Inter- and Intra-Estuarine Comparison of the Feeding Ecology of Keystone Fish Species in the Elbe and Odra Estuaries
Food webs in estuarine ecosystems serve as important biological indicators. The feeding ecology of four keystone fish species, pikeperch (<i>Sander lucioperca</i> L.), smelt (<i>Osmerus eperlanus</i> L.), ruffe (<i>Gymnocephalus cernua</i> L.) and flounder (<i&...
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2410-3888/10/4/161 |
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| author | Jesse Theilen Sarah Storz Sofía Amieva-Mau Jessica Dohr Elena Hauten Raphael Koll Christian Möllmann Andrej Fabrizius Ralf Thiel |
| author_facet | Jesse Theilen Sarah Storz Sofía Amieva-Mau Jessica Dohr Elena Hauten Raphael Koll Christian Möllmann Andrej Fabrizius Ralf Thiel |
| author_sort | Jesse Theilen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Food webs in estuarine ecosystems serve as important biological indicators. The feeding ecology of four keystone fish species, pikeperch (<i>Sander lucioperca</i> L.), smelt (<i>Osmerus eperlanus</i> L.), ruffe (<i>Gymnocephalus cernua</i> L.) and flounder (<i>Platichthys flesus</i> L.), in the Elbe and Odra estuaries was analyzed using stomach content analyses. Important prey of pikeperch were fishes and mysids in both estuaries. Amphipods were especially important as prey for smelt in the Elbe estuary, whereas smelt caught in the Odra estuary mainly consumed mysids. Ruffe fed mainly on amphipods in the Elbe estuary, while annelids (lower section) and insect larvae (upper section) were the most important prey in the Odra estuary. Flounder favored copepods as prey in the Elbe estuary, while bivalves were preferred in the Odra estuary. Higher dietary overlaps were found in the Elbe estuary between smelt vs. ruffe, pikeperch vs. ruffe, and pikeperch vs. smelt. In the Elbe estuary, a shift in the diet composition of pikeperch, smelt, and ruffe was observed from 2021 to 2022 compared to food analyses from the 1990s. These shifts included an increased consumption of amphipods, while mysids and copepods had recently decreased in their diets. These changes indicate a restructuring of the food web, potentially linked to environmental changes, which highlights the sensitivity of estuarine ecosystems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-33302c56b38943f2b23b80a0d63db52d |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2410-3888 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Fishes |
| spelling | doaj-art-33302c56b38943f2b23b80a0d63db52d2025-08-20T02:28:14ZengMDPI AGFishes2410-38882025-04-0110416110.3390/fishes10040161Inter- and Intra-Estuarine Comparison of the Feeding Ecology of Keystone Fish Species in the Elbe and Odra EstuariesJesse Theilen0Sarah Storz1Sofía Amieva-Mau2Jessica Dohr3Elena Hauten4Raphael Koll5Christian Möllmann6Andrej Fabrizius7Ralf Thiel8Centre for Taxonomy and Morphology, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146 Hamburg, GermanyDepartment of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, Nautical and Maritime Transport, Biology, Bionics, City University of Applied Sciences, Neustadtswall 30, 28199 Bremen, GermanyFaculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture, Nord University, 8049 Bodø, NorwayIndependent Researcher, Elisabeth-Selbert-Straße 3, 28307 Bremen, GermanyInstitute of Marine Ecosystem and Fishery Science, University of Hamburg, Große Elbstraße 133, 22767 Hamburg, GermanyInstitute of Cell- and Systems Biology of Animals, Molecular Animal Physiology, University of Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146 Hamburg, GermanyInstitute of Marine Ecosystem and Fishery Science, University of Hamburg, Große Elbstraße 133, 22767 Hamburg, GermanyInstitute of Cell- and Systems Biology of Animals, Molecular Animal Physiology, University of Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146 Hamburg, GermanyIndependent Researcher, Moristeig 3a, 23556 Lübeck, GermanyFood webs in estuarine ecosystems serve as important biological indicators. The feeding ecology of four keystone fish species, pikeperch (<i>Sander lucioperca</i> L.), smelt (<i>Osmerus eperlanus</i> L.), ruffe (<i>Gymnocephalus cernua</i> L.) and flounder (<i>Platichthys flesus</i> L.), in the Elbe and Odra estuaries was analyzed using stomach content analyses. Important prey of pikeperch were fishes and mysids in both estuaries. Amphipods were especially important as prey for smelt in the Elbe estuary, whereas smelt caught in the Odra estuary mainly consumed mysids. Ruffe fed mainly on amphipods in the Elbe estuary, while annelids (lower section) and insect larvae (upper section) were the most important prey in the Odra estuary. Flounder favored copepods as prey in the Elbe estuary, while bivalves were preferred in the Odra estuary. Higher dietary overlaps were found in the Elbe estuary between smelt vs. ruffe, pikeperch vs. ruffe, and pikeperch vs. smelt. In the Elbe estuary, a shift in the diet composition of pikeperch, smelt, and ruffe was observed from 2021 to 2022 compared to food analyses from the 1990s. These shifts included an increased consumption of amphipods, while mysids and copepods had recently decreased in their diets. These changes indicate a restructuring of the food web, potentially linked to environmental changes, which highlights the sensitivity of estuarine ecosystems.https://www.mdpi.com/2410-3888/10/4/161estuariesfood websstomach contentfish |
| spellingShingle | Jesse Theilen Sarah Storz Sofía Amieva-Mau Jessica Dohr Elena Hauten Raphael Koll Christian Möllmann Andrej Fabrizius Ralf Thiel Inter- and Intra-Estuarine Comparison of the Feeding Ecology of Keystone Fish Species in the Elbe and Odra Estuaries Fishes estuaries food webs stomach content fish |
| title | Inter- and Intra-Estuarine Comparison of the Feeding Ecology of Keystone Fish Species in the Elbe and Odra Estuaries |
| title_full | Inter- and Intra-Estuarine Comparison of the Feeding Ecology of Keystone Fish Species in the Elbe and Odra Estuaries |
| title_fullStr | Inter- and Intra-Estuarine Comparison of the Feeding Ecology of Keystone Fish Species in the Elbe and Odra Estuaries |
| title_full_unstemmed | Inter- and Intra-Estuarine Comparison of the Feeding Ecology of Keystone Fish Species in the Elbe and Odra Estuaries |
| title_short | Inter- and Intra-Estuarine Comparison of the Feeding Ecology of Keystone Fish Species in the Elbe and Odra Estuaries |
| title_sort | inter and intra estuarine comparison of the feeding ecology of keystone fish species in the elbe and odra estuaries |
| topic | estuaries food webs stomach content fish |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2410-3888/10/4/161 |
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