Abstract
Examination of gut contents of the northern pipefish,Syngnathus fuscus, revealed that gammarid amphipods, caprellid amphipods, isopods, and calanoid copepods were the dominant food items during the sevenmonth study period.Gammarus mucronatus, calanoid copepods, andErichsonella attenuata were the seasonally dominant prey items in the spring, summer, and fall, respectively.G. mucronatus and calanoid copepods were consumed in approximate proportion to their numerical abundance in the environment, whileE. attenuata, present in rather uniform densities throughout the study period, was extensively consumed only in the late summer and fall. An ontogenetic pattern of prey consumption was evident, in addition to the seasonal pattern. Comparison ofG. mucronatus andE. attenuata size ranges from the field and in pipefish guts revealed thatS. fuscus preyed upon the smaller size classes of each species, and that mean size of prey consumed was positively related to fish size.
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Contribution number 1246 of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary.
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Ryer, C.H., Orth, R.J. Feeding ecology of the northern pipefish,Syngnathus fuscus, in a seagrass community of the lower Chesapeake Bay. Estuaries 10, 330–336 (1987). https://doi.org/10.2307/1351891
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1351891