsh detritus both contributed to the high production ofF. heteroclitus; terrestrial plant detritus was not an important component of their diet. The diet and feeding patterns ofF. heteroclitus from this small Maine salt marsh were similar to the patterns found in much larger salt marshes, suggesting that locally produced organic matter is essential to the production of these ecologically important fish.

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

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature Cited

  • Akpan, A. W. andI. A. Isangedighi. 2004. Aspects of the feeding ecology of three species ofPseudotolithus (Sciaenidae) in the inshore waters of Southeastern Nigeria, East of the Niger Delta, Nigeria.Journal of Aquatic Sciences 19:51–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • Allen, E. A., P. E. Fell, M. A. Peck, J. A. Gieg, C. R. Guthke, andM. D. Newrirk. 1994. Gut contents of common mummichogs,Fundulus heteroclitus L., in a restored impounded marsh and in natural reference marshes.Estuaries 17:462–471.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baker-Dittus, A. M. 1978. Foraging patterns of three sympatric killifish.Copeia 1978:383–389.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bartholomew, A. 2002. Total cover and cover quality: Predicted and actual effects on a predator’s foraging success.Marine Ecology Progress Series 227:1–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bayne, B. L., A. J. S. Hawkins, andE. Navarro. 1987. Feeding and digestion by the musselMytilus edulis L. (Bivalvia: Mollusca) in mixtures of silt and algal cells at low concentrations.Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 111:1–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bouillon, S., N. Koedam, W. Bayens, B. Satyanarayana, andF. Dehairs. 2004. Selectivity of subtidal benthic invertebrate communities for local microalgal production in an estuarine mangrove ecosystem during the post-monsoon period.Journal of Sea Research 51:133–144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bouillon, S., P. C. Mohan, N. Sreenivas, andF. Dehairs. 2000. Sources of suspended organic matter and selective feeding by zooplankton in an estuarine mangrove ecosystem as traced by stable isotopes.Marine Ecology Progress Series 208:79–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Busby, M. S. 1995. Potential food sources and feeding ecology of juvenile fall Chinook salmon in California’s Mattole River Lagoon.California Fish and Game 81:133–146.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coffin, R. B., B. Fry, B. J. Peterson, andR. T. Wright. 1989. Carbon isotopic compositions of estuarine bacteria.Limnology and Oceanography 34:1305–1310.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Crosby, M. P., C. J. Langdon, andR. I. E. Newell. 1989. Importance of refractory plant material to the carbon budget of the oysterCrassostrea virginica.Marine Biology 100:343–352.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Day, Jr.,J. W., C. A. S. Hall, M. W. Kemp, andA. Yanex-Arancibia. 1989. Estuarine Ecology. John Wiley and Sons, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • de Vlaming, V. L., A. Kuris, andF. R. Parker, Jr. 1978. Seasonal variation of reproduction and lipid reserves in some subtropical cyprinodontids.Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 107:464–472.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deegan, L. A., J. Finn, C. S. Hopkinson, A. E. Giblin, B. J. Peterson, B. Fry, andJ. Hobbie. 1995. Flow model analysis of the effects of organic matter-nutrient interactions on estuarine trophic dynamics, p. 273–281.In K. R. Dyer and R. J. Orth (eds.), Changes in Fluxes in Estuaries. Olsen and Olsen, Fredenborg, Denmark.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deegan, L. A. andR. H. Garritt. 1997. Evidence for spatial variability in estuarine food webs.Marine Ecology Progress Series 147:31–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeNiro, M. J. andS. Epstein. 1977. Mechanisms of carbon isotope fractionation associated with lipid synthesis.Science 197:261–263.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • DeNiro, M. J. andS. Epstein. 1978. Influence of the diet on the distribution of carbon isotopes in animals.Geochimica et Cosmochemica Acta 42:495–506.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • DeNiro, M. J. andS. Epstein. 1981. Influence of the diet on the distribution of nitrogen isotopes in animals.Geochimica et Cosmochemica Acta 45:341–351.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Donnelly, J. P. andM. D. Bertness. 2001. Rapid shoreward encroachment of salt marsh cordgrass in response to accelerated sea-level rise.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 98:14218–14223.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ewanchuk, P. J. andM. D. Bertness. 2003. Recovery of a northern New England salt marsh plant community from winter icing.Oecologia 136:616–626.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fell, P. E., R. S. Warren, J. K. Light, R. Rawson, andS. M. Fairley. 2003. Comparison of fish and macroinvertebrate use ofTypha angustifolia, Phragmites australis, and treatedPhragmites marshes along the lower Connecticut River.Estuaries 26:535–552.

