Trophic analysis of the fish community in the Ciénega Churince, Cuatro Ciénegas, Coahuila

Abstract

Fish diets were analyzed to evaluate the dynamic trophs of the fish community in the Churince wetland system of the Cuatro Ciénegas, where the fauna consists of nine species: endemic, native and introduced. In nine sampling events (between February 2011 and May 2014) 556 specimens of all nine species were collected. Stomach contents were analyzed and the Relative Importance Index (IRI) was calculated. The feed coefficient (Q) of the diets and the accumulated trophic diversity (Hk), as well as the amplitude of the trophic niche were evaluated. Feeding strategies in the fish community were found to be eurifagic. The main foods in general were insects, crustaceans, gastropods, plants and teleosts. According to the average linkage method, four functional trophic groups were defined, with no higher consumption species; nevertheless all were regulators, mainly invertebrates. Therefore, the chain reaction in food control was higher from top to bottom, meaning a downwards dietary control.

Keywords

• Churince
• Trophic analysis
• Fish community
• Stomach contents
• Index of relative importance