Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Foraging specialisms influence space use and movement patterns of the European eel Anguilla anguilla

  • Primary Research Paper
  • Published:
Hydrobiologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A fixed receiver array was used to examine the movement patterns and space use of the European eel Anguilla anguilla in an oligotrophic Irish lake between July and September. We assessed home range size, temporal change in spatial behaviour and activity patterns of broad-headed (n = 11) and narrow-headed (n = 8) morphotypes. Broad-headed individuals displayed a larger home range (mean KUD95 (km2):0.296 ± 0.04 S.E.) in comparison to narrow-headed individuals (mean KUD95 (km2):0.143 ± 0.02 S.E.). Eel activity was strongly dependent on light conditions. Narrow-headed individuals’ movement peaks occurred at dawn and dusk in comparison to broad-headed individuals which exhibited a more stable movement pattern throughout night and into dawn, suggesting that narrow-headed eels are more crepuscular in nature whereas broad-headed individuals are more nocturnal. Lunar phase period also influenced eel movement within the lake. These results provide valuable insights into the spatio-temporal distribution of yellow eels in a lake system, demonstrating that individuality in foraging behaviour has direct influence on spatial patterns.

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

  • Adams, C. E., D. Fraser, F. A. Huntingford, R. B. Greer, C. M. Askew & A. F. Walker, 1998. Trophic polymorphism amongst arctic charr from Loch Rannoch, Scotland. Journal of Fish Biology 52: 1259–1271.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Araújo, M. S., D. I. Bolnick, L. A. Martinelli, A. A. Giaretta & S. F. Dos Reis, 2009. Individual-level diet variation in four species of Brazilian frogs. Journal of Animal Ecology 78: 848–856.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baras, E., D. Jeandrain, B. Serouge & J. C. Philippart, 1998. Seasonal variations of time and space utilisation by radio-tagged yellow eels Anguilla anguilla (L.) in a small stream. Hydrobiologia 371/372: 187–198.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Béguer-Pon, M., M. Castonguay, J. Benchetrit, D. Hatin, M. Legault, G. Verreault & J. J. Dodson, 2015. Large-scale, seasonal habitat use and movements of yellow American eels in the St. Lawrence River revealed by acoustic telemetry. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 24: 99–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bolnick, D. I., R. Svanbäck, J. A. Fordyce, L. H. Yang, J. M. Davis, C. D. Husley & M. L. Forister, 2003. The ecology of individuals: incidence and implications of individual specialization. American Naturalist 161: 1–28.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Borger, L., B. D. Dalziel & J. M. Fryxell, 2008. Are there general mechanisms of animal home range behaviour? A review and prospects for future research. Ecology Letters 11: 637–650.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bozeman, E. L., G. S. Helfman & T. Richardson, 1985. Population size and home range of American eels in a Georgia tidal creek. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 114: 821–825.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burt, W. H., 1943. Territoriality and home range concepts as applied to mammals. Journal of Mammalogy 24: 346–352.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Calcagno, V. & C. de Mazancourt, 2010. Glmulti: an R package for easy automated model selection with (generalized) linear models. Journal of Statistical Software 34: 1–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark, C. W. & D. A. Levy, 1988. Diel vertical migrations by juvenile sockeye salmon and the antipredation window. American Naturalist 131: 271–290.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cooke, S. J., S. Hinch, M. C. Lucas & M. Lutcavage, 2012. Biotelemetry and biologging. In Zale, A., D. Parrish & T. Sutton (eds.), Fisheries Techniques, 3rd ed. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda: 819–881.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cucherousset, J., A. Acou, S. Blanchet, J. R. Britton, W. R. Beaumont & R. E. Gozlan, 2011. Fitness consequences of individual specialisation in resource use and trophic morphology in European eels. Oecologia 167: 75–84.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dahlgren, C. P. & D. B. Eggleston, 2000. Ecological processes underlying ontogenetic habitat shifts in a coral reef fish. Ecology 81: 2227–2240.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Durif, C., S. Dufour & P. Elie, 2005. The silvering process of Anguilla anguilla: a new classification from the yellow resident to the silver migrating stage. Journal of Fish Biology 66: 1025–1043.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Durif, C. M. F. & P. Elie, 2008. Predicting downstream migration of silver eels in a large river catchment based on commercial fishery data. Fisheries Management and Ecology 15: 127–137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ford, T. E. & E. Mercer, 1986. Density, size distribution and home range of American eels, Anguilla rostrata, in a Massachusetts salt marsh. Enviromental Biology of Fishes 17: 309–314.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fraley, C., & A. E. Raftery, 2006. MCLUST version 3 for R: normal mixture modelling and model-based clustering. Technical report no. 504. Department of statistics, University of Washington.

