Food and feeding habits of the introduced common carp (Cyprinus carpio L. 1758) in Lake Ardibo, Ethiopia

The study was conducted to investigate the food and feeding habits of <i>Cyprinus carpio</i>, in Lake Ardibo, Ethiopia during dry (February-March) and wet (July-August) months in 2023. Specimens were collected by gillnets of various stretched mesh sizes. The gut contents were analyzed using frequency of occurrences and volumetric methods. A total of 915 specimens were collected; of which 605 (66.12 %) guts contained food. The most frequently occurring prey items were (72.72 %), phytoplankton (66.77 %), detritus (66.77 %), and macrophyte (39 %). Volumetrically, zooplankton (36.27 %), phytoplankton (31.41 %), macrophyte (15.08 %), and detritus (14.81 %) were most important. Frequency occurrences of phytoplankton and zooplankton varied significantly <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mrow><mml:mo>(</mml:mo> <mml:msup><mml:mi>X</mml:mi> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:msup> <mml:mspace></mml:mspace> <mml:mtext>test</mml:mtext> <mml:mo>,</mml:mo> <mml:mi>p</mml:mi> <mml:mo><</mml:mo> <mml:mn>0.05</mml:mn></mml:mrow> </mml:math> ) between dry and wet months. The volumetric contribution of phytoplankton, zooplankton, macrophytes, and detritus varied significantly (<i>U</i> test, p < 0.05) in dry and wet months. Schoner Diet Overlap Index revealed there were no significant dietary shifts between juveniles and adults. Based on the result of gut contents; <i>C. carpio</i> showed omnivorous feeding behavior. This investigation is important to understanding the prey-predator relationship and conserving the prey types for <i>C. carpio</i> optimum production.