Published in Scientific Papers. Series D. Animal Science, Vol. LXIII, Issue 2
Written by Elena BISINICU, Aurelia TOTOIU, Florin TIMOFTE, George-Emanuel HARCOTA, Lucian OPREA
Sprat is a small pelagic species, with a key-role in the marine ecosystem, acting as a link between plankton and production on higher trophic levels. Sprat individuals collected from stations along the Romanian Black Sea coast were measured and weighted and the food array was performed by analyzing the stomachal content. Sprat fed on a broad diversity of mesozooplankton components, such as copepods, cladocerans and meroplankton. Analyzing the mesozooplankton component, copepods and meroplankton represented the bulk of the community in the area. Variability in zooplankton abundance may create a pressure on the feedıng conditions for sprat populations.
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