Feeding ecology of juvenile flounder Platichthys flesus in an estuarine nursery habitat: Influence of prey–predator interactions

The present study aimed to investigate the feeding ecology and influence of prey–predator interactions on juvenile flounder Platichthys flesus in an Atlantic estuarine nursery area (Lima estuary, NW Portugal), focusing on prey selection and ontogenetic shifts in the diet. The relationship between prey availability and flounder distribution was also investigated. Juvenile flounder diet included 21 taxa of macroinvertebrates and fishes, sand and plant debris. According to numerical, occurrence, and gravimetric dietary indices, macroinvertebrates, namely Chironomidae and Corophium spp. were the main prey items. The diet diversity tended to increase as juveniles grew, although some dietary overlap occurred between the early juveniles (50–149mm total length (TL)). In fact, the diet diversity of the newly settled juveniles (