PUBLISHED: DECEMBER 2004

Species Composition and Food Habits of Dominant Fish Predators in Salt Marshes of an Urbanized Estuary, the Hackensack Meadowlands, New Jersey

by Melissa J. Neuman¹, Guillermo Ruess², and Kenneth W. Able²

¹National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, 501 W. Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802-4213
²Marine Field Station, Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, c/o 132 Great Bay Blvd., Tuckerton, NJ 08087-2004

Glossary

Analysis of variance (ANOVA)
Statistical method that yields values that can be tested to determine whether a significant relation exists between variables.
Anoxic
Of or relating to zero dissolved-oxygen conditions, unsupportive of aerobic life.
Gravimetric
Of or relating to measurement by weight.
Hypoxic
Pertaining to, in aquatic environments, conditions in which there is a dissolved-oxygen concentration of less than 3mg per liter* of water; such conditions are usually harmful or deadly to aerobic life.
Microbenthos
Organisms (e.g., protozoa, nematodes) too small to be seen with the naked eye that live on or in sea or lake bottoms.
Mitigation banking
The process of preserving, enhancing, restoring, or creating habitat to compensate for (current or future) habitat disturbances elsewhere, especially due to development.
Normoxic
Of or relating to the concentration of dissolved oxygen in an organism or environment that is considered functionally normal.
Oligohaline
Of or relating to a body of water with a salinity measure of less than 5 parts per thousand (or 5 grams of salt per liter).
p < 0.01
An indicator of statistical significance in which the probability of the result of a study being a chance occurrence is less than 1 in 100.
Piscivore
An animal that feeds on fish.
Piscivory
The state or condition of feeding on fish.
Polyhaline
Of or relating to a body of water with a salinity measure between 18 and 30 parts per thousand (or grams of salt per liter).
Student-Newman-Keuls multiple comparison test
A statistical method for determining differences among groups of samples.

* Measurements throughout this paper are in metric notation; conversions to U.S. equivalents can be obtained at http://www.onlineconversion.com.