Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Population structure, production and feeding habit of the sand goby Pomatoschistus minutus (Actinopterygii: Gobiidae) in the Minho estuary (NW Iberian Peninsula)

  • Published:
Environmental Biology of Fishes Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Estuaries are highly productive and heterogeneous ecosystems, and hence they provide an excellent opportunity to study the population structure and feeding patterns of euryhaline species like the sand goby Pomatoschistus minutus. In this context the population dynamics of the sand goby was investigated during 18 months in the Minho estuary (NW Iberian Peninsula). The fish density varied significantly among estuarine areas and seasons, with most of the individuals being caught near the river mouth during the autumn (38 % of the total). Males, females and juveniles were not spatially segregated, as well as fishes belonging to different size classes. The sand goby fed mostly on crustaceans (Frequency of Occurrence - FO) = 35 %; Relative Abundance - RA = 40 %), detritus (FO = 27 %; RA = 23 %) and annelids (FO = 15 %; RA = 14 %), with no obvious difference between the diet of males and females. The density (up to 20 times) and the secondary production (up to 16 times) of the sand goby were substantially higher than in other southern European estuaries. Our results highlighted that the population dynamics of the sand goby can vary considerably among nearby systems and that the Minho estuary, probably due to the lower temperature and salinity values and also the different water circulation regime found in this system when compared to other Iberian estuaries, promotes noticeable differences on the P. minutus population dynamics.

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
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aarnio K, Bonsdorff E (1993) Seasonal variation in abundance and diet of the sand goby Pomatoschistus minutus (Pallas) in a northern Baltic archipelago. Ophelia 37(1):19–30. doi:10.1080/00785326.1993.10430374

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson MJ (2001) A new method for non-parametric multivariate analysis of variance. Austral Ecol 26(1):32–46. doi:10.1046/j.1442-9993.2001.01070.x

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson MJ, Gorley RN, Clarke KR (2008) PERMANOVA + for PRIMER: guide to software and statistical methods. PRIMER-E, Plymouth

    Google Scholar 

  • Arruda LM, Azevedo JN, Neto AI (1993) Abundance, age-structure and growth, and reproduction of gobies (Pisces; Gobiidae) in the Ria de Aveiro lagoon (Portugal). Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 37(5):509–524. doi:10.1006/ecss.1993.1070

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bouchereau J-L, Guelorget O (1998) Comparison of three Gobiidæ (Teleostei) life history strategies over their geographical range. Oceanol Acta 21(3):503–517. doi:10.1016/S0399-1784(98)80034-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chambers JR (1992) Coastal degradation and fish population losses. In: Stroud RS (ed) Stemming the tide of coastal fish habitat loss. National Coalition for Marine Conservation Inc, Leesburg, pp 45–51

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarke KR, Gorley RN (2006) PRIMER v6: user manual/tutorial. PRIMER-E, Plymouth

    Google Scholar 

  • Colwell RK (1973) Competition and coexistence in a simple tropical community. Am Nat 107:737–760. doi:10.1086/282872

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dempster AP, Laird NM, Rubin DB (1977) Maximum likelihood from incomplete data via the EM algorithm. J Roy Stat Soc B Met 39(1):1–38. doi:10.2307/2984875

    Google Scholar 

  • Dobzhansky T (1950) Evolution in the tropics. Am Sci 38:209–221

    Google Scholar 

  • Dolbeth M, Martinho F, Leitão R, Cabral H, Pardal MA (2007) Strategies of Pomatoschistus minutus and Pomatoschistus microps to cope with environmental instability. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 74(1–2):263–273. doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2007.04.016

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dolbeth M, Martinho F, Freitas V, Costa-Dias S, Campos J, Pardal MÂ (2010) Multi-year comparisons of fish recruitment, growth and production in two drought-affected Iberian estuaries. Mar Freshw Res 61(12):1399–1415. doi:10.1071/MF10002

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Doornbos G, Twisk F (1987) Density, growth and annual food consumption of gobiid fish in the saline Lake Grevelingen, The Netherlands. Neth J Sea Res 21(1):45–74. doi:10.1016/0077-7579(87)90022-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferreira JG, Simas T, Nobre A, Silva MC, Shifferegger K, Lencart-Silva J (2003) Identification of sensitive áreas and vunerable zones in transitional and coastal Portuguese systems. Application of the United States National Estuarine Eutrophication Assessment to the Minho, Lima, Douro, Ria de Aveiro, Mondego, Tagus, Sado, Mira, Ria Formosa and Guadiana systems. Instituto da Água e Instituto do Mar, Lisboa

