Trophic interactions between native and exotic cichlids in a shallow tropical estuary (Lake Vembanad, India)
Kuttanelloor Roshni
A E , Chelapurath Radhakrishnan Renjithkumar A , Giri Bhavan Sreekanth B , Rajeev Raghavan C , Kutty Ranjeet A , Mahadevan Harikrishnan D and Balakrishnan Madhusoodana Kurup D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Department of Aquatic Environment Management, Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, Kochi 682506, India.
B Department of Fisheries Resource Management, ICAR-Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute, Ela 403402, Goa, India.
C Department of Fisheries Resource Management, Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, Kochi 682506, India.
D School of Industrial Fisheries, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi 682016, India.
E Corresponding author. Email: roshni.phd@gmail.com
Marine and Freshwater Research 73(3) 411-416 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF21044
Submitted: 8 February 2021 Accepted: 26 October 2021 Published: 8 December 2021
Abstract
Feeding ecology and seasonal diet variation between a non-native (Oreochromis mossambicus) and two native cichlids (Etroplus suratensis and Pseudetroplus maculatus) in a tropical estuary was studied. E. suratensis and O. mossambicus fed predominately on blue green algae, whereas P. maculatus preferred aquatic insects. Trophic niche breadth analysis showed that P. maculatus had a broader diet spectrum than did E. suratensis and O. mossambicus. Feeding strategy analysis through dominant prey items showed that E. suratensis and O. mossambicus preferred blue green algae, whereas P. maculatus relied mostly on animal diet (mainly insects), highlighting food segregation shown by this species compared with the other two large-growing cichlids. The highest diet overlap index value was recorded between E. suratensis and O. mossambicus (0.83), compared with P. maculatus and O. mossambicus (0.69), and E. suratensis and P. maculatus (0.64). Intensity of trophic interdependence among the three cichlids showed that the two, large growing species share available food resources, whereas the smaller species considerably alters its food preference.
Keywords: alien species, gut content analysis, niche breadth, diet overlap.
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