Atol das Rocas: an oasis for Octopus insularis juveniles (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae)

Bouth, Helena F.; Leite, Tatiana S.; Lima, Françoise D.; Oliveira, Jorge Eduardo Lins

doi:10.1590/s1984-46702011000100007

Cited by 21 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 24 publications

(20 reference statements)

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“…Instead, the dominance of few species in the diet, the relatively small size of the prey consumed, the absence of variation in prey sizes and proportion of generalists and specialists in the octopus size categories confirms the strategy of a time-minimizing predator, as described for the octopuses at Fernando de Noronha Archipelago and Rocas Atoll (Leite et al 2009b, Bouth et al 2011, which differs from that of the temperate Enteroctopus dofleini (Scheel et al 2007). However, our results also show that smaller prey sizes were consumed at sampled areas that were considered to be nurseries for the species (Rocas Atoll and Pirangi) (see Bouth et al 2011), which contain a higher concentration of juveniles hunting in a specific habitat for smaller prey around the dens. In addition to variation in prey size, octopus body size could also be an important factor in explaining diet variation for some octopus species (Ibánez & Chong 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

“…However, our study considered that the evaluated areas had a similar number of octopuses in each size class and therefore were representative of the whole O. insularis population for each study area (for details see Leite et al 2009b, Batista 2012. The only exception was for the Rocas Atoll population, in which most of the octopuses sampled were classified as small or extra-small size classes (Bouth et al 2011), and therefore the higher variation in samples from this area could be a result of this characteristic.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For this study, we used information previously published by the first author and collaborators about octopus diet from Fernando de Noronha Archipelago (473 prey remains; Leite et al 2009a,b) Rocas Atoll (451 prey remains; Bouth et al 2011), and Trindade and Martim Vaz Archipelago (42 prey items; . We also included recent data collected from the Rio Grande do Norte Brazilian coast (Pirangi: 38 prey remains; Rio do Fogo: 456 prey remains), and Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelagos (16 prey remains).…”

Section: Evaluation and Statistical Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Geographic variability of Octopus insularis diet: from oceanic island to continental populations

Leite¹,

Batista²,

Lima³

et al. 2016

Aquat. Biol.

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A predator's choice of prey can be affected by many factors. We evaluated various influences on population dietary composition, individual specialization and size of prey in Octopus insularis populations from 2 continental and 4 insular locations. We expected that habitat diversity would lead to diet heterogeneity. Furthermore, in keeping with MacArthur & Wilson's (1967) theory of island biogeography, we expected that diet diversity would be lower around islands than on the coast of the mainland. Both predictions were confirmed when prey remains from octopus middens were examined. The 2 continental areas exhibited a richer habitat diversity and a wider variety of prey. Niche widths in the continental areas were 2.42 and 2.03, with the lowest niche widths exhibited by the population from the most distant oceanic islands (1.30, 0.85). We found variation in the proportion of specialist relative to generalist individuals across areas based on the proportional similarity index. The correlation between habitat diversity and niche width (R 2 = 0.84) was highly significant, as was distance from the continental shelf and niche width (R 2 = 0.89). This study reaffirms the central position of octopuses in the nearshore benthic ecosystem, and supports MacArthur & Wilson's (1967) prediction of a lower diversity of species on islands -which applies not only to the species themselves, but also indirectly for the diet of their predators.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Evaluation and Statistical Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Geographic variability of Octopus insularis diet: from oceanic island to continental populations

Leite¹,

Batista²,

Lima³

et al. 2016

Aquat. Biol.

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“…One of the most important results of this study was the occurrence of O. insularis in the biogenic plateau, known locally by local octopus fishermen as 'Restinga', a completely different habitat from previously recorded habitats for the species (LEITE et al, 2009c;BOUTH et al, 2011). Restinga is a plateau formed by both non-biogenic material (sand, gravel and rocks), as well as biogenic material, primarily sponges and algae.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…A study at Rocas Atoll revealed that the shallow inshore ring areas serve as a nursery for O. insularis, due to the abundance of juvenile individuals found (BOUTH et al, 2011). Also, a study of the diversity of cephalopods in the Archipelago of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (ASPSP) registered O. insularis as the only species of benthic octopus found in depths up to 35m (LEITE et al, 2009a), and most individuals were adults.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Octopus insularis (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) on the tropical coast of Brazil: where it lives and what it eats

Batista

Leite

2016

Braz. j. oceanogr.

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Octopus insularis is the dominant octopus in the shallow tropical waters of the coast and oceanic islands in the North and Northeast of Brazil. Is the abundance, distribution, habitat and diet of this species on the continent the same as in oceanic islands? These factors were evaluated in seeking these answers at two areas of occurrence of Octopus insularis on the coast of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Three main types of habitats were described where the species is concentrated, being: Deep Reefs (Reefs of Risca) (> 15 m), Flat Biogenic Plateaus (Restingas) (5-15 m) and Shallow Sedimentary Reefs (Pirangi reefs) (< 5 m). An aggregate spatial distribution was verified, along with bathymetric segregation in which small individuals occupied shallow areas. Regarding diet, O. insularis consumed mainly crustaceans (68%) in shallow reef areas, bivalves (86%) in biogenic plateau areas, and gastropods (33%) in deep reef areas. The characterization of new occurring habitats, such as the area of biogenic plateau, and changes in their diet due to habitat function have shown that O. insularis occupies a broader niche than has been described in literature to date, expanding our knowledge on the ecology and biology of this octopus species of economic interest. AbstrActAllan Torrecilla Batista*, Tatiana Silva Leite

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Deep octopod habitat in the western North Atlantic characterized by Standard Ecological Classification from videos

Pratt,

France,

Vecchione

2023

Ecosphere

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Habitat characterization is important to assess fully the niches of different organisms. There is a large knowledge gap regarding habitat use by deep‐sea benthic incirrate octopods, partly due to their assumed preference for hard‐to‐sample rocky substrata. This study uses observations from in situ videos recorded by remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) deployed from the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer and implements the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) to describe the habitat of three common species of bathyal incirrate octopods living in the western North Atlantic Ocean: Bathypolypus bairdii (Verrill 1873), Graneledone verrucosa (Verrill 1881), and Muusoctopus johnsonianus (Allcock, Strugnell, Ruggiero, & Collins 2006). Significant differences in species' preferences for geoform setting, depth, and substrate type were found. All three species are most likely to be observed by ROV in a submarine canyon and least likely to be seen on a seamount. B. bairdii was found shallower than G. verrucosa and M. johnsonianus. This is the first study of its kind using CMECS to classify the habitat of specific organisms as opposed to the habitat types in a specific area.

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Atol das Rocas: an oasis for Octopus insularis juveniles (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae)

Cited by 21 publications

References 24 publications

Geographic variability of Octopus insularis diet: from oceanic island to continental populations

Geographic variability of Octopus insularis diet: from oceanic island to continental populations

Octopus insularis (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) on the tropical coast of Brazil: where it lives and what it eats

Deep octopod habitat in the western North Atlantic characterized by Standard Ecological Classification from videos

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