Universität zu Köln

Heermann, Lisa, Scharf, Werner, van der Velde, Gerard and Borcherding, Jost ORCID: 0000-0003-3411-5861 (2014). Does the use of alternative food resources induce cannibalism in a size-structured fish population? Ecol. Freshw. Fish, 23 (2). S. 129 - 141. HOBOKEN: WILEY. ISSN 1600-0633

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Abstract

Cannibalism in fish has various effects at population and individual level. Cannibals derive energetic benefit by feeding on their smaller conspecifics, while at the same time reducing competition for the shared resource. Avoiding intracohort competition can force fish to use alternative feeding strategies, which may subsequently stimulate cannibalism. This study examined diet variation and intracohort cannibalism by young-of-the-year (YOY) European perch (Perca fluviatilis) after hatching in three stocking experiments in ponds based on stomach content and stable isotope analyses. Because zooplankton biomass decreased, YOY perch started to diverge in diet use, suggesting that increased intraspecific competition forced fish to try alternative feeding strategies. Larger YOY perch then fed on energetically richer resources (bream larvae or odonates) and hence outgrew their smaller conspecifics, becoming large enough to enable cannibalism. Thus, the widening of initial size differences by feeding on high-energy resources served as a stepping stone towards cannibalism. This differentiation into two size classes and two different feeding strategies was shown to be a stable pattern within the YOY perch population, as indicated by stable isotope analysis.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Heermann, Lisa UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Scharf, Werner UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED van der Velde, Gerard UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Borcherding, Jost UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0003-3411-5861 UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-441929
DOI:	10.1111/eff.12060
Journal or Publication Title:	Ecol. Freshw. Fish
Volume:	23
Number:	2
Page Range:	S. 129 - 141
Date:	2014
Publisher:	WILEY
Place of Publication:	HOBOKEN
ISSN:	1600-0633
Language:	English
Faculty:	Unspecified
Divisions:	Unspecified
Subjects:	no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language INDIVIDUAL SPECIALIZATION; PERCH POPULATIONS; ONTOGENIC NICHE; COMPETITION; DYNAMICS; GROWTH; MORTALITY; PREDATION; PSEUDOREPLICATION; HETEROGENEITY Multiple languages Fisheries; Marine & Freshwater Biology Multiple languages
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/44192