Register      Login
Marine and Freshwater Research Marine and Freshwater Research Society
Advances in the aquatic sciences
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > MF > MF05040
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 57(2)

Trophic relationships between itinerant fish and crab larvae in a temperate Australian saltmarsh

Debashish Mazumder A D , Neil Saintilan B and Robert J. Williams C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, PMB 1, Menai, NSW 2234, Australia.

B River and Wetlands Unit, Department of Environment and Conservation, PO Box A 290, Sydney South, NSW 1232, Australia.

C Department of Primary Industry, Cronulla Fisheries Centre, 202 Nicholson Pde, Cronulla, NSW 2230, Australia.

D Corresponding author. Email: debashish.mazumder@ansto.gov.au

Marine and Freshwater Research 57(2) 193-199 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF05040
Submitted: 5 March 2005  Accepted: 16 January 2006   Published: 23 February 2006

Abstract

Comparisons of zooplankton inputs and outputs for a temperate Australian saltmarsh demonstrate a substantial contribution of crab larvae to the ebbing tide water, particularly during the cooler months. Few crab larvae were present in the incoming tide (mean abundance 4 m−3), whereas many crab larvae were present in the outgoing water (mean abundance 2124.63 m−3). Stomach content analysis of itinerant fish exiting the saltmarsh with the ebbing tide demonstrated extremely high proportions of crab larvae in the gut of glassfish (Ambassis jacksoniensis), as well as flat tail mullet (Liza argentea) and blue eye (Pseudomugil signifer). The results suggest a direct trophic link between secondary production of saltmarsh and itinerant fish, and a significant ecological role for burrowing crabs occupying saltmarshes in temperate Australia in the trophic food web of saltmarsh–estuarine systems.

Extra keywords: burrowing crabs, estuarine, juvenile fish, Towra Point.


Acknowledgments

This research was supported by an Australian Research Council APAI scholarship to DM and funding by the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources (DIPNR), and NSW Fisheries. National Parks and Wildlife Service provided access to Towra Point Nature Reserve. Fish samples were collected under Ethics Permit No. AW2001/004.


References

Adam, P. , Wilson, N. C. , and Huntley, B. (1988). The phytosociology of coastal saltmarsh vegetation in New South Wales. Wetlands (Australia) 7, 35–84.
Christy J., and Stancyk S. E. (1982). Timing of larval production and flux of invertebrate larvae in well-mixed estuary. In ‘Estuarine Comparisons’. (Ed. V. S. Kennedy.) pp. 505–520. (Academic Press: New York.)

Clark, L. D. , and Hannon, N. J. (1967). The mangrove swamp and saltmarsh communities of the Sydney district. I. Vegetation, soil and climate. Journal of Ecology 55, 753–771.
Clarke K. R., and Warwick R. M. (2001). ‘Changes in Marine Communities: An Approach to Statistical Analysis and Interpretation.’ 2nd edn. (PRIMER-E: Plymouth, United Kingdom.)

Connolly, R. M. , Dalton, A. , and Bass, D. A. (1997). Fish use of an inundated saltmarsh flat in a temperate Australian estuary. Australian Journal of Ecology 22, 222–226.
Hollingsworth A., and Connolly R. M. (2005). Feeding by glassfish on a subtropical saltmarsh: higher value than other habitats. In ‘Australasian Saltmarshes 2005, Book of Abstracts’. (Ed. N. Saintilan.) (Australian Catholic University: Sydney.)

Hughes L. (2004). ‘Coastal Saltmarsh in the NSW North Coast, Sydney Basin and South East Corner Bioregions – Proposed Endangered Ecological Community Listing.’ (NSW Scientific Committee, National Parks and Wildlife Service.)

Kneib, R. T. , and Wagner, S. L. (1994). Nekton use of vegetated marsh habitats at different stages of tidal inundation. Marine Ecology Progress Series 106, 227–238.
Mazumder D. (2004). Contribution of saltmarshes to temperate estuarine fish. Ph.D. Thesis, Australian Catholic University.

Mazumder, D. , and Saintilan, N. (2003). A comparison of sampling techniques in the assessment of burrowing crab abundance in saltmarsh and mangrove in temperate Australia. Wetlands (Australia) 21(1), 1–15.
Nixon S. W. (1980). Between coastal marshes and coastal waters – a review of twenty years of speculation and research on the role of salt marshes in estuarine productivity and water chemistry. In ‘Marine Science, Volume II: Estuarine and wetland process’. (Eds P. Hamilton and K. B. MacDonald.) (Plenum Press: New York.)

Pearcy, W. G. , and Richards, S. W. (1962). Distribution and ecology of fishes of the Mystic River estuary, Connecticut. Ecology 43, 248–259.
Sandifer P. A. (1975). The role of pelagic larvae in recruitment to populations of adult decapod crustaceans in York River estuary and adjacent lower Chesapeake Bay, Virginia. Estuarine and Coastal Marine Science 3, 269–279.

Talbot, C. W. , and Able, K. W. (1984). Composition and distribution of larval fishes in New Jersey high marshes. Estuaries 7, 434–443.
Underwood A. J., and Chapman M. G. (1989). ‘GMAV5 for Windows.’ (Institute of Marine Ecology, University of Sydney, Australia.)

Weinstein, M. P. (1979). Shallow marsh habitats as primary nurseries for fishes and shellfish, Cape Fear River, North Carolina, United States National Marine Fisheries Service. Fishery Bulletin 77, 339–356.