The food and feeding of Etrumeus whiteheadi Wongratana 1983, off the Cape Province of South Africa

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dc.contributor.advisorField, John Gen_ZA
dc.contributor.advisorBrownell, Charles Len_ZA
dc.contributor.authorWallace-Fincham, Beverley Pastorahen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2016-09-29T17:15:48Z
dc.date.available2016-09-29T17:15:48Z
dc.date.issued1987en_ZA
dc.descriptionBibliography: pages 70-74.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractFeeding of the redeye roundherring Etrumeus whiteheadi Wongratana 1983, was investigated off the west and south coasts of the Cape Province of South Africa. Fish from the west coast were collected in April and May 1984, those from the south coast during November 1983 and 1984. Diet was determined from stomach contents. Dry mass and numbers of food items are presented. Copepods were the principal food off the south coast, constituting a mean of 67% (range: 60-75%) by mass of gut contents in juveniles, a mean of 59% (range 44-88%) in the transitional juvenile/adult size class and a mean of 43% (range: 30-73%) by mass in the adults. Adult and larval stages of euphausiids were also an important dietary component of these fish, comprising a mean of 10% (range: 0-18%) by mass in the juveniles, a mean of 14% (range: 7-18%) in the transitional juvenile/adult size class and a mean of 52% (range: 27-63%) by mass in the adults. On the west coast chaetognaths appeared to be the principal food item of the juvenile fish examined, yielding values as high as 99% by mass. Other less important prey in both areas included cladocerans, ostracods, fish eggs, pteropods, bivalve larvae, squid and juvenile fish. Phytoplankton formed a negligible component of the diet. It was present in minute quantities in the west coast fish only. Diurnal feeding patterns were investigated for both areas. Total mass of stomach contents constituted a maximum of 1.2% of total fish mass off the south coast in November 1983, and a maximum of 0.85% in November 1984. Off the west coast, where juveniles only were sampled, the stomach content mass made up to 7% of body mass. Stomachs were fullest in the afternoon and early evening and it is inferred that feeding takes place during daylight hours. Predator-prey size relationships were investigated using two methods. The first method involved testing the correlation between fish mass and prey mass and the second employed Ursin's procedure using predator-prey mass ratios. Predator size was found to have a small effect on diet composition.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationWallace-Fincham, B. P. (1987). <i>The food and feeding of Etrumeus whiteheadi Wongratana 1983, off the Cape Province of South Africa</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Science ,Department of Biological Sciences. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/22016en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationWallace-Fincham, Beverley Pastorah. <i>"The food and feeding of Etrumeus whiteheadi Wongratana 1983, off the Cape Province of South Africa."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Science ,Department of Biological Sciences, 1987. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/22016en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationWallace-Fincham, B. 1987. The food and feeding of Etrumeus whiteheadi Wongratana 1983, off the Cape Province of South Africa. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Wallace-Fincham, Beverley Pastorah AB - Feeding of the redeye roundherring Etrumeus whiteheadi Wongratana 1983, was investigated off the west and south coasts of the Cape Province of South Africa. Fish from the west coast were collected in April and May 1984, those from the south coast during November 1983 and 1984. Diet was determined from stomach contents. Dry mass and numbers of food items are presented. Copepods were the principal food off the south coast, constituting a mean of 67% (range: 60-75%) by mass of gut contents in juveniles, a mean of 59% (range 44-88%) in the transitional juvenile/adult size class and a mean of 43% (range: 30-73%) by mass in the adults. Adult and larval stages of euphausiids were also an important dietary component of these fish, comprising a mean of 10% (range: 0-18%) by mass in the juveniles, a mean of 14% (range: 7-18%) in the transitional juvenile/adult size class and a mean of 52% (range: 27-63%) by mass in the adults. On the west coast chaetognaths appeared to be the principal food item of the juvenile fish examined, yielding values as high as 99% by mass. Other less important prey in both areas included cladocerans, ostracods, fish eggs, pteropods, bivalve larvae, squid and juvenile fish. Phytoplankton formed a negligible component of the diet. It was present in minute quantities in the west coast fish only. Diurnal feeding patterns were investigated for both areas. Total mass of stomach contents constituted a maximum of 1.2% of total fish mass off the south coast in November 1983, and a maximum of 0.85% in November 1984. Off the west coast, where juveniles only were sampled, the stomach content mass made up to 7% of body mass. Stomachs were fullest in the afternoon and early evening and it is inferred that feeding takes place during daylight hours. Predator-prey size relationships were investigated using two methods. The first method involved testing the correlation between fish mass and prey mass and the second employed Ursin's procedure using predator-prey mass ratios. Predator size was found to have a small effect on diet composition. DA - 1987 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 1987 T1 - The food and feeding of Etrumeus whiteheadi Wongratana 1983, off the Cape Province of South Africa TI - The food and feeding of Etrumeus whiteheadi Wongratana 1983, off the Cape Province of South Africa UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/22016 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/22016
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationWallace-Fincham BP. The food and feeding of Etrumeus whiteheadi Wongratana 1983, off the Cape Province of South Africa. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Science ,Department of Biological Sciences, 1987 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/22016en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Biological Sciencesen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Scienceen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherZoologyen_ZA
dc.titleThe food and feeding of Etrumeus whiteheadi Wongratana 1983, off the Cape Province of South Africaen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMScen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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