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Seasonality in diet and feeding habits of the endemic Chala tilapia (Oreochromis hunteri) and two introduced tilapiine cichlids in Lake Chala, East Africa

  • ADVANCES IN CICHLID RESEARCH IV
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Abstract

Oreochromis cf. korogwe and Coptodon rendalli, two tilapiine fishes introduced to Lake Chala (Kenya/Tanzania) ~ 40 years ago, may negatively affect the endemic Chala tilapia (Oreochromis hunteri) by competition for food. However, the actual threat posed by the introduced cichlids cannot be assessed without data on the local feeding habits of all three species. This paper describes the diet of O. hunteri and both introduced species, focusing on seasonal changes in food-source availability. Microscopic analysis of gut content in 35 fishes collected over a 20-month period was compared with the composition of littoral food sources and seasonal variation in the limnetic phytoplankton and complemented with exploratory stable-isotope analysis of fish tissue. We found that all three tilapiines in Lake Chala are herbivorous, and during most of the year, they feed on algae and organic detritus on and between rocks in the littoral zone. However, in July–September they migrate to open water to feed on blooming phytoplankton. Interspecific differences in gut content and stable-isotope composition suggest that O. hunteri may have a competitive advantage over the two newcomers by making better use of this seasonal extra food resource. However, this advantage may erode when continuing climate change starts affecting the bloom’s predictability.

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Acknowledgements

This study was carried out under Memorandum of Understanding A14/TT/0923 between Ghent University and the National Museums of Kenya (NMK), and the institutional affiliation of DV with NMK. We thank Caxton Oluseno, Els Ryken and the fishermen of Lake Chala for assistance in acquiring fish specimens and food-source samples for this study. Marleen De Troch (Marine Biology Research Group, Ghent University) provided advice on transport and pre-processing of samples for isotopic analysis. We further thank Pascal Boeckx, Samuel Bodé and Katja Van Nieuland (ISOFYS Laboratory, Ghent University) for executing the stable-isotope analyses. This research was funded by the Ghent University Special Research Fund through Collaborative Research Activity `DeepCHALLA’, including PhD support to JD. CC was partly financed through the Belgian Science Policy Brain-be project BR/121/A2 PAMEXEA ‘Patterns and mechanisms of climate extremes in East Africa’.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Limnology Unit, Department of Biology, Ghent University, K. L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Jorunn Dieleman, Christine Cocquyt & Dirk Verschuren

  2. Meise Botanic Garden, Nieuwelaan 38, 1860, Meise, Belgium

    Christine Cocquyt

  3. Ichthyology Section, Zoology Department, National Museums of Kenya, P.O. Box 40658-00100, Nairobi, Kenya

    Wanja Dorothy Nyingi

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  1. Jorunn Dieleman
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  2. Christine Cocquyt
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  3. Wanja Dorothy Nyingi
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  4. Dirk Verschuren
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JD participated in conceiving the study and the sampling design, gathered and analysed gut contents and littoral food-source samples, interpreted all data and wrote the draft paper. CC gathered and analysed limnetic phytoplankton samples and helped with interpreting those results. WDN participated in study design, provided institutional support and provided comment on the manuscript. DV participated in conceiving the study and interpreting data, and helped optimise the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Dirk Verschuren.

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Dieleman, J., Cocquyt, C., Nyingi, W.D. et al. Seasonality in diet and feeding habits of the endemic Chala tilapia (Oreochromis hunteri) and two introduced tilapiine cichlids in Lake Chala, East Africa. Hydrobiologia 848, 3763–3777 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-020-04427-3

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