Effects of turbidity and light intensity on foraging success of juvenile mandarin fish Siniperca chuatsi (Basilewsky)

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of turbidity and light intensity on foraging success of juvenile mandarin fish Siniperca chuatsi. Predation on crucian carp Carassius auratus by juvenile mandarin fish was tested at five levels of turbidity combined with two light intensities, imitating daylight and night in two turbidity types. Foraging success was significantly lower in clay-induced turbidity than in algal-induced turbidity. In clay-induced turbidity trials, there was a slight but insignificant increase in foraging success of mandarin fish with increasing turbidity under lighted conditions. In algal-induced turbidity trials, there were no significant differences in foraging success of mandarin fish among turbidity levels at both light and dark levels, but at 80 NTU turbidity level, foraging success was lower than in all the other turbidity levels. There was no significant difference in foraging success at different turbidities under darkness. These results suggest that piscivory of mandarin fish is influenced by different turbidity types but is not significantly influenced by increased turbidity combined with decreased light intensity.