Feeding ecology of whelks on an intertidal sand flat in north‐eastern New Zealand

The dispersion patterns and feeding behaviour of intertidal whelks were investigated in north‐eastern New Zealand. Aggregations of whelks feeding on clams occurred regularly, with an average of 15–20 individuals per aggregation. Death of clams was attributable to predation in up to 50% of the aggregations, although scavenging of dead and moribund animals was the main activity of whelks. Laboratory and field studies showed that Lepsiella scobina (generally not considered a soft shore species) was the main whelk predator at Lews Bay, Whangateau Harbour, drilling a small neat hole through the clam shell. The distinction between Cominella spp. as predators or scavengers is not so clear. Reseeding of intertidal clams, Austrovenus stutchburyi, has been proposed as a technique for reestablishing populations in some degraded New Zealand estuaries. The impact of whelk predation has many implications for A. stutchburyi reseeding. Both L. scobina and Cominella adspersa may potentially prey on newly reseeded clams as they preferentially attacked small clams in the laboratory. On‐growing to a larger size before reseeding may be advantageous although large size was not found to protect prey from predation. Additionally, no seasonal trend in whelk activity was found.     

Changes in survivorship,behavior, and morphology in native soft‐shell clams induced by invasive green crab predators

Many studies on invasive species show reduced native densities, but few studies measure trait‐mediated effects as mechanisms for changes in native growth rates and population dynamics. Where native prey face invasive predators, mechanisms for phenotypic change include selective predation, or induced behavioral or morphological plasticity. Invasive green crabs, Carcinus maenas, have contributed to declines in native soft‐shell clams, Mya arenaria, in coastal New England, USA. We tested the hypothesis that clam ability to detect chemical cues from predators or damaged conspecifics would induce greater burrowing depth as a refuge from invasive crabs, and greater burrowing would require increased siphon growth. To determine how crab predation affected clam survivorship and phenotypic traits in the field, clams in exclosure, open, and crab enclosure plots were compared. Crab predation reduced clam density, and surviving clams were deeper and larger, with longer siphons. To determine whether the mechanism for these results was selective predation or induced plasticity, phenotypes were compared between clams exposed to chemical cues from crab predation and clams exposed to seawater in laboratory and field experiments. In response to crab predation cues, clams burrowed deeper, with longer siphons and greater siphon mass. Overall, crab predation removed clams with shorter siphons at shallow depths, and crab predation cues induced greater burrowing depths and longer siphons. Longer siphons and greater siphon mass of deeper clams suggests clams may allocate energy to siphon growth in response to crabs. By determining native behavior and morphological changes in response to an invasive predator, this study adds to our understanding of mechanisms for invasive impacts and illustrates the utility of measuring trait‐mediated effects to investigate predator–prey dynamics.     

缢蛏耐高盐性能及其与生长性状的相关性分析

缢蛏(Sinonovacula constricta)是我国重要的水产经济贝类,开展耐高盐新品种选育对平衡不同地区缢蛏良种养殖意义重大。本研究对不同家系缢蛏幼贝进行高盐胁迫,运用统计学方法和相关性分析探究了缢蛏耐高盐性能及其与生长性状的相关性。结果显示,缢蛏家系间壳长、壳高、壳宽和体质量表型值差异较大,体质量变异系数达15.53%。不同家系对高盐耐受性差异较大,家系间死亡率范围在0~100%。胁迫实验共持续9d,各家系缢蛏首粒死亡时间在第1~9d之间,而且死亡率较高的家系内缢蛏死亡时间离散程度较大,说明不同个体间高盐耐受性差异也较大。缢蛏开始出现大量死亡的时间主要在胁迫后第8d,第9d部分家系死亡率高于80%,说明缢蛏对高盐耐受存在一个阈值,超过该阈值会开始或大量死亡。皮尔逊和斯皮尔曼相关性分析显示,缢蛏存活时间和生长性状为正相关,其中存活时间与缢蛏壳长、体质量相关性均达到显著水平(P<0.05)。缢蛏存活率与体质量、生长速度均显著正相关(P<0.05)。整体而言,壳长较长和体质量较重的缢蛏个体耐高盐性能较强,在高盐环境中具有生长优势。本研究揭示了缢蛏的高盐耐受性及其与生长性状的相关性,为缢蛏耐高盐选育工作提供了重要的参考依据。     

