| Title |
Experimental Study on Effect on Prey Survival by Juvenile Fish Shelter (JFS) under Pressure by Piscivorous Fishes |
| Authors |
안창혁 ( Chang Hyuk Ahn ) ; 주진철 ( Jin Chul Joo ) ; 이새로미 ( Sae Ro Mi Lee ) ; 안호상 ( Ho Sang Ahn ) ; 박재로 ( Jae Roh Park ) ; 송호면 ( Ho Myeon Song ) |
| Keywords |
Feeding ecology; Juvenile fish shelter; Predator; Prey; Survival rate; Vulnerability |
| Abstract |
The aim of this study was to evaluate artificial fish shelter, which was known to increase prey survival and ex[and habitat space to improve species diversity and fish communities in a freshwater ecosystem. The experiment was performed at an outdoor test-bed for three months from 2011 by comparing the responses to adjustments in the volume of the artificial patch (juvenile fish shelter, JFS) in the control and experimental groups. Analysis of the environmental conditions over two periods (Period 1~2) showed minor differences in the physichemical characteristics of water quality, phytoplankton, and zooplankton biomass, thus, allowing comparative analysis of feeding ecology. However, high water temperature conditions in Period 1 (25.6 ± 2.0℃), affected the predation activity of piscivorous fishes, Coreoperca herzi (C. herzi, size 89 ± 4 mm). Survival rates of the prey fishes, Rhynchocypris oxycephalus (R. oxycephalus, size 29±1 mm), improved as the patch volume increased and were higher than those of the control group by 35.0 ~ 46.7%. Analysis showed that JFS reduced the chances of predator-prey encounter, and thereby minimized prey vulnerability. |