New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts

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Prey characteristics and dietary composition in intertidal Astrostole scabra (Echinodermata: Asteroidea)

JOHN C. TOWN

Department of Zoology, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 1, New Zealand

Abstract Dietary composition in juvenile Astrostole scabra at Kaikoura, New Zealand (42°25'S, 173°42'E), changed qualitatively with increased seastar size so that food was partitioned amongst starfish size classes according to a combination of prey species and size. Small A. scabra fed more frequently than large specimens. Size-discriminant feeding was evident as large Turbo smaragdus and Risellopsis varia, small Melagraphia aethiops, and intermediate sized Micrelenchus dilatatus, Ischnochiton maorianus, Onithochiton neglectus, and Amaurochiton glaucus were consumed in proportions greater than those found in the habitat. Major prey species have both spatial and size refuges from predation.

Keywords Astrostole scabra; intertidal environment; dietary overlap; partitioning of prey; predation; refuges.

New Zealand Journal of Marine & Freshwater Research, 1981, 15(1): 69-80
Received 3 September 1980; revision received 5 December 1980

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (730K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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