The effects of predator size, temperature, and prey characteristics on gastric evacuation in whiting

Abstract

No effect of prey size on gastric evacuation rate was found in whiting Merlangius merlangus. Prey energy density explained most of the data variation among fish prey, and evacuation time increased by a factor 1.6-1.7 with prey energy density increasing from 3.4 to 5.6 kJ g-1. The power model expanded to include predator size, temperature, and prey energy density could describe gastric evacuation in whiting fed fish prey Krill Meganyctiphanes norvegica was evacuated at a rate similar to fish prey of equal energy density, while the evacuation of brown shrimp Crangon crangon took almost twice as long.