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Taylor DL, Cribari KJ, Scro A
Piscivory in age-0 summer flounder Paralichthys dentatus with a focus on predator-induced mortality of post-settlement winter flounder Pseudopleuronectes americanus
Taylor and co-authors determined that age-0 summer flounder Paralichthys dentatus are predators of post-settlement winter flounder Pseudopleuronectes americanus in Southern New England tidal rivers, as revealed by stomach content analysis and PCR-based assays. Summer flounder predation on winter flounder was positively related to predator-to-prey size ratios and responsive to spatiotemporal dynamics in prey composition and availability. Model simulations estimated that summer flounder, on average, accounted for <1% of the daily mortality of winter flounder, and consumed 3% of the total year-class annually. Therefore, summer flounder likely have a nominal effect on winter flounder populations. Predation may be substantial, however, when multiple age-classes of summer flounder are considered and elevated densities elicit a strong effect on winter flounder survival.