Seasonal variation in nutrition of chub (Leuciscus cephalus L., Cyprinidae, Osteichthyes) in one reservoir of West Serbia

Abstract

Leuciscus cephalus L. is abundantly present fish species in the Balkan freshwaters, which indicates a good adaptation to the environmental conditions existing in the most of reservoirs. The fish species is abundant in the Međuvršje reservoir situated on the Zapadna Morava river (West Serbia, the Danube basin) as the only predator found here. In the period from 1996 to 2002, the intestinal content of 88 individuals of different age was analyzed. The zoophytophage character of diet was found to be largely shared with plant components all the year round. The differences in the trophic spectrum over the various seasons existed between the individuals of different age with high individual variations being found, too.

Keywords

• Leuciscus cephalus
• the Međuvršje reservoir
• nutrition
• seasonal variation