Trophic ecology of terapontid fishes (Pisces : Terapontidae): the role of morphology and ontogeny
Aaron M. Davis A D , Bradley J. Pusey B and Richard G. Pearson C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Australian Centre for Tropical Freshwater Research, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld 4811, Australia.
B Tropical Rivers and Coastal Knowledge, Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Qld 4111, Australia.
C School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld 4811, Australia.
D Corresponding author. Email: aaron.davis@jcu.edu.au
Marine and Freshwater Research 63(2) 128-141 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF11105
Submitted: 10 May 2011 Accepted: 19 October 2011 Published: 21 November 2011
Abstract
With the covariation between fish form and function of long-standing interest to fish biologists, ecomorphological research provides a framework for assessing the interaction between the morphology of an organism and their ecology. Whereas ecomorphological studies of Australian fishes are rare, the terapontid grunters are an ideal candidate for study because of their diversity of dietary habits. We examined the morphological correlates of the diet of 21 species of northern Australia’s terapontids and their constituent ontogenetic trophic units. Preliminary analyses focusing on morphology identified the role of allometric growth – in characters such as intestinal length, maxilla length and mouth width – as driving considerable ontogenetic divergence in interspecific morphological trajectories. A significant relationship was identified between diet and morphology across species, although morphology explained only half of the observed dietary variation. Body size, and its relationship to allometric development of several morphological parameters, appears to constrain the trophic habits expressed by many terapontids at different life-history stages. Many of the diet–morphology relationships evident within the Terapontidae parallel those seen in other studies, providing substantial corroboration for the ecomorphological approach. This demonstrates that selective pressures have driven morphology in terapontids to converge morphologically with other ecologically comparable fishes across the globe.
Additional keywords: allometric scaling, body size, convergence, ecomorphology.
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