Pa. Shelverton et Cg. Carter, The effect of ration on behaviour, food consumption and growth in juvenilegreenback flounder (Rhombosolea tapirina : Teleostei), J MARINE BI, 78(4), 1998, pp. 1307-1320
Citations number
38
Categorie Soggetti
Aquatic Sciences
Journal title
JOURNAL OF THE MARINE BIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED KINGDOM
This study examined the relationships between food ration, intra- and inter
individual variation in food consumption, observed behaviours and the growt
h of individual juvenile greenback flounder (Rhombosolea tapirina: Teleoste
i) held singly and in groups. Agonistic, feeding and neutral behavioural un
its were identified and described using video records and focal sampling. A
gonistic behaviour, including nipping and pushing, were infrequent and acco
unted for <5% of behavioural units. The influence of food ration upon agoni
stic behaviour was investigated using three groups of six flounder offered
either a low, medium or high food ration. The total number of agonistic beh
aviours recorded in each group did not differ significantly (P > 0.05) sugg
esting food ration had little influence upon the total number of agonistic
behaviours performed. Single flounder showed less intra- and less interindi
vidual variation in day-to-day food consumption than in groups of six. Vari
ation in food consumption increased with increasing food ration in single a
nd in groups of flounder. Significant positive correlations between food co
nsumption, intraindividual variation in food consumption and specific growt
h rate provided indirect evidence for the presence of feeding hierarchies.
The small contribution made by agonistic behaviour to the total number of b
ehaviours recorded for each group suggests exploitation competition, as opp
osed to interference competition, was the dominant competitive mechanism em
ployed by juvenile greenback flounder.