  • Fonds M (1973) Sand gobies in the Dutch Wadden Sea (Pomatoschistus, Gobiidae, Pisces). Neth J Sea Res 6(4):417–478. doi:10.1016/0077-7579(73)90001-X

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fonds M, Van Buurt G (1974) The influence of temperature and salinity on development and survival of goby eggs (Pisces, Gobiidae). Hydrobiol Bull 8(1–2):110–116. doi:10.1007/BF02254911

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freitas V, Costa-Dias S, Campos J, Bio A, Santos P, Antunes C (2009) Patterns in abundance and distribution of juvenile flounder, Platichthys flesus, in Minho estuary (NW Iberian Peninsula). Aquat Ecol 43(4):1143–1153. doi:10.1007/s10452

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Guelinckx J, Maes J, Geysen B, Ollevier F (2008) Estuarine recruitment of a marine goby reconstructed with an isotopic clock. Oecologia 157(1):41–52. doi:10.1016/.ecss.007.1010.1007

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hamerlynck O, Cattrijsse A (1994) The food of Pomatoschistus minutus (Pisces, Gobiidae) in Belgian coastal waters, and a comparison with the food of its potential competitor P. lozanoi. J Fish Biol 44(5):753–771. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.1994.tb01253.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Healey MC (1971) The distribution and abundance of sand gobies, Gobius minutus, in the Ythan estuary. J Zool 163(2):177–228. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1971.tb04531.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henderson PA (1989) On the structure of the inshore fish community of England and Wales. J Mar Biol Assoc UK 69(01):145–163. doi:10.1017/S002531540004916X

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hyslop EJ (1980) Stomach contents analysis - a review of methods and their application. J Fish Biol 17(4):411–429. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.1980.tb02775.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iglésias SP (2012) Actinopterygians from the North-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean (A natural classification based on collection of specimens, with DNA barcodes and standardized photographs), vol Volume I (plates & text). Muséum National d’Historie Naturelle, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaquet N, Raffaelli D (1989) The ecological importance of the sand goby Pomatoschistus minutus (Pallas). J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 128(2):147–156. doi:10.1016/0022-0981(89)90142-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krueger CC, Martin FB (1980) Computation of confidence intervals for size-frequency (Hynes) method of estimating secondary production. Limnol Oceanogr 25(4):773–777. doi:10.4319/lo.1980.25.4.0773

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Legendre P, Andersson MJ (1999) Distance-based redundancy analysis: testing multispecies responses in multifactorial ecological experiments. Ecol Monogr 69(1):1–24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leitão R, Martinho F, Neto JM, Cabral H, Marques JC, Pardal MA (2006) Feeding ecology, population structure and distribution of Pomatoschistus microps (Krøyer, 1838) and Pomatoschistus minutus (Pallas, 1770) in a temperate estuary, Portugal. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 66(1–2):231–239. doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2005.08.012

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maes J, Brabandere L, Ollevier F, Mees J (2003) The diet and consumption of dominant fish species in the upper Scheldt estuary, Belgium. J Mar Biol Assoc UK 83(03):603–612. doi:10.1017/S0025315403007537h

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maes J, Stevens M, Ollevier F (2005) The composition and community structure of the ichthyofauna of the upper Scheldt estuary: Synthesis of a 10-year data collection (1991-2001). J Appl Ichthyol 21(2):86–93. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0426.2004.00628.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martinho F, Leitão R, Neto JM, Cabral HN, Marques JC, Pardal MA (2007) The use of nursery areas by juvenile fish in a temperate estuary, Portugal. Hydrobiologia 587(1):281–290. doi:10.1007/s10750-007-0689-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moreno J, Fatela F, Andrade C, Cascalho J, Moreno F, Drago T (2005) Living foraminiferal assemblages from the Minho and Coura Estuaries (Northern Portugal): a stressfull environment. Thalassas 21(1):17–28

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson DM, Monaco ME (2000) National overview and evolution of NOAA’s estuarine living marine resources (ELMR) program. NOAA tech. memo., vol NOS NCCOS CCMA 144. NOAA, NOS, Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment, Silver Spring

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Pampoulie C, Rosecchi E, Bouchereau JL, Crivelli AJ (1999) Life history traits of Pomatoschistus minutus in the Rhône Delta, France. J Fish Biol 55(4):892–896. doi:10.1006/jfbi.1999.1041

    Google Scholar 

  • Pritchard DW (1967) Observations of circulation in coastal plain estuaries. In: Lauff GH (ed) Estuaries American Association for the Advancement of Science Publication 83, Washington DC, p 37–44

