Food conditions of the sand goby Pomatoschistus minutus in shallow waters: An analysis in the context of Dynamic Energy Budget theory

Several epibenthic species aggregate in large numbers in shallow waters during summer, feeding on the available benthic meio- and macrofauna. Whether this concentration leads to periods of food limitation affecting habitat quality for some of these species is not clear at present. In this study we applied the Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) theory as a framework to analyze growth, in order to investigate the food conditions of the sand goby Pomatoschistus minutus in estuarine and coastal Atlantic waters. Average food conditions over the entire lifespan were determined based on maximum sizes of sand gobies reported in various areas. In addition, seasonal growth trajectories in the field were compared to model simulations with unlimited food conditions. Results showed that growth of sand gobies in the field is at the same level or even above model simulations. Our findings suggest that sand gobies' growth is not food-limited across their distributional range and that growth variability between areas is mainly related to environmental temperature conditions. Limitations of the present approach are discussed.

Research highlights
► Dynamic Energy Budgets can be used to investigate food conditions in sand gobies.
► Simulated growth trajectories at unlimited food were similar to observed growth.
► Growth in sand gobies does not seem food-limited across a wide range of locations.