Rethinking the Freshwater Eel: Salt Marsh Trophic Support of the American Eel, Anguilla rostrata
Despite the fact that Anguilla rostrata (American eel) are frequently captured in salt marshes, their role in salt marsh food webs and the influence of human impacts, such as tidal restrictions, on this role remains unclear. To better understand salt marsh trophic support of A. rostrata, eels were c...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer-Verlag
2017
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/106295 |
| _version_ | 1826196761136332800 |
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| author | Dionne, Michele Eberhardt, Alyson L. Burdick, David M. Vincent, Robert E |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Sea Grant College Program |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Sea Grant College Program Dionne, Michele Eberhardt, Alyson L. Burdick, David M. Vincent, Robert E |
| author_sort | Dionne, Michele |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Despite the fact that Anguilla rostrata (American eel) are frequently captured in salt marshes, their role in salt marsh food webs and the influence of human impacts, such as tidal restrictions, on this role remains unclear. To better understand salt marsh trophic support of A. rostrata, eels were collected from tidally restricted and unrestricted salt marsh creeks within three New England estuaries. Gut contents were examined, and eel muscle tissue was analyzed for carbon and nitrogen stable isotope values and entered into MixSir mixing models to understand if salt marsh food sources are important contributors to eel diet. Data suggest that eel prey rely heavily on salt marsh organic matter and eels utilize salt marsh secondary production as an energetic resource over time, and thus can be considered salt marsh residents. Gut contents indicate that A. rostrata function as top predators, feeding primarily on secondary consumers including other fish species, crustaceans, and polychaetes. Higher A. rostrata trophic position measured upstream of reference creeks suggests that severe tidal restrictions may result in altered food webs, but it is not clear how this impacts the overall fitness of A. rostrata populations in New England salt marshes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T10:37:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/106295 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T10:37:36Z |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publisher | Springer-Verlag |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1062952022-09-27T10:08:36Z Rethinking the Freshwater Eel: Salt Marsh Trophic Support of the American Eel, Anguilla rostrata Dionne, Michele Eberhardt, Alyson L. Burdick, David M. Vincent, Robert E Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Sea Grant College Program Vincent, Robert E Despite the fact that Anguilla rostrata (American eel) are frequently captured in salt marshes, their role in salt marsh food webs and the influence of human impacts, such as tidal restrictions, on this role remains unclear. To better understand salt marsh trophic support of A. rostrata, eels were collected from tidally restricted and unrestricted salt marsh creeks within three New England estuaries. Gut contents were examined, and eel muscle tissue was analyzed for carbon and nitrogen stable isotope values and entered into MixSir mixing models to understand if salt marsh food sources are important contributors to eel diet. Data suggest that eel prey rely heavily on salt marsh organic matter and eels utilize salt marsh secondary production as an energetic resource over time, and thus can be considered salt marsh residents. Gut contents indicate that A. rostrata function as top predators, feeding primarily on secondary consumers including other fish species, crustaceans, and polychaetes. Higher A. rostrata trophic position measured upstream of reference creeks suggests that severe tidal restrictions may result in altered food webs, but it is not clear how this impacts the overall fitness of A. rostrata populations in New England salt marshes. University of New Hampshire. Sea Grant Program University of New Hampshire. Marine Program (William R. Spaulding Endowment) 2017-01-09T17:12:50Z 2017-01-09T17:12:50Z 2015-03 2015-02 2016-08-18T15:46:16Z Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 1559-2723 1559-2731 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/106295 Eberhardt, Alyson L., David M. Burdick, Michele Dionne, and Robert E. Vincent. “Rethinking the Freshwater Eel: Salt Marsh Trophic Support of the American Eel, Anguilla Rostrata.” Estuaries and Coasts 38, no. 4 (March 31, 2015): 1251-1261. en http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12237-015-9960-4 Estuaries and Coasts Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation application/pdf Springer-Verlag Springer US |
| spellingShingle | Dionne, Michele Eberhardt, Alyson L. Burdick, David M. Vincent, Robert E Rethinking the Freshwater Eel: Salt Marsh Trophic Support of the American Eel, Anguilla rostrata |
| title | Rethinking the Freshwater Eel: Salt Marsh Trophic Support of the American Eel, Anguilla rostrata |
| title_full | Rethinking the Freshwater Eel: Salt Marsh Trophic Support of the American Eel, Anguilla rostrata |
| title_fullStr | Rethinking the Freshwater Eel: Salt Marsh Trophic Support of the American Eel, Anguilla rostrata |
| title_full_unstemmed | Rethinking the Freshwater Eel: Salt Marsh Trophic Support of the American Eel, Anguilla rostrata |
| title_short | Rethinking the Freshwater Eel: Salt Marsh Trophic Support of the American Eel, Anguilla rostrata |
| title_sort | rethinking the freshwater eel salt marsh trophic support of the american eel anguilla rostrata |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/106295 |
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