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Sources of nutrition supporting juvenile penaeid prawns in an Australian dry tropics estuary

Sources of nutrition supporting juvenile penaeid prawns in an Australian dry tropics estuary Prawn fisheries are among the main sources of income in several tropical countries, where juveniles of many species inhabit estuarine wetlands. Although plants in these wetlands are considered to be essential food sources for juvenile prawns, some studies suggest that wetland producers are of limited importance. In the present study, δ 13 C and δ 15 N were used to identify differences in diet between penaeid species and size classes, and to determine if terrestrial wetland producers are important for nutrition. Two estuarine floodplain pools were sampled: one surrounded by mangroves and one surrounded by salt marsh. There were differences in diet between species and size classes. As mangrove δ 13 C (–29.7 to –26.3‰) was very different from salt marsh δ 13 C (–16.3 to –15.4‰), the importance of these producers was examined by comparing the isotopic composition of the prawns between sites and by using the IsoSource model. Although aquatic sources were the most important, salt marsh grass was also a significant contributor, supporting the hypothesis that these wetland producers are important for juvenile prawn nutrition. There was no evidence that mangrove material was of major importance for any species, suggesting that mangrove productivity is not the primary reason for the occurrence of penaeid prawns in mangrove habitats. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Marine & Freshwater Research CSIRO Publishing

Sources of nutrition supporting juvenile penaeid prawns in an Australian dry tropics estuary

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Publisher
CSIRO Publishing
Copyright
CSIRO
ISSN
1323-1650
eISSN
1323-1650
DOI
10.1071/MF08269
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Prawn fisheries are among the main sources of income in several tropical countries, where juveniles of many species inhabit estuarine wetlands. Although plants in these wetlands are considered to be essential food sources for juvenile prawns, some studies suggest that wetland producers are of limited importance. In the present study, δ 13 C and δ 15 N were used to identify differences in diet between penaeid species and size classes, and to determine if terrestrial wetland producers are important for nutrition. Two estuarine floodplain pools were sampled: one surrounded by mangroves and one surrounded by salt marsh. There were differences in diet between species and size classes. As mangrove δ 13 C (–29.7 to –26.3‰) was very different from salt marsh δ 13 C (–16.3 to –15.4‰), the importance of these producers was examined by comparing the isotopic composition of the prawns between sites and by using the IsoSource model. Although aquatic sources were the most important, salt marsh grass was also a significant contributor, supporting the hypothesis that these wetland producers are important for juvenile prawn nutrition. There was no evidence that mangrove material was of major importance for any species, suggesting that mangrove productivity is not the primary reason for the occurrence of penaeid prawns in mangrove habitats.

Journal

Marine & Freshwater Research – CSIRO Publishing

Published: Sep 22, 2009

Keywords: carbon, diet, estuaries, Penaeidae, stable isotope analysis.

References

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