Swimming behavior of juvenile anchovies (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Anchoa</Emphasis> spp.) in an episodically hypoxic estuary: implications for individual energetics and trophic dynamics |
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Authors: | J Christopher Taylor Peter S Rand Jacqueline Jenkins |
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Institution: | (1) Center or Marine Sciences and Technology, North Carolina State University, 303 College Circle, Morehead City, NC 28557, USA;(2) The Wild Salmon Center, 721 NW 9th Avenue, Suite 280, Portland, OR 97209, USA;(3) Cape Fear Community College, 411 North Front Street, Wilmington, NC 28401, USA |
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Abstract: | Diel swimming behaviors of juvenile anchovies (Anchoa spp.) were observed using stationary hydroacoustics and synoptic physicochemical and zooplankton profiles during four unique
water quality scenarios in the Neuse River Estuary, NC, USA. Vertical distribution of fish was restricted to waters with DO
greater than 2.5 mg O2 l−1, except when greater than 70% of the water column was hypoxic and a subset of fish were occupying water with 1 mg O2 l−1. We made the prediction that an individual fish would select a swim speed that would maximize net energy gain given the abundance
and availability of prey in the normoxic waters. During the day, fish adopted swim speeds between 7 and 8.8 bl s−1 that were near the theoretical optimum speeds between 7.0 and 8.0 bl s−1. An exception was found during severe hypoxia, when fish were swimming at 60% above the optimum speed (observed speed = 10.6 bl s−1, expected = 6.4 bl s−1). The anchovy is a visual planktivore; therefore, we expected a diel activity pattern characteristic of a diurnal species,
with quiescence at night to minimize energetic costs. Under stratified and hypoxic conditions with high fish density coupled
with limited prey availability, anchovies sustained high swimming speeds at night. The sustained nighttime activity resulted
in estimated daily energy expenditure over 20% greater than fish that adopted a diurnal activity pattern. We provide evidence
that the sustained nighttime activity patterns are a result of foraging at night due to a lower ration achieved during the
day. During severe hypoxic events, we also observed individual fish making brief forays into the hypoxic hypolimnion. These
bottom waters generally contained higher prey (copepod) concentrations than the surface waters. The bay anchovy, a facultative
particle forager, adopts a range of behaviors to compensate for the effects of increased conspecific density and reduced prey
availability in the presence of stratification-induced hypoxia. |
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