  • Fu, S. J., L. Q. Zeng, X. M. Li, X. Pang, Z. D. Cao, J. L. Peng & Y. X. Wang, 2009. The behavioural, digestive and metabolic characteristics of fishes with different foraging strategies. Journal of Experimental Biology 212: 2296–2302.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Garduño-Paz, M. V. & C. E. Adams, 2010. Discrete prey availability promotes foraging segregation and early divergence in Arctic charr, Salvelinus alpinus. Hydrobiologia 650: 15–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geospatial Modelling Environment (Version 0.7.2.1). (software). URL: http://www.spatialecology.com/gme.

  • Hedger, R. D., F. Martin, J. J. Dodson, D. Hatin, F. Caron & F. G. Whoriskey, 2008. The optimized interpolation of fish positions and speeds in an array of fixed acoustic receivers. ICES Journal of Marine Science 65: 1248–1259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hedger, R. D., J. J. Dodson, D. Hatin, F. Caron & D. Fournier, 2010. River and estuary movements of yellow-stage American eels Anguilla rostrata, using a hydrophone array. Journal of Fish Biology 76: 1294–1311.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Helfman, G. S., D. L. Stoneburner, E. L. Bozeman, P. A. Christian & R. Whalen, 1983. Ultrasonic telemetry of American eel movements in a tidal creek. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 112: 105–110.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, M. J., M. C. Fabrizio & J. A. Lucy, 2014. Movement patterns of summer flounder near an artificial reef: Effects of fish size and environmental cues. Fisheries Research 153: 1–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hodder, K., J. Masters, W. Beaumont, R. Gozlan, A. Pinder, C. Knight & R. Kenward, 2007. Techniques for evaluating the spatial behaviour of river fish. Hydrobiologia 582: 257–269.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ide, C., N. De Schepper, J. Christiaens, C. Van Liefferinge, A. Herrel, G. Goemans & D. Adriaens, 2011. Bimodality in head shape in European eel. Journal of Zoology 285: 230–238.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, D. A., P. R. Peres-Neto & J. D. Olden, 2001. What controls who is where in freshwater fish communities the roles of biotic, abiotic, and spatial factors. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 58: 157–170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacoby, D. & Gollock, M. (2014). Anguilla anguilla. In: IUCN 2014. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.1. http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/60344/0. Accessed on 05 August 2015

  • Jetz, W., C. Carbone, J. Fulford & J. H. Brown, 2004. The scaling of animal space use. Science 306: 266–268.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kass, R. E. & A. E. Raftery, 1995. Bayes factors. Journal of the American Statistical Association 90: 773–795.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Killen, S. S., I. Costa, J. A. Brown & A. K. Gamperl, 2007. Little left in the tank: metabolic scaling in marine teleosts and its implications for aerobic scope. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 274: 431–438.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Klingenberg, C. P. & G. S. McIntyre,  1998. Geometric morphometrics of developmental instability: analyzing patterns of fluctuating asymmetry with Procrustes methods. Evolution 52: 1363–1375.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kobler, A., T. Klefoth, T. Mehner & R. Arlinghaus, 2009. Coexistence of behavioural types in an aquatic top predator: a response to resource limitation? Oecologia 161: 837–847.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kramer, D. L. & M. R. Chapman, 1999. Implications of fish home range size and relocation for marine reserve function. Environmental biology of Fishes 55: 65–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kristjansson, B. K., S. Skulason & D. L. Noakes, 2002. Morphological segregation of Icelandic threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus L). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 76: 247–257.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LaBar, G. W., J. A. H. Casal & C. F. Delgado,  1987. Local movements and population size of European eels, Anguilla anguilla, in a small lake in southwestern Spain. Environmental Biology of Fishes 19: 111–117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laffaille, P., A. Baisez, C. Rigaud & E. Feunteun, 2004. Habitat preferences of different European eel size classes in a reclaimed marsh: a contribution to species and ecosystem conservation. Wetlands 24: 642–651.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lammens, E. H. & J. T. Visser, 1989. Variability of mouth width in European eel, Anguilla anguilla, in relation to varying feeding conditions in three Dutch lakes. Environmental Biology of Fishes 26: 63–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lamothe, P. J., M. Gallagher, D. P. Chivers & J. R. Moring, 2000. Homing and movement of yellow-phase American eels in freshwater ponds. Environmental Biology of Fishes 58: 393–399.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lucas, M. C. & E. Baras, 2000. Methods for studying spatial behaviour of freshwater fishes in the natural environment. Fish and Fisheries 1: 283–316.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marshell, A., J. S. Mills, K. L. Rhodes & J. McIlwain, 2011. Passive acoustic telemetry reveals highly variable home range and movement patterns among unicornfish within a marine reserve. Coral Reefs 30: 631–642.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGovern, P. & T. K. McCarthy, 1992. Local movements of freshwater eels (Anguilla anguilla L.) in western Ireland. In Priede, I. G. & S. M. Swift (eds.), Wildlife Telemetry: Remote Sensing and Monitoring of Animals. Ellis Horwood, Chichester: 319–327.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, M. S. & R. A. Powell, 2004. A mechanistic home range model for optimal use of spatially distributed resources. Ecological Modelling 177: 209–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moriarty, C., & W. Dekker, 1997. Management of the European eel. Marine Institute.

  • Morrison, W. E. & D. H. Secor, 2003. Demographic attributes of yellow-phase American eels (Anguilla rostrata) in the Hudson River estuary. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 60: 1487–1501.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neveu, A. & M. Echaubard, 1975. La dérive estivale des invertébrés aquatiques et terrestres dans un ruisseau du Massif Central: la Couze Pavin. Annales d’hydrobiologie 6: 1–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parker, S. J., 1995. Homing ability and home range of yellow-phase American eels in a tidally dominated estuary. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 75: 127–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pearce, F., C. Carbone, G. Cowlishaw & N. J. Isaac, 2013. Space-use scaling and home range overlap in primates. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 280: 201–222.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peters, R. H., 1986. The ecological implications of body size. Cambridge University Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pinheiro, J. C. & D. M. Bates, 2000. Mixed effects models in S and S-PLUS. Springer, New York.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Powell, R. A., 2000. Animal home ranges and territories and home range estimators. In Boitani, L. & T. K. Fuller (eds.), Research Techniques in Animal Ecology: Controversies and Consequences. Columbia University Press, New York: 65–110.

    Google Scholar 

  • Powell, R. A. & M. S. Mitchell, 2012. What is a home range? Journal of Mammalogy 93: 948–958.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Proman, J. M. & J. D. Reynolds, 2000. Differences in head shape of the European eel, Anguilla anguilla (L.). Fisheries Management and Ecology 7: 349–354.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pyke, G. H., 1984. Optimal foraging theory: a critical review. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 15: 523–575.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R Core Team (2014). R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. URL http://www.R-project.org/

