What makes a habitat a home? Habitat associations of juvenile European sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax, in estuarine nurseries

Howard Freeman, Leanne Hepburn, Martin Taylor, Ewan Hunter, Alex J. Dumbrell, Benjamin Gregson, Albert Smith, Aaron Lamphierre, Tom Cameron

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Selection of nursery habitats by marine fish, such as European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), is poorly understood. Identifying and protecting the full range of juvenile nursery habitats is vital to supporting resilient fish populations and economically important fisheries. We examined how the condition, stomach fullness, and diet of juvenile European sea bass, along with their abundance, differ at high or low tide between the following estuarine habitats: saltmarsh, oyster reefs, shingle, sand, and mud edge habitats. Using a combination of fyke and seine netting we found no difference in sea bass abundance or condition across high-tide habitats, suggesting that rather than differentially selecting between them, juvenile sea bass use all available shallow habitats at high tide. Stomach fullness was significantly higher on saltmarsh and sand compared to mud, and thus these habitats may support better foraging. Dietary DNA metabarcoding revealed that sand and saltmarsh diets mostly comprised Hediste polychaetes, whereas zooplanktonic taxa dominated diets over mud. At low tide, sea bass abundance was highest in shingle and oyster reefs, where stomach fullness and condition were lowest. This may indicate a potential trade-off between using habitats for foraging and refuge. Although sea bass abundance alone does not capture productivity, the high abundance across all estuarine habitats at high tide suggests that it is important to consider the protection of a mosaic of interconnected habitats to support nursery functions rather than focus on individual habitat types.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)539-556
Number of pages18
JournalJournal of Fish Biology
Volume105
Issue number2
Early online date3 Jun 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2024

Cite this