A study of food habits of two species of silverside, Menidia beryllina (Cope) and Membras martinica (Valenciennes), in upper Galveston Bay, Texas.

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dc.acquisition-srcen_US
dc.call-noQL638.A8 D5 c.2 GBAYen_US
dc.contract-noen_US
dc.contributor.authorDixon, C.A.en_US
dc.contributor.otheren_US
dc.date.accessioned2010-02-15T16:59:50Z
dc.date.available2010-02-15T16:59:50Z
dc.date.issued1974en_US
dc.degreeen_US
dc.description52 p., Thesisen_US
dc.description-otheren_US
dc.description.abstractThe food habits of the tidewater silverside, Menidia beryllina, and the rough silverside, Membras martinica, from upper Galveston Bay, were investigated. Both species of fishes were found to be omnivorous and opportunistic, feeding upon available or abundant food items. Both species changed their food habits with successive increases in size. Important foods for M. beryllina 10-49 mm consisted of Acartia tonsa, nauplii, polychaetes, and some harpacticoids. Important foods for M. beryllina, 50 mm and larger consisted of some insects, polychaetes, and smaller fish. Smaller M. martinica 10-49 mm used Acartia tonsa, nauplii, insects, algae, and invertebrate eggs, with the 50 mm and larger fish switching to a diet of mostly insects and insect larvae. Both species demonstrated late morning peaks in feeding activity, however, only M. beryllina displayed a pronounced late afternoon peak. Both species appear to avoid competing with each other through the use of different food types. Those food items that were used by both species tended to be those organisms which were present in high abundances during certain times of the year. M. beryllina appeared to feed from all areas of the water column possibly favoring the benthic and mid-water zones. M. martinica appeared to favor the mid-water and surface portions of the water column.en_US
dc.description.urihttp://gbic.tamug.edu/request.htmen_US
dc.geo-codeGalveston Bayen_US
dc.historyen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1969.3/20815
dc.latitudeen_US
dc.locationGBIC Collectionen_US
dc.longitudeen_US
dc.notesen_US
dc.placeCollege Station, Texasen_US
dc.publisherTexas A&M University.en_US
dc.relation.ispartofseries3007.00en_US
dc.relation.urien_US
dc.scaleen_US
dc.seriesen_US
dc.subjectMenidia beryllinaen_US
dc.subjecttidewater silversideen_US
dc.subjectMembras martinicaen_US
dc.subjectrough silversideen_US
dc.subjectAcartia tonsaen_US
dc.subjectnaupliien_US
dc.subjectpolychaetesen_US
dc.subjectaquatic insectsen_US
dc.subjectalgaeen_US
dc.subjecteggsen_US
dc.subjectfeeding behavioren_US
dc.subjectinsect larvaeen_US
dc.subjectfood availabilityen_US
dc.titleA study of food habits of two species of silverside, Menidia beryllina (Cope) and Membras martinica (Valenciennes), in upper Galveston Bay, Texas.en_US
dc.typeBooken_US
dc.universityen_US
dc.vol-issueen_US

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