  • Salgado JP, Cabral HN, Costa MJ (2004) Feeding ecology of the gobies Pomatoschistus minutus (Pallas, 1770) and Pomatoschistus microps (Krøyer, 1838) in the upper Tagus estuary, Portugal. Sci Mar 68(3):425–434. doi:10.3989/scimar.2004.68n3425

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sousa R, Guilhermino L, Antunes C (2005) Molluscan fauna in the freshwater tidal area of the River Minho estuary, NW of Iberian Peninsula. Ann Limnol 41(2):141–147. doi:10.1051/limn/2005009

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sousa R, Dias S, Freitas V, Antunes C (2008a) Subtidal macrozoobenthic assemblages along the River Minho estuarine gradient (north-west Iberian Peninsula). Aquat Conserv 18(7):1063–1077. doi:10.1002/aqc.871

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sousa R, Rufino M, Gaspar M, Antunes C, Guilhermino L (2008b) Abiotic impacts on spatial and temporal distribution of Corbicula fluminea (Müller, 1774) in the River Minho Estuary, Portugal. Aquat Conserv 18(1):98–110. doi:10.1002/aqc.838

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sousa R et al (2012) Massive die-offs of freshwater bivalves as resource pulses. Ann Limnol 48(1):105–112. doi:10.1051/limn/2012003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Souza AT, Ilarri MI, Campos J, Marques JC, Martins I (2011) Differences in the neighborhood: Structural variations in the carapace of shore crabs Carcinus maenas (Decapoda: Portunidae). Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 95(4):424–430. doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2011.06.021

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Souza AT, Dias E, Campos J, Marques JC, Martins I (2013a) Structure, growth and production of a remarkably abundant population of the common goby Pomatoschistus microps (Actinopterygii: Gobiidae). Environ Biol Fish. doi:10.1007/s10641-013-0172-0

    Google Scholar 

  • Souza AT, Dias E, Nogueira A, Campos J, Marques JC, Martins I (2013b) Population ecology and habitat preferences of juvenile flounder Platichthys flesus (Actinopterygii: Pleuronectidae) in a temperate estuary. J Sea Res 79:60–69. doi:10.1016/j.seares.2013.01.005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tachet H, Richoux P, Bournaud M, Usseglio-Polatera P (2003) Invertébrés D’Eau Douce: systématique, biologie, écologie. CNRS Éditions, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitehead PJP, Bauchot ML, Hureau JC, Nielsen J, Tortonese E (1986) Fishes of the north-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. UNESCO, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  • Złoch I, Sapota M (2010) Trophic interactions between preadult and adult Pomatoschistus minutus and Pomatoschistus microps and young Platichthys flesus occurring in inshore waters of the Gulf of Gdańsk (Southern Baltic). Oceanol Hydrobiol St 39(2):37–53. doi:10.2478/v10009-010-0018-4

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thanks Eduardo Martins for helping during the field campaign in the Minho estuary. We would like also to thank Fabiana Freitas, Felipe Ribas, João Moura and Jorge Araújo for their valuable help in the lab. This research was approved by the university’s animal welfare and ethics committee and was supported by a grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Financial Mechanism and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism. A.T. Souza has a PhD grant (SFRH/BD/71232/2010) from the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portugal). I. Martins was financed for CIÊNCIA 2007 and the project INPACTAR PTDC/MAR/111537/2009; FCT; COMPETE; QREN; UE.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto, Rua dos Bragas 289, P 4050-123, Porto, Portugal

    A. T. Souza, E. Dias & C. Antunes

  2. ICBAS – Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal

    A. T. Souza & E. Dias

  3. IMAR – CMA, Institute of Marine Research - Centre for Sea and Environment, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, 3004-517, Coimbra, Portugal

    J. C. Marques & I. Martins

  4. Aquamuseu of the Minho River, Parque do Castelinho, 4920-290, Vila Nova de Cerveira, Portugal

    C. Antunes

Authors
  1. A. T. Souza
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. E. Dias
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. J. C. Marques
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. C. Antunes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. I. Martins
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. T. Souza.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

ESM 1

(DOC 138 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Souza, A.T., Dias, E., Marques, J.C. et al. Population structure, production and feeding habit of the sand goby Pomatoschistus minutus (Actinopterygii: Gobiidae) in the Minho estuary (NW Iberian Peninsula). Environ Biol Fish 98, 287–300 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-014-0259-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-014-0259-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation