Synopsis
Feeding ecology was compared between sympatric greenling species, Hexagrammos otakii and H. agrammus in the eelgrass beds in Jindong Bay, Korea, from January to December. These two species had similar diets composed of crustaceans, polychaetes, gastropods and fishes; both species consumed primarily crustaceans throughout study periods. H. otakii, however, fed a greater proportion of polychaetes and fishes than H. agrammus. H. agrammus had a greater proportion of gastropods in their diets. The diet of both species underwent size-related changes; smaller individuals of H. otakii and H. agrammus consumed amphipods (gammarid amphipods and caprellid amphipods), while larger individuals of H. otakii ate polychaetes and fishes and those of H. agrammus fed mainly on gastropods and crabs. The diet of H. otakii underwent seasonal changes; H. otakii consumed mainly polychaetes and fishes during January and February 2002 but amphipods during March and May 2002. H. agrammus, however, ate mainly gastropods and crabs all seasons. H. otakii underwent also a significant diel changes that could be related to difference of prey availability. Thus the nocturnal emergence of gammarid amphipods, polychaetes and fishes explained their greater consumption by H. otakii. Dietary breadth of both species was lower in the smallest individuals (<5 cm SL) and in March and April 2002. This was due to the disproportionate dry mass attributable to the consumption of amphipods by both H. otakii and H. agrammus. Dietary overlap of both species was relatively moderate to high, in particular in <9.9 cm SL (0.62 – 0.71) from May to July 2002 (0.63 – 0.71). This is coincident with higher abundances of crabs, caridean shrimps and polychaetes in the study area, and it was assumed that these prey species were not limited resources. Higher dietary overlap was correlated with an abundance of a shared resource and did not indicate the interspecific competition between H. otakii and H. agrammus.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
T. Fujita D. Kitagawa Y. Okuyama Y. Ishito T. Inada Y. Jin (1995) ArticleTitleDiets of the demersal fishes on the shelf off Iwate, northern Japan Mar. Biol. 123 219–233 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF00353613
R.N. Gibson I.A. Ezzi (1987) ArticleTitleFeeding relationships of a demersal fish assemblages on the west coast of Scotland J. Fish Biol. 31 55–69
S.H. Huh S.N. Kwak (1997) ArticleTitleSpecies composition and seasonal variations of fishes in eelgrass (Zostera marina) bed in Kwangyang Bay Kor. J. Ichthyol. 9 202–220
S.H. Huh S.N. Kwak (1999) ArticleTitleFeeding habits of Acanthogobius flavimanus in the eelgrass (Zostera marina) bed in Kwangyang Bay J. Kor Fish Soc. 32 10–17
Im, S.O. 2004. Species composition and seasonal variations of fishes in eelgrass (Zostera marina) bed in Jindong Bay. M.S.Thesis, Pukyong National University, Pusan. 72 pp.
A. Kanamoto (1979) ArticleTitleOn the ecology of Hexagrammid fish 5. Food items of Agrammus agrammus and Hexagrammos otakii sampled from different habitats around a small reef Jap. J. Ecol. 29 265–271
A. Keast (1978) ArticleTitleTrophic and spatial interrelationships in the fish species of an Ontario temperate lake Env. Biol. Fishes 3 7–31 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF00006306
T. Kikuchi (1966) ArticleTitleAn ecological study on animal communities of the Zostera marina belt in Tomioka Bay, Amakusa, Kyushu Pub. Amak. Mar. Biol. Lab. 1 1–106
T. Kikuchi Y. Yamashita (1992) ArticleTitleSeasonal occurrence of gobiid fish and their food habits in a small mud flat in Amakusa Pub. Amak. Mar. Biol. Lab. 11 73–93
C.K. Kim Y.J. Kang (1997) ArticleTitleStomach contents analysis of fat greenling, Hexagrammos otakii J. Kor. Fish. Soc. 30 432–441
I.S. Kim Y.J. Kang (1993) Coloured Fishes of Korea Academy Publishing Co. Seoul 478
C.J. Krebs (1989) Ecological Methodology Harper and Row New York 654
S.N. Kwak S.H. Huh (2002) ArticleTitleFeeding habits of Platycephalus indicus in eelgrass (Zostera marina) bed in Kwangyang Bay Kor. J. Ichthyol. 14 29–35
Kwak, S.N. 1997. Biotic communities and feeding ecology of fish in Zoatera marina bed off Dae Island in Kwangyang Bay. Ph.D. Thesis, Pukyong National University, Pusan. 411 pp.
S.N. Kwak D.W. Klumpp S.H. Huh (2001) ArticleTitleFeeding habits of Trumpeter whiting, Sillago maculata in the tropical seagrass bed of Cockle Bay, Queensland Kor. J. Ichthyol. 14 29–35
R.J. Livingstone (1982) ArticleTitleTrophic organization of fishes in a coastal seagrass system Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 7 1–12
V.V. Maksimenkov (1999) ArticleTitleFeeding of the young of white-spotted greenling, Hexagrammos stelleri, in Karaginskii Bay, Bering Sea Russ. J. Mar. Biol. 25 347–349
H. Masuda K. Amaoka C. Arago T. Ueno T. Yoshino (1984) The Fishes of the Japanese Archipelago Tokai Univ. Press Tokyo 437
V.M. Matyushin P.A. Fedotov (1992) ArticleTitleFeeding of masked greenling in grass-wrack communities of Vityaz Bay, Sea of Japan Biol. Moray/Mar. Biol. 3 IssueID4 33–37
V.M. Matyushin P.A. Fedotov (1993) ArticleTitleFeeding of masked greenling in a Zostera community in Vityaz Bay of the Sea of Japan Russ. J. Mar. Biol. 18 33–37
E.R. Pianka (1981) Competition and niche theory R.M. May (Eds) Sinauer Assocates Sunderland Massachusetts 167–196
O Pushchina D.V. Antonenko (2000) ArticleTitleFeeding habits of the Alaska Greenling Hexagrammos octogrammus in the coastal waters of Amurskii Bay (Sea of Japan) Russ. J. Mar. Biol. 26 218–221
Y. Qing (1992) ArticleTitleFeeding habits of greenling from coastal off Qingdao Trans. Ocea. and Limnol./Hai. Huz. Tong 4 50–55
A.I. Robertson D.W. Klumpp (1983) ArticleTitleFeeding habits of the southern Australian Garfish Hyporhampus melanochir: A diurnal herbivore and nocturnal carnivore Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 10 197–201
A.I. Robertson R.K. Howard (1978) ArticleTitleDiel trophic interactions between vertically migrating zooplankton and their fish predators in an eelgrass community Mar. Biol. 48 207–213 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF00397146
T.W. Schoener (1970) ArticleTitleNonsynchronous spatial overlap of lizards in patchy habitats Ecology 51 408–418
T.W. Schoener (1974) ArticleTitleResource partitioning in ecological communities Science (NY) 185 27–39
J. M. Wright (1988) ArticleTitleRecruitment patterns and trophic relationships of fish in Sulaibikhat Bay, Kuwait J. Fish Biol. 33 671–687
C.H. Yoon (2002) Fishes of Korea with Pictorial Key and Systematic List Academy Publ. Co Seoul 747
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kwak, S.N., Baeck, G.W. & Klumpp, D.W. Comparative Feeding Ecology of Two Sympatric Greenling Species, Hexagrammos otakii and Hexagrammos agrammus in Eelgrass Zostera marina Beds. Environ Biol Fish 74, 129–140 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-005-7429-1
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-005-7429-1