Associations in ephemeral systems: the lack of trophic relationships between sandhoppers and beach wrack

Porri, Francesca; Hill, Jaclyn M.; McQuaid, Christopher D.

doi:10.3354/meps08951

Cited by 25 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…Adin and Riera, 2003;Crawley and Hyndes, 2007;Duarte et al, 2010;Poore and Gallagher, 2012), however, Rossi et al (2010) described an opportunistic behaviour for amphipods that relied on seagrasses (Sargassum muticum) when this resource was deposited in large quantities on the shore, and Porri et al (2011) found an ephemeral relationship between amphipods and specific wrack subsidies in South Africa. Herein, we also describe an opportunistic feeding behaviour, mainly of the consumers at Cabedelo beach, which might utilise the various sources indiscriminately as a result of the higher availability of wrack deposited on the shore.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To investigate the role of wrack as food sources we applied the traditional mean trophic enrichment of 1‰ for ␦ 13 C and 3.4‰ for ␦ 15 N (Adin and Riera, 2003;Epstein, 1978, 1980;Minagawa and Wada, 1984), which also allows comparisons on similar studies based on the trophic ecology of the same or congeneric species (e.g. Adin and Riera, 2003;Olabarria et al, 2009;Porri et al, 2011;Rossi et al, 2010). In addition, these values are known to better identify wrack species as food sources for these amphipod species than other values recently proposed in the literature (e.g.…”

Section: Data Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In general, most of these scavengers (namely talitrid amphipods and isopods) live buried between the drift line and the base of the foredunes during the day, emerging at night to feed and move across the shoreline (Scapini et al, 1997). Although these species have generally been regarded as essentially herbivorous, an opportunistic behaviour (detritivorous) has been described for these taxa (Adin and Riera, 2003;Porri et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Colombini et al, 2000;Duong and Fairweather, 2010;MacMillan and Quijón, 2012;Olabarria et al, 2007). The dietary wrack preferences of particular taxa (mainly amphipods) were also extensively studied, and while some studies showed similarly strong preferences for the brown algae (Adin and Riera, 2003;Crawley and Hyndes, 2007;Duarte et al, 2010;Olabarria et al, 2009), others showed that they are indiscriminate feeders (McLeod et al, 2013) and even not related with specific wrack species (Colombini et al, 2009;Porri et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Niche segregation amongst sympatric species at exposed sandy shores with contrasting wrack availabilities illustrated by stable isotopic analysis

Bessa

Baeta

Marques

2014

Ecological Indicators

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a b s t r a c tWrack supplies (macroalgae, seagrasses and carrion) are a common feature of sandy beaches worldwide. These allochthonous inputs are a potential high-quality food subsidy for beach fauna, but little is known about the feeding ecology and niche segregation strategies of these species in beaches with limited wrack availabilities. We used stable isotopic ratios of nitrogen and carbon to examine the diets and niche segregation among three sympatric crustaceans, the amphipods Talitrus saltator and Talorchestia brito, and the isopod Tylos europaeus, in two temperate beaches, Cabedelo and Quiaios, on the Portuguese Atlantic coast, with contrasting wrack availabilities, over winter and summer. In the beach with limited wrack (Quiaios), consumers showed significantly different interspecific and temporal isotopic signatures, suggesting a distinct foraging habitat and niche differentiation. Mixing models outputs (SIAR) revealed in this case a seasonal shift in the diet of consumers from terrestrial sources in winter towards marinebased sources (phytoplankton) in the summer. In contrast, at Cabedelo, consumers showed clear overlap in isotopic signatures, with similar contributions of the available wrack to their diets. As a whole, an opportunistic and generalist feeding behaviour was described for these species, namely for T. saltator. Isotopic profiles support the occurrence of spatial overlap during summer but different foraging strategies of the three species in these beaches during winter. Our results show that on temperate beaches with ephemeral wrack supplies, consumers might need to adopt different foraging strategies and niche segregation for their subsistence, and additionally illustrate the viability of using stable isotopes to capture subtle changes in trophic niches.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Data Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Niche segregation amongst sympatric species at exposed sandy shores with contrasting wrack availabilities illustrated by stable isotopic analysis

Bessa

Baeta

Marques

2014

Ecological Indicators

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…In general, most detritivorous and scavenger arthropods (such as talitrid amphipods, isopods and tenebrionids) are considered essentially herbivorous and show an opportunistic behaviour (Adin & Riera 2003;Porri et al 2011). Understanding the foraging strategies of consumers inhabiting the same ecosystem is essential to unraveling their trophic relationships and ecological roles.…”

Section: Feeding Strategies Of the Beach Arthropod Communities: Stablmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enzyme activity and trophic links of macroarthropods living on an exposed Mediterranean beach–dune system

Lagar

Pazzagli

Cappugi

et al. 2016

Italian Journal of Zoology

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Arthropod communities of beach-dune systems are mainly composed by detritivorous species, apparently with overlapping trophic niches. This study aims at distinguishing the trophic roles of sympatric species, by using a biochemical approach in the analysis of gut contents. The digestion of seven trisaccharidic and disaccharidic substrates containing the glycosidic bond was tested in gut homogenates of 10 species of detritivorous insects and crustaceans from a Mediterranean beach-dune system (Tuscany, Italy). Glycosidase activities were compared between species. A dendrogram was determined separating species with different enzymatic activity spectra. The differences observed in the enzymatic activities may be related to a different use of the available food resources and interpreted as an opportunist nutrition of arthropod species sharing the same habitat.

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Biological characteristics of the rafting bivalve Gaimardia trapesina in the Southern Ocean

et al. 2018

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Associations in ephemeral systems: the lack of trophic relationships between sandhoppers and beach wrack

Cited by 25 publications

References 62 publications

Niche segregation amongst sympatric species at exposed sandy shores with contrasting wrack availabilities illustrated by stable isotopic analysis

Niche segregation amongst sympatric species at exposed sandy shores with contrasting wrack availabilities illustrated by stable isotopic analysis

Enzyme activity and trophic links of macroarthropods living on an exposed Mediterranean beach–dune system

Biological characteristics of the rafting bivalve Gaimardia trapesina in the Southern Ocean

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