  • Riley, W. D., A. M. Walker, B. Bendall & M. J. Ives, 2011. Movements of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) in a chalk stream. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 20: 628–635.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosten, C. M., R. E. Gozlan & M. C. Lucas, 2013. Diel and seasonal movements of the critically endangered eel. Vann 1: 89–95.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simpfendorfer, C. A., M. R. Heupel & R. E. Hueter, 2002. Estimation of short-term centers of activity from an array of omnidirectional hydrophones and its use in studying animal movements. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 59: 23–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Siwertsson, A., R. Knudsen, K. Præbel, C. E. Adams, J. Newton & P. A. Amundsen, 2013. Discrete foraging niches promote ecological, phenotypic, and genetic divergence in sympatric whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus). Evolutionary Ecology 27: 547–564.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skulason, S. & T. B. Smith, 1995. Resource polymorphisms in vertebrates. Trends in ecology & evolution 10: 366–370.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Swihart, R. K., N. A. Slade & B. J. Bergstrom, 1988. Relating body size to the rate of home range use in mammals. Ecology 69: 393–399.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tesch, F. W., 1967. Homing of eels (Anguilla anguilla) in the southern North Sea. Marine Biology 1: 2–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tesch, F. W., 2003. The Eel. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Thorstad, E. B., F. Økland, H. Westerberg, K. Aarestrup & J. D. Metcalfe, 2013. Evaluation of surgical implantation of electronic tags in European eel and effects of different suture materials. Marine and Freshwater Research 64: 324–331.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thibault, I., J. J. Dodson & F. Caron, 2007. Yellow-stage American eel movements determined by microtagging and acoustic telemetry in the St Jean River watershed, Gaspé, Quebec, Canada. Journal of Fish Biology 71: 1095–1112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Villegas-Ríos, D., J. Alós, D. March, M. Palmer, G. Mucientes & F. Saborido-Rey, 2013. Home range and diel behavior of the ballan wrasse, Labrus bergylta, determined by acoustic telemetry. Journal of Sea Research 80: 61–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walker, A. M., M. J. Godard & P. Davison, 2014. The home range and behaviour of yellow-stage European eel Anguilla anguilla in an estuarine environment. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 24: 155–165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Worton, B. J., 1989. Kernel methods for estimating the utilization distribution in home-range studies. Ecology 70: 164–168.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yokouchi, K., J. Aoyama, M. J. Miller, T. K. McCarthy & K. Tsukamoto, 2009. Depth distribution and biological characteristics of the European eel Anguilla anguilla in Lough Ennell, Ireland. Journal of Fish Biology 74: 857–871.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zuur, A. F., E. N. Ieno, N. J. Walker, A. A. Saveliev & G. M. Smith, 2009. Mixed effects models and extensions in ecology with R. Springer, New York.

    Book  Google Scholar 

Electronic References

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by funding from the European Union’s INTERREG IVA Programme (project 2859 ‘IBIS’) managed by the Special EU programmes Body. The authors would like to thank John Boyle of the Lough Finn Angling Association and staff at the Loughs Agency for technical assistance. The authors would also like to thank IBIS students & staff who helped with field work and technical assistance.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Scottish Centre for Ecology & the Natural Environment, IBAHCM, University of Glasgow, Rowardennan, Glasgow, G63 0AW, UK

    J. Barry, M. Newton, J. A. Dodd, O. E. Hooker & C. E. Adams

  2. Loughs Agency, 22 Victoria Road, Derry, Northern Ireland, BT47 2AB, UK

    P. Boylan

  3. School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK

    M. C. Lucas

Authors
  1. J. Barry
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. Newton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. J. A. Dodd
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. O. E. Hooker
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. P. Boylan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. M. C. Lucas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. C. E. Adams
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. Barry.

Additional information

Handling editor: M. Power

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 (DOCX 14 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Barry, J., Newton, M., Dodd, J.A. et al. Foraging specialisms influence space use and movement patterns of the European eel Anguilla anguilla . Hydrobiologia 766, 333–348 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2466-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2466-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation