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Inter- and intra-gender analyses of feeding ecology of the worm pipefish (Nerophis lumbriciformis)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 April 2004

D.O. Lyons  and
J.J. Dunne
D.O. Lyons
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, National University of Ireland, Galway, Republic of Ireland
J.J. Dunne
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, National University of Ireland, Galway, Republic of Ireland
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Abstract

Small vagile epiphytic crustaceans formed the greatest proportion of the diet of worm pipefish. There were significant differences in the number (Mann–Whitney U=22006·5, P<0·001) and diversity (Mann–Whitney U=11546·0, P<0·05) of prey consumed by male and female pipefish. Harpacticoid copepods are the most numerically dominant form of prey consumed. Further gender analysis of mature pipefish revealed that reproductively mature females and egg-bearing male worm pipefish show significantly greater predatory effort (Kruskal–Wallis H=24·15, df=2, P<0·001). Increased feeding activity, within these groups, is suggested to alleviate the substantial reproductive costs for both female and egg-bearing male pipefish.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 84 , Issue 2 , April 2004 , pp. 461 - 464
Copyright
2004 Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom

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