Editing Clupeidae (section)

== Feeding physiology ==
The Clupeidae family primarily feed on small planktonic organisms. The teeth of members of this family are either reduced or absent, reduced teeth are miniature teeth that would be barely visible and line the interior of the fish's mouth. The structure of these teeth indicate that these organisms do not need to cut or tear their prey items as they would need fully formed teeth to complete this process. They do, however, possess long [[gill raker]]s that are designed for sifting plankton and other small particles out of the water as it passes through their gills.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}} Gill rakers are protrusions along the [[Branchial arch|gill arch]], opposing the gill filaments, that help aquatic organisms to trap food particles.

The diet of many clupeids primarily consists of [[phytoplankton]] and plant matter during their larval stages. As the fish mature this diet begins to shift towards larger and more substantive organisms, including more [[zooplankton]] and [[copepod]]s. This change in diet is possible due to their increase in body and gill raker size, which allows them to capture and process larger organisms to support themselves. Small organisms like these do not need to be ground or torn apart for consumption so pronounced teeth would not serve a purpose in the feeding habits of Clupeidae, instead the use of [[Filter feeder|filter feeding]] allows for much more efficient nutrient collection.

The [[fusiform]] body shape of Clupeidae is also advantageous to their trophic ecology. The tapering body form is a highly hydrodynamic form that allows for quick increases in speed and a high maximum speed. Moving at high speeds allows the members of this family to regulate their feeding habits and avoid predators. Clupeidae can moderate the speed at which they swim to increase their uptake of nutrients. As with all filter feeders, Clupeidae cannot take in food if nutrient rich water does not pass over their gills. To moderate this, members of this family have been found to increase their swimming speed when they sense that there is a high concentration of food items in order to take advantage of this feeding period.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Durbin |first1=Ann |last2=Durbin |first2=Edward |last3=Verity |first3=Peter |last4=Smayda |first4=Thomas |date=1985 |title=Voluntary swimming speeds and respiration rates of a filter-feeding planktivore, the Atlantic menhaden, Brevoortia tyrannus (Pisces: Clupeidae) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m4eYv-5tA44C&dq=clupeidae+feeding&pg=PA877 |journal=Fishery Bulletin |volume=78 |issue=4 |pages=877–886 |via=Google Books}}</ref> Keeping a high swimming speed during periods of low food availability would not be efficient to maintain over long periods of time as the organisms would not net as much energy as they may need to in order to sustain themselves and increase their [[Fitness (biology)|fitness]]. Increasing their swimming speed during feeding periods would allow them to take in more plankton while not suffering consequences from maintaining that speed.