A Comparison Of The Diets Of Redbreast Sunfish And Spotted Sucker In A Coastal Plain Stream

The diets of r,edbreast sunfish (Lepomis auritus) and spotted sucker (Minytrema melanops) in the Satilla River, Georgia, were shown to be quantitatively different using Spearman rank correlation coefficients. The index of overlap of Pianka by number and weight showed considerable overlap in the diet during the fall. Chironomids were the main food component contributing to this overlap. The index of electivity of Ivlev indicated moderate to high selectivity by both species for chironomids in the winter, spring, and summer and some selectivity in the fall. The diet overlap between the 2 species was not considered to be a problem.