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Passing the gut of juvenile flounder, Platichthys flesus: differential survival of zoobenthic prey species

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Abstract

We studied the resistance of benthic prey organisms (Ostracoda, Hydrobia spp., Macoma balthica) to digestion by juvenile flounder, Platichthys flesus (L.), in a series of aquarium experiments. Results showed that some food species are able to survive the gut passage (Ostracoda 53 to 75%, Hydrobia spp. 46 to 92%). This has ecological implications, as increasing eutrophication of the Baltic Sea favours prey species that are nondigestible for the juvenile flounder. Thus, seemingly small changes in food-web structure may have unpredictable effects for the predatory fish.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Husö Biological Station, Department of Biology, Åbo Akademi University, FIN-22220 Emkarby, Finland, , , , , , FI

    K. Aarnio & E. Bonsdorff

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  1. K. Aarnio
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  2. E. Bonsdorff
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Received: 8 March 1997 / Accepted: 14 March 1997

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Aarnio, K., Bonsdorff, E. Passing the gut of juvenile flounder, Platichthys flesus: differential survival of zoobenthic prey species. Marine Biology 129, 11–14 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/s002270050140

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s002270050140

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