Influence of beach morphodynamics on the bivalve Donax hanleyanus and Mesodesma mactroides populations in Argentina

Five exposed microtidal sandy beaches of North-eastern Buenos Aires (Argentina) were analysed to evaluate the influence of coastal dynamics on the abundance of the intertidal clams Donax hanleyanus and Mesodesma mactroides over a 1-year period. The physical characterisation of each beach was performed using 15 environmental variables and six morphodynamic indices. The population densities of both clam species were estimated by the number of individuals per strip-transect. Analysis of similarities revealed a significant multivariate environmental difference among beaches, which could be aggregated into a northern and a southern group. The former group was characterised by an intermediate morphodynamic state and by having, in general, high density values for both clam species. The latter was composed of beaches with an intermediate reflective state and showed, in general, low density values. Beach Index and Area showed the lowest temporal variation. Total density values, as well as density values of recruits and adults of D. hanleyanus and M. mactroides did not follow a north–south latitudinal gradient. Spatial and temporal fluctuations of density values were best explained by changes in individual physical variables rather than by changes in composite indices.     

Growth and survival of early juvenile trumulco snail Chorus giganteus (Gastropoda: Muricidae) fed two prey species

Comparative data were obtained on the growth and survival of early juveniles of the trumulco snail Chorus giganteus from settlement to an age of 4 months when fed either of the mussel species Semimytilus algosus or Perumytilus purpuratus. Growth of the snails after 4 months was significantly greater when fed S. algosus, ending with a mean size of 6162 μm compared with 5192 μm with P. purpuratus. Survival between the two fed groups was not prey‐specific. Survival of the unfed control group was significantly lower beginning at 14 days post‐metamorphosis. After 63 days, survival within the fed groups was 63.2% and only 16.5% in the unfed control group. The similarity of growth and survival of these juveniles during the first 2 months in culture suggested that both prey species had the same food value. The energy cost to the snails of penetrating the different prey species diverged after the second month, as the shells of P. purpuratus became thicker and thus more difficult to penetrate than those of S. algosus. This was reflected as differences in growth rates for snails fed the 2 species in the following 2 months of the experiment. Unfed snails grew by 107 μm in average during the first 2 weeks of the experiment and then ceased demonstrating the importance of nutritional reserves carried by the larva from hatching through early benthic survival.     

Infestation of the surf clam Mesodesma donacium by the spionid polychaete Polydora bioccipitalis

The surf clam Mesodesma donacium is an economically important species for Chilean and Peruvian shellfisheries. This clam is often infested by Polydora bioccipitalis, a species belonging to the Spionidae, the most common parasitic polychaete group. To study this association, clams were sampled monthly over a one-year period in northern Chile. Collected clams covered the entire available size range and were classified into four infestation levels in order to study: (1) the relationship between prevalence of infestation (PI) and host size, (2) the temporal pattern of infestation events related to seasonal temperature changes, and (3) the relationship between infestation, body condition index (BCI) and gonado-somatic index (GSI). Additionally, growth rate and digging ability of clams with different infestation levels was studied. A logistic regression model best explained the relationship between PI and host size, with the smallest infested clam being 34 mm long and PI increasing steeply thereafter. Ontogenetic shifts in the habitat of the clam and ontogenetic changes, mainly in shell morphology, seem to explain the sigmoid pattern. Periods of increased shell blistering after infestation by P. bioccipitalis showed a similar seasonal pattern with GSI and BCI of non-infested clams, suggesting either an association between infestation ability and low condition of the clam or common environmental triggers for those factors. Heavily infested clams showed a significant lower BCI, growth rate and digging ability; however, given its low number, they are unlikely to be significant in terms of the local population survival. However, the infestation could play a key role in explaining mass mortality of northern populations during El Niño events, given the latitudinal differences in PI and the fact that infestation ability could be enhanced by increased temperature and facilitated in stressed clams.     

