Seasonal and diel comparisons of the diets of four dominant fish species within the main channel and flood-zone of a small intermittently open estuary in south-eastern Australia

Abstract

The diets of four highly-abundant, dominant fish species within the Surrey River, a small intermittently open estuary in south-east Australia, were examined from specimens collected between July 2004 and June 2005. These four, similar-sized species (Atherinosoma microstoma, Galaxias maculatus, Philypnodon grandiceps and Pseudogobius olorum) have limited ability to spatially segregate along the length of the estuary owing to its small size relative to other estuarine habitats. All four species fed on a variety of prey items including crustaceans, insects and detritus. Despite this parity, the four species were demonstrated to occupy differing dietary niches that were concluded to be responsible for reducing interspecific feeding competition. Seasonal variations in the diets were observed for A. microstoma and Philypnodon grandiceps, with these species also exhibiting contrasting diel feeding behaviours. The closure of the estuary mouth led to the flooding of its margins, resulting in an increase in the size of the estuary and providing alternative food resources for the fish to exploit. It appears the inundation of the flood-zone facilitated further significant divergence in the diets of the fish and is likely to be of high ecological value to the estuary.