ANALYSIS OF THE STOMACH CONTENTS OF ANTARCTIC KRILL, EUPHAUSIA SUPERBA DANA

Diet components of Euphausia superba of 12 sexual maturity stages from the adjacent waters off the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica were analysed. The major points observed are summaried as follows: 135 taxa of nano- and microorganisms were found in stomach contents of Euphausia superba, of which, the diatoms make up 60% of the total species number. Planktonic nano- diatoms and nano- flagellates smaller than 20μm in diameter accounted for 85 % of diet total number. The dominant species in the stomach contents were Nitzschia angulata f. minima, N. curta f. minima, N. curta,Chrysostomum sp. , the mean cell number of these species was about 56. 99 cells/ind. , The stomach fullness increases gradually with the sexual mature of the krill.

Feeding habit and seasonal variation of stomach contents of sand dabs, Pseudopleuronectes yokohamae, in the South Bohai Sea

Sand dabs, an important commercial flatfish in the Bohai Sea, has recently decreased gradually in biomass, resulting from overfishing and marine pollution. Artificial culture and multiplication of sand dabs are essential and practical in China. The present paper examines the food habitof this fish to provide detailed information for its culture and multiplication.

Impacts of sample size for stomach content analysis on the estimation of ecosystem indices

This study used Ecopath model of the Jiaozhou Bay as an example to evaluate the effect of stomach sample size of three fish species on the projection of this model. The derived ecosystem indices were classified into three categories:(1) direct indices, like the trophic level of species, influenced by stomach sample size directly;(2)indirect indices, like ecology efficiency(EE) of invertebrates, influenced by the multiple prey-predator relationships;and(3) systemic indices, like total system throughout(TST), describing the status of the whole ecosystem. The influences of different stomach sample sizes on these indices were evaluated. The results suggest that systemic indices of the ecosystem model were robust to stomach sample sizes, whereas specific indices related to species were indicated to be with low accuracy and precision when stomach samples were insufficient.The indices became more uncertain when the stomach sample sizes varied for more species. This study enhances the understanding of how the quality of diet composition data influences ecosystem modeling outputs. The results can also guide the design of stomach content analysis for developing ecosystem models.

Prey decline leads to diet shift in the largest population of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins?

The Pearl River Delta(PRD)region on the southeast coast of China has long been known as a highly productive fishing ground.Since the late 1980s,fishing pressure in the PRD has been intense,which warrants concerns of potential fishery-related impacts on the food resources and foraging ecology of apex marine predators in this region,such as the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin(Sousa chinensis).In this study,we examined 54 stomachs with food remains,collected from beached carcasses of humpback dolphins recovered during fifteen years between 2003 and 2017.The 6043 identified prey items represent 62 teleost taxa,primarily small estuarine fish,but also larger reef fish.The dolphins appear to be opportunistic foragers,hunting across the water-column,with preference for shoaling and meaty fishes(e.g.Collichthys lucidus IRI%=38.6%,Johnius belangerii IRI%=23.1%,Mugil cephalus IRI%=14.0%).Our findings suggest a dietary shift in recent years,from primarily demersal(as previously reported)to greater intake of neritic and pelagic fish.Dolphin foraging group size has decreased in recent years,which corresponds with declining size and numbers of prey items retrieved from dolphin stomachs.We suggest that these are indicators of declining food resources.Faced with a shortage of preferred prey,humpback dolphins may have broadened their dietary spectrum to maintain their daily energy intake,while their foraging group size decreased in response to the altered tradeoff between the costs and benefits of group foraging.

Diet composition of post-metamorphic bullfrogs(Rana catesbeiana)in the Zhoushan archipelago,Zhejiang Province,China

Bullfrogs(Rana catesbeiana)are listed as one of the 100 worst invasive alien species in the world.They are generalist predators and thus may affect native species through predation.In previous studies,the food contents of bullfrogs were mostly examined at a single site.In the present study,the diet composition of post-metamorphic bullfrogs on eight islands(Daishan,Liuheng,Xiushan,Fodu,Taohua,Xiashi,Cezi,and Putuoshan)in the Zhoushan Archipelago,Zhejiang Province of China,were examined by using the stomach flushing method from June 30 to August 11 in 2005.A total of 391 individual frogs were measured,including 113 adults and 278 juveniles.The analysis of the stomach contents shows that,for adult bullfrogs,the most important prey(by diet volume)overall were Decapoda,Coleoptera,Odonata,Mesogastropoda,Raniformes,and Cypriniformes.For juvenile bullfrogs,these were Decapoda,Coleoptera,Cypriniformes,Odonata,Orthoptera,Hymenoptera,Lepidoptera larvae,Mesogastropoda,and Raniformes.Moreover,the prey size and diet volume increased with the body size of both adult and juvenile bullfrogs.The diet composition of primary preys of bullfrogs was significantly different among the islands.The results indicate that bullfrogs exert different predatory influences on native fauna at different sites and that bullfrogs are generalist predators with extensive ecological impacts on native fauna.