Skip to main content
  • Published:

On the biology and food of small-sized fish from North and Baltic Sea areas. IV. Investigations on an eulittoral mud flat at Sylt Island

Abstract

The fish fauna of an eulittoral mud flat was investigated at Sylt Island (North Sea) with special regard to its food uptake. During the course of a year the following species were caught:Pomatoschistus microps, Anguilla anguilla (elvers),Zoarces viviparus, andGasterosteus aculeatus. Considering the potentially available food, the most abundant organisms of the benthos were harpacticoids and nematodes, whereas in the phytal layer gastropods and gammarids were dominant. The benthic biomass was found to be greatest in spring, while phytal organisms were most abundant in late summer. The greatest fish density was stated in September 1974 though onlyP. microps was present. The fish biomass was highest in spring when the elvers appeared. The main food ofP. microps was epibenthos; in the diet ofA. anguilla phytal organisms dominated over epibenthos, inG. aculeatus suprabenthic organisms were also present. The most prominent food component by biomass was gammarids in all investigated fish, whereas harpacticoids were only dominant in number. During the course of the year the biomass of ingested food yielded highest values in summer and autumn, but lowest in winter. A very great predatory activity was found in September 1974, which possibly caused a grazing effect on harpacticoids. An estimation of the turnover rate of small-sized fish in this month led to a value of 70 mg dry weight m−2 · d−1.

Literature cited

  • Ankar, S. & Elmgren, R., 1976. The Baltic macro- and meiofauna of the Askö-Landsort-Area (Northern Baltic Proper). — Contr. Askö Lab.11, 1–115.

    Google Scholar 

  • Casabianca, M. L. & Kiener, A., 1969. Gobiidés des étangs Corses: Systématique, écologie, régime alimentaire et position dans les chaînes trophiques. — Vie Milieu (A)20, 611–634.

    Google Scholar 

  • Giere, O., 1970. Untersuchungen zur Mikrozonierung und Ökologie mariner Oligochaeten im Sylter Watt. — Veröff. Inst. Meeresforsch. Bremerhaven12, 491–529.

    Google Scholar 

  • Giere, O., 1973. Oxygen in the marine hygropsammal and the vertical microdistribution of oligochaetes. — Mar. Biol.21, 180–189.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Groth, V., 1978. Nahrungsbeziehungen von Kleinfischen im Elbemündungsbereich. — Dipl. Arbeit, Hamburg, 60 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gründel, E., 1976. Qualitative und quantitative Untersuchungen an einem Ökosystem “Zostera-Wiese” vor Surendorf (Kieler Bucht, Westliche Ostsee). — Rep. SFB 95, Univ. Kiel18, 1–157,

    Google Scholar 

  • Healey, M. C., 1972. On the population ecology of the common goby in the Ythan estuary. — J. nat. Hist.6, 133–145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hennig, R. & Zander, C. D., 1981. Zur Biologie und Nahrung von Kleinfischen des Nord- und Ostsee-Bereichs. III. Die Besiedlung eines Süßwasserwatts der Elbe durch euryhaline Fische. — Arch. Hydrobiol. (Suppl.)43, 487–505.

    Google Scholar 

  • Howes, N. H., 1939. Observations on the biology and postembryonic development ofIdothea viridis from New England Creek, south east Essex. — J. mar. biol. Ass. U. K.23, 279–310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hureau, J. C., 1969. Biologie comparée de quelques poissons antarctiques (Nothotheneidae). — Bull. Inst. océanogr. Monaco68, 1–250.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hynes, H. B. N., 1950. The food of fresh-water sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus andPygosteus pungitius), with a review of methods used in studies of the food of fishes. — J. Anim. Ecol.19, 36–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kühl, H., 1972. Hydrography and biology of the Elbe estuary. — Oceanogr. mar. Biol.10, 225–309.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kunz, Y., 1969. Salinity preference and salinity tolerance of the katadromous teleostPomatoschistus (Gobius) microps Krøyer. — Proc. R. Ir. Acad. (B)68, 77–88.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, P. J., 1964. The biology of the gobyPomatoschistus microps. — Rep. Challenger Soc.3, (16), 42–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Möller, S., Brenning, U. & Arlt, G., 1976. Untersuchungen über die Meiofauna des Barther Boddens unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Nematoden. — Wiss. Z. Univ. Rostock25, 271–281.

    Google Scholar 

  • Müller, H., 1975. Die Aale. Ziemsen, Wittenberg-Lutherstadt, 200 pp.

  • Münzing, J., 1966. Variabilität, Verbreitung und Ökologie vonPungitius pungitius (L.) (Pisces) in Norddeutschland. — Faunist.-ökol. Mitt.3, 36–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muus, B. J., 1967. The fauna of Danish estuaries and lagoons. — Meddr Danm. Fisk.-og Havunders. (N. S.)5, 1–316.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reise, K., 1977. Predator exclusion experiments in an intertidal mudflat. — Helgoländer wiss. Meeresunters.30, 263–271.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reise, K., 1979. Moderate predation on meiofauna by the macrobenthos of the Wadden Sea. — Helgoländer wiss. Meeresunters.32, 453–465.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt-Moser, R. & Westphal, D., 1981. Predation ofPomatoschistus microps (Krøyer) andP. minutus (Pallas) (Gobiidae, Pisces) on macro- and meiofauna in the brackish fjord Schlei. — Kieler Meeresforsch. (Sonderbd)5, 471–478.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skoolmun, P. & Gerlach, S. A., 1971. Jahreszeitliche Fluktuationen der Nematodenfauna im Gezeitenbereich des Weser-Ästuars (Deutsche Bucht). — Veröff. Inst. Meeresforsch. Bremerhaven13, 119–138.

    Google Scholar 

  • Worthmann, H., 1975. Die Makrobenthos- und Fischbesiedlung in verschiedenen Flachwassergebieten der Kieler Bucht (Westliche Ostsee). Dipl. Arbeit, Kiel, 141 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zander, C. D., 1979a. On the biology and food of small-sized fish from the North and Baltic Sea area. I. Investigations onPomatoschistus pictus (Malm) (Gobiidae) from Helgoland. — Zool. Anz.202, 413–424.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zander, C. D., 1979b. On the biology and food of small-sized fish from the North and Baltic Sea areas. II. Investigation of a shallow stony ground off Møn, Denmark. — Ophelia18, 179–190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zander, C.D., Hartwig, E. On the biology and food of small-sized fish from North and Baltic Sea areas. IV. Investigations on an eulittoral mud flat at Sylt Island. Helgolander Meeresunters 35, 47–63 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02289834

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02289834

Keywords