基于GLM模型Logistic回归的菲律宾蛤仔地理群体判别

菲律宾蛤仔(Ruditapesphilippinarum)是重要的海洋经济贝类和海水养殖品种,具有较强的表型可塑性特点,不同地理群体之间存在表型差异。本研究根据实测数据建立了胶州湾与天鹅湖菲律宾蛤仔壳长(SL)与壳高(SH)、壳宽(SW)和活体重(W)的回归方程,定量分析了两个地理群体的形态学差异。由于其近似圆形的形态使得所能测量的外部指标较少,限制了传统形态测量学在其地理群体判别中的应用。本研究提出了将传统形态测量学和广义线性模型(GLM)相结合的方法,建立了判别菲律宾蛤仔地理群体的逻辑斯蒂(Logistic)回归方程。结果表明:菲律宾蛤仔的天鹅湖群体比胶州湾群体具有更高的SH/SL和SW/SL比值,壳形椭圆较圆且隆起程度高,"凸"形明显;基于GLM模型的Logistic回归能够快速准确地判别菲律宾蛤仔的地理群体归属,判别正确率高达94.23%。本研究为双壳类物种地理群体判别提供了新的分析方法和技术手段。     

LPS胁迫下五个群体菲律宾蛤仔TYR基因在鳃和肝胰腺中表达特性研究

为了解TYR基因与蛤仔免疫的关系,本实验利用荧光定量PCR技术研究了菲律宾蛤仔五个群体(白蛤、白斑马蛤、斑马蛤、养殖和野生群体)的鳃组织和肝胰腺组织在LPS胁迫下TYR基因在不同时间(0 h、3 h、12 h、24 h、48 h)的表达特性。结果表明,在LPS注射后鳃组织中TYR6基因表达水平在白蛤和白斑马蛤3 h、6 h、12 h,野生蛤仔3 h,斑马蛤3 h、6 h,养殖群体6 h、12 h显著上调(P0.05),3h野生蛤仔和斑马蛤达到峰值, 6 h白蛤、白斑马蛤、养殖群体达到峰值(P0.05);在肝胰腺中,养殖群体和白斑马蛤6 h,白蛤6 h、24 h,野生群体24 h,斑马蛤3 h显著上调, 3 h野生蛤仔和斑马蛤达到峰值,6h养殖群体、白蛤、白斑马达到峰值(P0.05);鳃组织中TYR10基因表达水平在白蛤、野生群体和白斑马蛤3 h,养殖群体3 h、6 h,斑马蛤3 h、12 h显著上调(P0.05),肝胰腺组织中TYR10基因表达水平在白蛤3 h,野生群体3 h、6 h、12 h,斑马蛤、养殖群体6 h显著上调(P0.05),推测TYR基因在五个菲律宾蛤仔群体的鳃和肝胰腺中参与了免疫应答。通过对TYR基因的氨基酸序列进行二级结构分析和系统发育树分析,找到两个铜离子结合位点和6个组氨酸残基,并发现TYR6基因和长牡蛎同源性最高,为39.43%, TYR10基因和大珠母贝同源性最高,为51.04%。本文首次探讨在LPS胁迫下菲律宾蛤仔TYR基因的表达特性,为进一步探究TYR基因与菲律宾蛤仔免疫应答机制提供参考。     

Associational resistance mediates predator--prey interactions in a marine subtidal system

