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Herbivorous fish feed on cyanobacteria. Digestability differs, however, between cyanobacteria species without mucous cover and mucilaginous genera such as Microcystis. The latter can pass fish guts almost undamaged, and it has been hypothesized that they can take up nutrients during gut passage. Here we tested whether live Microcystis, as food for juvenile roach labeled with 33P, indeed showed higher radioactivity after gut passage as compared to gut contents in control experiments with fish fed heated Microcystis. Microcystis showed high viability after passage through roach guts, and live colonies had a significantly higher radioactivity than dead ones. We conclude that Microcystis is protected against digestion in roach guts and can directly use the phosphorus supplied in the fish guts during passage.
1. The ability of roach to use cyanobacterial food is generally believed to be one reason for the dominance of roach over perch in eutrophic European lakes. The aim of this study was to test whether cyanobacteria really are a suitable food for juvenile roach. Special attention was paid to differences between the two cyanobacteria species Aphanizomenon and Microcystis which are common in eutrophic lakes and are ingested by roach there. 2. We performed growth and behaviour experiments with juvenile roach fed with zooplankton and the different cyanobacteria. Growth rate with Aphanizomenon was lower than with Daphnia but significantly higher than without food, whereas growth rate with Microcystis was as low as without food. 3. In cultivation experiments of roach faeces, Microcystis was found not to have been digested and grew exponentially after passing through the gut whereas Aphanizomenon stayed at low biomass. Differences in growth were not related to the toxin content of cyanobacteria. Investigations of roach motility showed no differences whether fed Aphanizomenon or Microcystis. 4. In contrast to Microcystis, Aphanizomenon can be regarded as a suitable food source for juvenile roach probably due to its better digestability. We conclude that the ability to feed on cyanobacteria is not a general competitive advantage for roach, but the outcome depends on the species composition of the cyanobacteria.
Juvenile roach (Rutilus rutilus L.) fed on the cyanobacterium Aphanizomenon were able to maintain liver glycogen and muscle protein concentrations. In contrast, internal energy stores of fish fed on the cyanobacterium Microcystis were degraded. However, liver glycogen was higher than in starved fish, suggesting that roach was able to obtain some nutrients (probably carbohydrates) from the mucus cover of Microcystis. Weak assimilation of radiolabeled Microcystis by roach was detectable, and assimilation rates increased with increasing proportion of Aphanizomenon in a mixture of both cyanobacteria. We conclude that the incomplete digestion of Microcystis was the main reason for the negative growth rates of roach when fed on this cyanobacterium species.
1. After observing that juvenile roach fed intensively on cyanobacteria and that cyanobacteria were densely colonized by heterotrophic bacteria, we tested whether the bacteria are used by underyearling roach and the extent to which they contribute to the energy requirements of the fish. 2. We radiolabeled attached bacteria in a natural cyanobacterial suspension, fed the fish with these particles, and estimated their assimilation by roach. Biomass of attached bacteria on cyanobacteria increased with the proportion of the cyanobacterium Microcystis in total cyanobacteria. Biomass-specific thymidine incorporation of attached bacteria was higher than that of free bacteria. 3. In feeding experiments, we detected assimilation of bacterial biomass into muscle tissue of underyearling roach. Fish consumed Microcystis to a lesser extent compared to Aphanizomenon but assimilation of attached bacteria was higher when roach fed on Microcystis due to the higher biomass of epibacteria on this cyanobacterium. However, biomass of attached bacteria was too low to be an important food source for underyearling roach. 4. We conclude that assimilation of epibacteria from cyanobacteria cannot explain the success of roach in eutrophic lakes.