Feeding habits and trophic organization of the fish community in shallow waters of an impacted tropical habitat

The feeding ecology and trophic organization of 32 fish species found in an highly impacted waters from four sites of the eastern Johor Strait, Singapore has been studied. Among the wide variety of prey consumed, calanoid copepod (46.9% domination) was the most important dietary component of fishes in this ecosystem. In general, fishes show a narrow range in adaptive radiation of feeding habits, with only three main guilds identified. Spatially, a more complex guild was recorded for the habitat with more complex structure, although the number of guilds was consistent at three to four guilds. Seasonally, a change of guild organization was observed. Many fish species placed in one guild might be classified in another guild during a different season. This information facilitates the examination of complex associations of fishes and identifies groups of species that use similar resources within a specific community and can serve as a reference for feeding ecology of fishes in highly impacted tropical habitats.