There is a growing awareness of the role that indirect interactions play in influencing food webs and ecosystem structure. In this study, the hypothesis that crustose algal epibionts provide gastropods associational resistance from predation was investigated through field surveys and laboratory feeding assays. In rocky low intertidal/shallow subtidal systems in the northeast Pacific, several species of crustose algae (the red alga Peyssonnelia meridionalis and crustose corallines) can colonize the shells of living Tegula brunnea snails. The growth patterns of these epibiontic crustose algae allow them to cover their host’s surface completely, which may, in turn, protect their hosts from predation. A multi‐site field survey of T. brunnea revealed that >60% of snails were at least 75% covered with one or more species of crustose algae, with 35% fully covered, indicating that this is common in the field. Laboratory feeding assays revealed that sea stars, a primary predator of T. brunnea, distinguished among snails with different shell coverings; Pisaster consumed nearly three times as many bare (i.e. no crustose algae) snails as those covered with Peyssonnelia, while Pycnopodia consumed four times as many bare snails as those covered with crustose corallines. These results suggest that epibiont crustose algae can benefit their hosts via associational resistance; this finding may have implications for the role of associational resistance in trophic interactions.     

Epibiotic assemblages on the pen shell Pinna rudis (Bivalvia,Pinnidae) at Matiota Beach,São Vicente Island,Cabo Verde

The rough pen shell Pinna rudis Linnaeus, 1758 (family Pinnidae), a mollusc with an Atlantic–Mediterranean distribution, is able to live in coarse sandy substrates. Considering its shell structure and ecological characteristics, P. rudis can enhance biodiversity by providing a substrate for settlement on its shell. For this reason, we compared the diversity of benthic taxa around P. rudis shells with the species diversity on P. rudis shells, at Matiota Beach, São Vicente Island, Cabo Verde. We sampled an area of 900 m2 and recorded data in situ to estimate the population size of P. rudis and the epibiotic and benthic community diversity. The average density of P. rudis estimated in the sampled area was 6.6 ind. 100 m–2 and the highest density was found at between 2 and 3 m depth, mostly in biogenic and sandy substrates. The epibiotic species diversity on P. rudis shells was significantly higher than the species diversity in the microhabitat around the shells. The P. rudis shell seems to play an important role in increasing the biodiversity of the ecosystem, with some species found only as epibionts on P. rudis.     

4种壳色蛤仔TYR基因的表达特性研究

为了解色素控制基因与壳色的关系,本实验用荧光定量聚合酶链式反应(Polymerase Chain Reaction,PCR)技术分析了酪氨酸酶基因(Tyrosinase,TYR)在菲律宾蛤仔(Ruditapes philippinarum)4种壳色蛤仔和7种组织中的表达特性。结果表明,酪氨酸酶基因在鳃、外套膜、闭壳肌、性腺、内脏团、水管和唇瓣中均有表达,其中外套膜中表达量较高,其次为鳃,在闭壳肌中表达量最少。不同的酪氨酸酶基因在4种壳色的表达量不同,酪氨酸酶基因TYR2、TYR3、TYR6和TYR9在白斑马蛤中表达量居高,且与斑马蛤和白蛤差异显著(P0.05)。TYR2、TYR6和TYR10在橙蛤中表达量最高,推测与橙色形成有关。TYR11在斑马蛤中表达量最高,且与白蛤和白斑马蛤差异显著(P0.05),推测与背景色形成有关。系统发育分析结果表明,TYR3与马氏珠母贝(Pinctada martensii)同源性最高为64%。TYR10与加州双斑蛸(Octopus bimaculoides)同源性最高,为53%。与长牡蛎进化关系最近。     

Interpreting odours in hermit crabs: A comparative study

Odours of different sources can indicate to hermit crabs the availability of empty shells, crucial resources for the life cycle of almost all of them. Here, we compared Clibanarius erythropus and Pagurus bernhardus for the intensity of investigative behaviour exhibited towards an empty, well-fitting shell in the presence of (1) plain seawater as control and seawater conditioned by (2) dead and live snails, (3) dead and live conspecifics, (4) live predators, and (5) food. During 10 min of observation, we recorded latency (the time until the first contact with the shell), and the number and duration of shell investigation bouts. The two species behaved similarly when exposed to the odours of food, live snails, and predators, while a more intense shell investigation was induced by dead snail odour in C. erythropus and by dead or live conspecific odour in P. bernhardus. Further studies should investigate the influence of phylogeny and ecology on this interspecific difference.     