    Google Scholar 

  • Findlay, S., M. Pace, andD. Fischer. 1996. Spatial and temporal variability in the lower food web of the tidal freshwater Hudson River.Estuaries 19:866–873.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fogel, M. L., L. A. Cifuentes, D. J. Velinsky, andJ. H. Sharp. 1992. Relationship of carbon availability in estuarine phytoplankton to isotopic composition.Marine Ecology Progress Series 82:291–300.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fry, B., M. Hullar, B. J. Peterson, S. Saupe, andR. T. Wright, 1992. DOC production in a salt marsh estuary.Archiv fuer Hydrobiologie 37:1–8.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fry, B. andE. B. Sherr. 1984. δ13C measurements as indicators of carbon flow in marine and freshwater ecosystems.Contributions in Marine Science 27:13–47.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Goranson, C. E., C.-K. Ho, andS. C. Pennings. 2004. Environmental gradients and herbivore feeding preferences in coastal salt marshes.Oecologia 140:591–600.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Griffin, M. P. A. andI. Valiela. 2001. δ15N isotope studies of life history and trophic position ofFundulus heteroclitus andMenidia menidia.Marine Ecology Progress Series 214:299–305.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gutierrez-Estrada, J. C., J. Prenda, F. Oliva, andC. Fernandez-Delgado. 1998. Distribution and habitat preferences of the introduced mummichogFundulus heteroclitus (Linneaus) in south-western Spain.Estuarine Coastl and Shelf Science 46:827–835.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gutjahr-Gobell, R. E. 1998. Growth of juveniles and egg production of mummichogs fed different diets in the laboratory.Progressive Fish-Culturist 60:276–283.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hbrek, T. andA. Meyer. 2003. Closing of the Tethys Sea and the phylogeny of Eurasian killifishes (Cyprinodontiformes: Cyprinodontidae).Journal of Evolutionary Biology 16:17–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Incze, L. S., L. M. Mayer, E. B. Sherr, andS. A. Macko. 1982. Carbon inputs to bivalve mollusks: A comparison of two estuaries.Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 39:1348–1352.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, B. J., K. A. Moore, C. Lehmann, C. Bohlen, and T. Brown. 2005. Middle to Late Holocene fluctuations of C3 and C4 vegetation in a northern New England salt marsh, Sprague Marsh, Phippsburg Maine.Organic Geochemistry. In press.

