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Diet and feeding strategy of northern pike (Esox lucius L., 1758) inhabiting a deep dam lake in Central Anatolia, Türkiye    
Yazarlar (4)
Prof. Dr. Okan YAZICIOĞLU Prof. Dr. Okan YAZICIOĞLU
Kırşehir Ahi Evran Üniversitesi, Türkiye
Doç. Dr. Ramazan YAZICI Doç. Dr. Ramazan YAZICI
Kırşehir Ahi Evran Üniversitesi, Türkiye
Abdulkadir Yağcı
Sheep Breeding Research Institute, Türkiye
Prof. Dr. Mahmut YILMAZ Prof. Dr. Mahmut YILMAZ
Kırşehir Ahi Evran Üniversitesi, Türkiye
Devamını Göster
Özet
The aim of this study was to evaluate the seasonal diet composition and feeding strategies of northern pike (Esox lucius) located in Sıddıklı Küçükboğaz Dam Lake (Kırşehir, Türkiye). Monthly sampling from September 2015 to August 2016 resulted in the collection of 133 northern pike individuals, with their total lengths ranging from 23.4 to 86.6 cm (mean length 53.84 ± 10.51 cm). Stomach content analyses and stati stical tests, including a Kruskal-Wallis analysis, were employed to assess the seasonal variation in feeding intensity. Although numerical differences in the feeding intensity were observed, with the highest values recorded in summer (FI = 1.59) and the lowest in winter (FI = 0.51), these differences were not statistically significant (K-W test, p < 0.05). Among the physicochemical parameters of the surface water, tempera ture emerged as the primary environmental factor influencing the feeding patterns, based on the results of a Spearman’s rank correlation. The northern pike exhibited an exclusively piscivorous diet, primarily consuming Tinca tinca (44.83% by number and 56.16% by frequency of occurrence) as well as Atherina boyeri. Despite the availability of multiple prey species within the habitat, the northern pike demonstrated a strong prey specialisation toward these two fish species throughout the year. The observed consistency in this dietary preference underscores the species’ role as a specialised top predator and provides critical ecological insights for the management and conservation of similar freshwater reservoir ecosystems.
Anahtar Kelimeler
feeding features | food items | predator fish | prey preference | Sıddıklı Küçükboğaz Dam Lake
Makale Türü Açık Erişim Özgün Makale
Makale Alt Türü SCOPUS dergilerinde yayınlanan tam makale
Dergi Adı Revista Colombiana De Obstetricia Y Ginecologia
Dergi ISSN 0034-7434 Scopus Dergi
Makale Dili İngilizce
Basım Tarihi 12-2025
Cilt No 76
Sayı 3
Sayfalar 92 / 103
DOI Numarası 10.3409/fb_73-3.10