ISSN:
1432-1793
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Abstract Stomach contents of the sea star species Astropecten aranciacus (L.) and A. bispinosus (Otto) consisted of roughly the same sort of prey, mostly bivalves and irregular sea urchins. However, the two predators ingested prey of different size classes. The stomach contents of A. bispinosus reflected the size distribution of the benthic macrofauna, while larger prey was more frequent in the stomach contents of A. aranciacus. As the density of prey in the investigated area is low, A. aranciacus and A. bispinosus are likely to compete for food. Possible mechanisms reducing the effect of competition are discussed.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00391266
Permalink