Trophic significance of microzooplankton to commercially important small pelagic fishes along the southwest coast of India

Nair, Preetha G and Joseph, Shoji and Pillai, V N and Kripa, V and Hatha, Mohamed (2021) Trophic significance of microzooplankton to commercially important small pelagic fishes along the southwest coast of India. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. pp. 1-13.

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Abstract

Microzooplankton is an important component in the plankton food web transferring microbial food web carbon to the higher trophic levels, including fishes. This study investigates the role and significance of microzooplankton in the diet of three economically important small pelagic fishes along the southwest coast of India: Indian oil sardine (Sardinella longiceps), Indian mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta) and Commerson’s anchovy (Stolephorous commersoni). The diet content of oil sardine was dominated by diatoms throughout the year with an increase in the presence of microzooplankton and copepods during the Northeast Monsoon. Phytoplankton, microzooplankton and copepods represented the diet of Indian mackerel throughout the year. Commerson’s anchovy differed considerably in their diet composition from both Indian oil sardine and Indian mackerel as they chiefly depended on a carnivorous diet feeding on copepods, fish eggs, ostracods, lucifers and microzooplankton. The present study concludes that organic carbon from the microbial food web also, through microzooplankton, provides nutritional support to small pelagic fishes along the southwest coast of India but in varying degrees depending on the fish species as well the seasons.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Microzooplankton; Copepods; Food web; Feeding; Pelagic fishes; Diatoms; Eastern Arabian Sea
Subjects:	Marine Biology Marine Biology > Zooplankton
Divisions:	CMFRI-Kochi > Fishery Environment Management Division Subject Area > CMFRI > CMFRI-Kochi > Fishery Environment Management Division CMFRI-Kochi > Fishery Environment Management Division Subject Area > CMFRI-Kochi > Fishery Environment Management Division CMFRI-Kochi > Mariculture Division Subject Area > CMFRI > CMFRI-Kochi > Mariculture Division CMFRI-Kochi > Mariculture Division Subject Area > CMFRI-Kochi > Mariculture Division
Depositing User:	Arun Surendran
Date Deposited:	30 Jul 2021 09:11
Last Modified:	30 Jul 2021 09:11
URI:	http://eprints.cmfri.org.in/id/eprint/15188

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