Coastal management challenges from a community perspective: The problem of ‘stealth privatization’ in a Canadian fishery

Intertidal clam fisheries seem ideal candidates for the devolution of management authority from government to local stakeholders. In St. Mary's Bay, Nova Scotia, a private firm recently applied for a 10-year renewal of a large (1,627 ha) lease for quahog clam aquaculture. This case study examines the challenges of implementing community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) in rural fisheries within a broad integrated coastal management (ICM) institutional environment that favours corporate stakeholders. The challenges facing clam harvesters in rural Digby Neck, Nova Scotia arise from poor communication and coordination within government and between government and communities, as well as higher-level policy conflicts. The most important challenge arises from ‘stealth privatization’ of clam beaches. A single firm was granted rights of first refusal to depurate all clams harvested from closed (polluted) beaches in the region, resulting in the de facto privatization of all (polluted and unpolluted) clam beaches. Experiences in other parts of Canada suggest there may be community-based governance approaches that avoid the pitfalls associated with corporate management of clam beaches. New thinking is required about how to moderate the ‘privatization paradigm’ so prevalent within senior levels of government in order to ensure environmental and social sustainability in rural fishing communities.     

Habitat provision of barnacle tests for overcrowded periwinkles

In habitats where competition for space is a shaping force of animal distribution such as in the intertidal rocky ecosystem, new habitats are readily taken by colonising species. We examined the importance of empty Chthamalus spp. tests as a habitat for the intertidal common periwinkle Melaraphe neritoides on Portuguese rocky shores. The role played by the space between neighbouring barnacles as a habitat for other species has been largely studied with regard to how an ecosystem functions, whereas the equivalent role of empty barnacle tests remains largely unknown. The small periwinkle is one of the most abundant snails in European rocky shores and is an important prey for key mobile predators. Biological facilitation is common in the rocky intertidal zone, where biological structures often potentiate the abundance of other species. The role played by barnacles as biological facilitators through habitat provision is not fully understood. In this study, the abundance and morphometric features of empty barnacle tests and their occupants were examined across shore levels and shores with differing exposures, as these are important gradients explaining barnacle distribution. The availability of empty barnacle tests was also experimentally manipulated to examine the percentage, time and length of occupation. Empty barnacles were more abundant on the midshore of sheltered shores and barnacle tests were wider on the upper shore but taller on the midshore. The minimum barnacle test occupation rate by the periwinkle was 70%. Barnacle shell height was an important factor determining snail occupation, where taller barnacles harboured significantly more, but not necessarily larger, snails. Snails outside the barnacle tests were significantly larger than those found within, suggesting that this crustacean group has an increased importance as a habitat for juvenile snails, thus potentially influencing the population dynamics of M. neritoides. We found that occupation of experimentally created empty barnacles was extremely high (70%) on the day after, and remained at 100% after 3 months of monitoring. Our study is the first of its kind to focus on the features of barnacle tests that snails occupy and their occupying snail traits. According to our results, it is clear that barnacles have an important role in providing additional habitat for young gastropods. The small periwinkle is an important grazer and prey for intertidal and subtidal foraging predators; hence, the potential refuge role of barnacle tests for juvenile M. neritoides may be important in the dynamics of intertidal communities.     

Growth performance of the clam, Meretrix meretrix, breedingselection populations cultured in different conditions