  • Keller, P. D., S. Kelly, andB. Sullivan. 1990. Growth of juvenile Atlantic menhaden,Brevoorita tyranus in MERL mesocosms: Effects of eutrophication.Limnology and Oceanography 35:109–122.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kneib, R. T. 1986. The role ofFundulus heteroclitus in salt marsh trophic dynamics.American Zoologist 26:259–269.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kneib, R. T. 2000. Salt marsh ecoscapes and production transfers by estuarine nekton in the southeastern United States, p. 267–292.In M. P. Weinstein and D. A. Kreeger (eds.), Concepts and controversies in Tidal Marsh Ecology. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, Holland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kneib, R. T. andA. E. Stiven. 1978. Growth, reproduction and feeding ofFundulus heteroclitus on a North Carolina salt marsh.Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 31:121–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lotrich, V. A. 1975. Summer home range and movements ofFundulus heteroclitus (Pices: cyprinodontidae) in a tidal creek.Ecology 56:191–198.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mallin, M. andH. Paerl. 1994. Planktonic trophic transfer in an estuary: Seasonal diel and community effects.Ecology 75:2168–2184.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mann, K. H. 1988. Production and use of detritus in various freshwater, estuarine, and coastal marine ecosystems.Limnology and Oceanography 33:910–930.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Meyers, P. A. 1994. Preservation of elemental and isotopic source identification of sedimentary organic matter.Chemical Geology 114:289–302.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Muylaert, K. andR. Raine. 1999. Import, mortality and accumulation of coastal phytoplankton in a partially mixed estuary (Kinsale Harbour, Ireland).Hydrobiologia 412:53–65.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Newell, R. I. E. andC. J. Langdon. 1986. Digestion and absorption of refractory carbon from the plantSpartina alterniflora by the oysterCrassostrea virginica.Marine Ecology Progress Series 34:105–115.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nixon, S. W., C. A. Oviatt, J. Frithsen, andB. Sullivan. 1986. Nutrients and the productivity of estuarine and coastal marine ecosystems.Journal of the Limnological Society of Southern Africa 12:43–71.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, B. J. 1999. Stable isotopes as tracers of organic matter input and transfer in benthic food webs: A review.Acta Oecologica 20:479–487.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, B. J., B. Fry, M. Hullar, S. Saupe, andR. Wright. 1994. The distribution and stable carbon isotopic compositions of dissolved organic carbon in estuaries.Estuaries 17:111–121.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, B. J., R. W. Howarth, andR. W. Garritt. 1986. Sulfur and carbon isotopes as tracers of salt-marsh organic matter flow.Ecology 67:865–874.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, B. J. andR. W. Howarth. 1987. Sulfur, carbon, and nitrogen isotopes used to trace organic matter flow in the salt marshes estuaries of Sapelo Island, Georgia.Limnology and Oceanography 32:1195–1213.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Prinslow, T. E., J. Valiela, andJ. M. Teal. 1974. The effect of detritus and ration size on the growth ofFundulus heteroclitus.Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 16:1–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rau, G. H., A. J. Mearns, D. R. Young, R. J. Olson, H. A. Schafer, andI. R. Kaplan. 1983. Animal13C/12C correlates with trophic level in pelagic food webs.Ecology 64:1314–1318.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riera, P. L., J. Stal, J. Nieuwenhuize, P. Richard, G. Blanchard, andF. Gentil. 1999. Determination of food sources for benthic invertebrates in a salt marsh (Aiguillon Bay, France) by carbon and nitrogen isotopes: Importance of locally produced sources.Marine Ecology Progress Series 187:301–307.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Simenstad, C. A. andR. C. Wissmar. 1985. δ13C evidence of the origins and fates of organic carbon in estuarine and nearshore food webs.Marine Ecology Progress Series 22:141–152.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Teal, J. M. 1962. Energy flow in the salt marsh ecosystem of Georgia.Estuaries 43:614–624.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tenore, K. R. 1983. What controls the availability to animals of detritus derived from vascular plants: Organic nitrogen enrichment or caloric availability?Marine Ecology Progress Series 10:307–309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Teo, S. L. H. andK. W. Able. 2003. Habitat use and movement of the mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus) in a restored salt marsh.Estuaries 26:720–730.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valiela, I., J. E. Wright, J. M. Teal, andS. B. Volkmann 1977. Growth, production, and energy transformations in the salt marsh killifishFundulus heteroclitus.Marine Biology 40:135–144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weisberg, S. B., R. R. Whalen, andV. A. Lotrich. 1981. Tidal and diurnal influence on food consumption of a salt marsh killifish.Fundulus heteroclitus.Marine Biology 61:243–246.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Kelton W. McMahon

    Present address: Department of Biology, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution MS 50, 02543, Woods Hole, Massachusetts

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Bates College, 04240, Lewiston, Maine

    Kelton W. McMahon & William G. Ambrose

  2. Department of Geology, Bates College, 04240, Lewiston, Maine

    Beverly J. Johnson

Authors
  1. Kelton W. McMahon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Beverly J. Johnson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. William G. Ambrose
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kelton W. McMahon.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

McMahon, K.W., Johnson, B.J. & Ambrose, W.G. Diet and movement of the killifish,Fundulus heteroclitus, in a Maine salt marsh assessed using gut contents and stable isotope analyses. Estuaries 28, 966–973 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02696024

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02696024

Keywords

Search

Navigation