Trophic ecology of northern Australia's terapontids: ontogenetic dietary shifts and feeding classification

Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Davis, A.M.;Pearson, R.G.;Pusey, B.J.;Perna, C.;Morgan, D.L.;Burrows, D.
Aaron Davis
Abstract

The diets of 21 terapontid species from freshwater environments in northern Australia were investigated to determine the similarity and dissimilarity among species and the extent of any ontogenetic shifts. Distinct ontogenetic dietary shifts occurred in all species for which sufficient data were available, with many species passing through several discrete trophic categories during their life histories. Diets of all juvenile terapontids were similar, mainly comprising aquatic insects and zooplankton. Larger size classes of terapontids diverged into a broad spectrum of feeding groups comprising carnivorous dietary modes (including piscivory and lepidophagy), omnivory (including frugivory and consumption of allochthonous prey), herbivory and detritivory. The results indicate that the terapontids represent Australia's most trophically diverse freshwater fish family.

Journal

Journal of Fish Biology

Publication Name

Journal of Fish Biology

Volume

78

ISBN/ISSN

1095-8649

Edition

N/A

Issue

1

Pages Count

22

Location

N/A

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell

Publisher Url

N/A

Publisher Location

N/A

Publish Date

N/A

Url

N/A

Date

N/A

EISSN

N/A

DOI

10.1111/j.1095-8649.2010.02862.x