A breeding-selection program for the clam,Meretrix meretrix,was conducted since 2004.Two of the selection populations were generated with the shell color pattern as an additional selection criterion and named as SP(purple stripes)population and SB(black dots)population.The third-generation SP and SB populations(08G3SP and 08G3SB,respectively)were cultured at two commercial clam farms and a nursery pond and their shell lengths were compared.08G3SB clams had significantly larger sizes than 08G3SP clams at commercial clam farms(p<0.05),yet 08G3SB individuals were significantly smaller than 08G3SP individuals at the nursery pond(p<0.05).Then,we examined the growth of the fourth-generation SP and SB populations(10G4SP and 10G4SB,respectively)at a commercial farm,and found that the shell lengths of the 10G4SB clams increased at a significantly higher growth rate than the 10G4SP clams(p<0.05)from May to September,when the water temperature was between 24.2–27.5 C,while 10G4SB lost the growth advantage in the other months.These results indicated that SP and SB populations responded differently to environmental factors,so it is beneficial for the clam farmers to select a suitable population according to the culture environment.Furthermore,a diallel mating of the SB and SP populations was designed to investigate whether their hybrid population would show heterosis.However,the heterosis was not shown in this study,which might result from the slight genetic divergence between SB and SP populations.     

镉、铜、铅、镍、铬在毛蚶体内积累、分布和排出的实验研究

环境中的污染物，极少单一存在，往往是多种并存。因此，它们对生物的影响是综合性的，可能产生拮抗(Antagonism)或协同作用(Synergism)。然而，以实验的方法研究多种重金属对海洋动物的效应的报道目前还不多见。已有的多为单种元素的实验研究，如Cunningham和Tripp，对汞在美洲牡蛎体内的积累、排出以及用同位素标记其在组织中的分布做了不少工作； Eisler等做了镉对海洋动物影响的研究；Phillipst近几年来做了监测重金属污染物的生物指标种的探讨。 毛蚶Arca (Anadara) subcrenata Lischke，在我国沿海均有分布，大量产于渤海，是沿海地区的重要食用贝类。作者以毛蚶为实验材料，探讨镉、铜、铅、镍、铬等五种混合的重金属在其体内的积累、排出和在器官组织中的分布，以及盐度变化对其积累的影响。这对于了解重金属对海洋生物的影响，进行环境质量的综合评价是很必要的，尤其在环境条件较为复杂的河口和海湾区域更具有重要意义。     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Zostera marina</Emphasis> seed burial can be enhanced by Manila clam <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ruditapes philippinarum</Emphasis>: A microcosm study

Seagrass seed bank plays a key role in the regeneration of new vegetation when seagrasses are removed by the natural or man-made disaster. Various factors may affect the development of sediment seed bank. We conducted a microcosm experiment to test the effects of burrowing and feeding activities of Manila clam, Ruditapes philippinarum on the burial of Zostera marina seeds in sediments. The effects of lasting time (3-hour, 1-day, 3-day, 7-day, 14-day and 28-day), clam density (0, 2, 4 and 8 clams with shell length of 3 cm in each microcosm) and clam size (shell length of 2, 3 and 4 cm at 4-clam density) on seed burial were examined in plastic microcosm cores (30 cm high × 10 in inner diameter) in a 28-day period. Results showed that the seed burial depth significantly increased with time, the density and the size of clams. No seeds were buried in the sediment in the cores without clams during the whole experiment period. For the 3-cm clams, about 91.61% of the seeds were buried in the sediment at the end of the experiment in the high-density treatment (8 clams at each core); while in the medium and low-density treatments (4 and 2 clams in each core, respectively), about 76.93% and 60.61% of the seeds were buried in the sediment, respectively. For the size treatments, large (4 cm) clams buried 89.56% of the seeds at the end of the experiment, much more than those of medium (3 cm, 76.93%) and small (2 cm, 61.50%) size clams. During the whole experiment period, nearly all of the buried seeds were at a depth of from 0 cm to 5 cm. These results suggested that Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum may play an important positive role in seagrass seed bank dynamics in the field.     

