2006 Volume 70 Issue 2 Pages 105-113
This study examined the significance of leaf litter produced by riparian forests to coastal fishes. The survey was conducted at the mouth of the Gokibiru River on the west coast of Hokkaido, Japan. Litter accumulations that were evaluated as coarse particulate organic matter were found at the river mouth throughout the year and the annual litter collection by a sediment trap was estimated to be 25.8 kg-C ·m-2· yr-1. An amphipod Anisogammarus pugettensis was predominant throughout the year in the litter piles (representing 28.9–35.4% of the total number of invertebrates sampled from the piles) although they did not occur in the sandy bottom areas around the litter piles. Biomass of benthic animals in the litter piles was 1.7 and 2.7 times higher than that in the sandy bottom in June and November, respectively. Young cresthead flounders Pleuronectes schrenki less than 180 mm in total length were collected throughout the year in the river mouth and the flounders 70 to 100 mm in length preyed mainly on A. pugettensis. Therefore we conclude that litter piles contribute to the growth of young cresthead flounder by providing food.
