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Selective feeding by the mudskipper (Boleophthalmus pectinirostris) on the microalgal assemblage of a tropical mudflat

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Abstract

Temporal variation in abundance of the microphytobenthos on an estuarine mudflat in Hong Kong was investigated over a 13-month period. Abundance, in terms of both cell counts and chlorophyll-a (chl-a) concentration, of the diatom-dominated assemblage was higher (peak at 47 mg chl-a m−2 in January) in the cooler months than in the warmer months (minimum at 11 mg chl-a m−2 in August). Variation in surface density (range: 0.25–1.9 individuals m−2) of the herbivorous mudskipper Boleophthalmus pectinirostris was also temporally variable, with a broadly inverse pattern to that of the microphytobenthos. Comparison of the relative abundance of diatom species in the gut and on the mud surface using Strauss' linear selectivity index suggests significant size-selective feeding by B. pectinirostris. Diatoms with maximum lengths >50 μm were selectively ingested whereas smaller species were rejected. This critical diatom length is close to the average distance between branchiospines of the fish's gills, suggesting their involvement in a physical sieving process that is responsible for the size-selective feeding. Significant differences in feeding pattern exist between adult (>80 mm standard length) and juvenile fish. As a result of seasonal variations in density and selective removal of the larger diatoms, B. pectinirostris exerts a significant impact on the abundance and structure of the mudflat microphytobenthos.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the staff of WWFHK at Mai Po for their logistical support, without which much of this work would not have been possible. Part of the work was funded by a Hong Kong Research Grant Council grant 294/92 M awarded to SYL.

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  1. S. Y. Lee

    Present address: School of Environmental and Applied Sciences, Griffith University, PMB 50, 9726, Gold Coast MC, QLD, Australia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology & Biodiversity and Swire Institute of Marine Science, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    K. Y. Yang, S. Y. Lee & G. A. Williams

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  1. K. Y. Yang
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  3. G. A. Williams
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Correspondence to S. Y. Lee.

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Communicated by G.F. Humphrey, Sydney

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Yang, K.Y., Lee, S.Y. & Williams, G.A. Selective feeding by the mudskipper (Boleophthalmus pectinirostris) on the microalgal assemblage of a tropical mudflat. Marine Biology 143, 245–256 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-003-1067-y

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