Limpets as prey: Lipophrys pholis choice for size

Patellid limpets are key species on rocky shores, structuring intertidal assemblages through their grazing. Their role as prey for fish is, however, often overlooked in studies of intertidal ecosystem functioning. The shanny Lipophrys pholis is a common predator of limpets on rocky shores in Northern Europe and, in this study, we examined the characteristics of its predation on limpets based on prey size. The limpet size range that adult L. pholis (10–12.5 cm) can eat was examined in the laboratory using Patella depressa in 0.2 cm classes, varying between 0.5 cm and 3.0 cm in maximum shell length. There was a limpet size refuge above 1.8 cm, while all smaller sizes were readily consumed by the shanny. The predator attacking behaviour was also examined and found to vary with prey size. Limpets up to 0.8 cm were crushed by the jaw‐constricting force and eaten whole, whereas larger prey were prised from the substratum and the body subsequently separated from the shell. To examine whether there was a L. pholis preference for P. depressa size, a two‐stage laboratory experiment was done using two size classes defined as small (0.7–0.8 cm maximum shell length) and large (1.5–1.6 cm maximum shell length). In the first stage, the predator was given each limpet size class separately. In the second stage, the fish was given a choice between the two classes. Lipophrys pholis was shown to have a preference for the large size class (1.5–1.6 cm). The average number of limpets consumed by the shanny was examined for the duration of one high‐tide typical of the central region of Portugal (≈ 4 h). On average, approximately five limpets (up to an eight limpet maximum) were consumed. The present study shows that L. pholis has a feeding preference based on limpet size, which suggests that the limpet population structure and intra‐ and inter‐specific interactions may be influenced by the shanny predation.     

Effects of habitat complexity on cannibalism rates in European green crabs (Carcinus maenas Linnaeus, 1758)

The habitat in which predator–prey interactions take place may have a profound influence on the outcome of those interactions. Cannibalism is an intriguing form of predation whereby foraging by predators may contribute to the regulation of their own populations.This is particularly interesting in the case of invasive species, like the widely distributed European green crab (Carcinus maenas). This study explores how habitat complexity influences cannibalism rates in green crab populations of Prince Edward Island, Atlantic Canada. Both laboratory and field experiments were conducted to measure feeding rates by individual adult green crabs on a standard number of smaller conspecifics. In the laboratory, experimental treatments mimicked unstructured to increasingly structured habitats: water, sandy bottom, oyster shells, mussel shells, oyster shells with sandy bottom and mussel shells with sandy bottom. In those trials, adult green crabs consumed several times more juveniles on unstructured habitats than on the most structured ones, with a gradual decrease in predation rates across increasingly complex habitats. Field inclusion experiments used the same approach and were conducted in sandy bottoms, sandy bottoms with a layer of oyster shells and sandy bottoms with a layer of mussel shells. These trials showed similar patterns of decreasing feeding rates across increasingly complex habitats, but differences among treatments were not significant. These results support the idea that complex habitats have the potential to mediate predator–prey interactions, including adult–juvenile cannibalism in green crabs.     

Food and energy in the diet of brown and rainbow trout from Lake Benmore,New Zealand

The diet of brown trout (Salmo trutta) and rainbow trout (S. gairdnerii) was studied in specimens from Lake Benmore, a deep, oligo‐trophic lake in South Island, New Zealand. Between November and July, both species fed mainly on small molluscs (Potamopyrgus antipodarum, Physa sp., and Gyraulus corinna) gleaned from the littoral weed beds. Energy values for the three species of mollusc were determined: P. antipodarum, 6000 J g^‐1; G. corinna, 5500 J g^‐1; Physa sp., 9800 J g^‐1. Potamopyrgus antipodarum yielded little energy to the fish, unless its shell broke during passage through the gut. Physa sp. was the most profitable mollusc, irrespective of shell breakage and Potamopyrgus antipodanim the least profitable. The mean energy value per snail for G. corinna and Physa sp. eaten by rainbow trout was 25–30% less than for snails eaten by brown trout, possibly because rainbow trout ingested empty shells from the sediment surface. Rainbow trout extracted about 20% more energy than brown trout from unbroken shells. In July, 84% of the brown trout switched to predation of common bullies, Gobio‐morphus cotidianus, probably as a result of bully reproductive behaviour. Rainbow trout did not show the same change, apparently because they were feeding in deeper water where few bullies were available. The low‐energy diet and its possible connection with growth rate are discussed.