Food consumption/biomass ratios of the pelagic fish community of Lake Malawi/Niassa
An empirical model relating food requirements to morphometric indices of metabolic rate was used to calculate consumption/biomass ratios (Q/B) for 16 species of fish that make the pelagic fish community in Lake Malawi/Niassa. The Q/B/year varied from 3.31 to 9.82, with the large catfish (Dinotopterus nyasensis) having the lowest and a small cyprinid (Engraulicypris sardella) having the highest Q/B ratio. Direct estimates of Q/B for four of the most abundant species, based on analysis of diel feeding patterns, ranged from 4.20 to 24.70; the extreme values in this range representing replicate studies on the same species, the predatory cichlid Rhamphochromis longiceps. Previous studies that indicated exceptionally low Q/B ratios (1.0) in pelagic cichlids from Lake Malawi are not supported by this more recent work.
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | article biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
1996
|
| Subjects: | Ecology, Fisheries, Food consumption, Biomass, Pelagic fisheries, Mathematical models, Regression analysis, Malawi Lake, Dinotopterus nyasensis, Engraulicypris sardella, Rhamphochromis longiceps, |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1834/25995 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|