Ecology Summary - Gasterosteus aculeatus

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Main Ref.	Banister, K., 1986
Remarks	Shoaling species outside the breeding season, especially when young. Inhabits vegetated areas, usually over mud or sand (Ref. 5723). In the sea, confined to coastal waters. Forms schools. Eggs are found in nests constructed from plant material (Ref. 41678). Anadromous and nerito-pelagic (Ref. 58426). Feeds on worms, crustaceans, larvae and adult aquatic insects, drowned aerial insects, and small fishes; has also been reported to feed on their own fry and eggs (Ref. 1998). Length in freshwater is 8 cm while in saltwater is 11 cm (Ref. 35388). Preyed upon by American mergansers.

Main Ref.

Banister, K., 1986

Remarks

Shoaling species outside the breeding season, especially when young. Inhabits vegetated areas, usually over mud or sand (Ref. 5723). In the sea, confined to coastal waters. Forms schools. Eggs are found in nests constructed from plant material (Ref. 41678). Anadromous and nerito-pelagic (Ref. 58426). Feeds on worms, crustaceans, larvae and adult aquatic insects, drowned aerial insects, and small fishes; has also been reported to feed on their own fry and eggs (Ref. 1998). Length in freshwater is 8 cm while in saltwater is 11 cm (Ref. 35388). Preyed upon by American mergansers.

Aquatic zones / Water bodies

	Marine - Neritic	Marine - Oceanic	Brackishwater	Freshwater
Marine zones / Brackish and freshwater bodies	supra-littoral zone littoral zone sublittoral zone	epipelagic mesopelagic epipelagic abyssopelagic hadopelagic	estuaries/lagoons/brackish seas mangroves marshes/swamps	rivers/streams lakes/ponds caves exclusively in caves

Highighted items on the list are where Gasterosteus aculeatus may be found.

Habitat

Substrate	Soft Bottom: sand; mud;
Substrate Ref.	Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr, 1991
Special habitats	vegetation
Special habitats Ref.	Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr, 1991

Associations

Ref.	Scott, W.B. and M.G. Scott, 1988
Associations
Associated with	Young associated with drifting seaweed (Ref. 12114, 12115). Parasites of the species include 5 protozoans, 2 myxosporidians, 4 monogeneans, 12 trematodes, 7 cestodes, 4 nematodes, 2 acanthocephalans, 1 mollusc, 1 branchiuran and 2 copepods (Ref. 5951).
Association remarks
Parasitism

Feeding

Feeding type	mainly animals (troph. 2.8 and up)
Feeding type Ref.	Blegvad, H., 1917
Feeding habit	hunting macrofauna (predator)
Feeding habit Ref.	Blegvad, H., 1917

Trophic Level(s)

Estimation method	Original sample		Unfished population		Remark
Estimation method	Troph	s.e.	Troph	s.e.	Remark
From diet composition	3.31	0.18	3.41	0.39	Troph of adults from 2 studies.
From individual food items	3.38	0.46			Trophic level estimated from a number of food items using a randomized resampling routine.
Ref.	Blegvad, H., 1917

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