Ecomorphology and evolution of the pharyngeal apparatus of benthic damselfishes (Pomacentridae, subfamily Stegastinae)

Aguilar-Medrano, Rosalía

doi:10.1007/s00227-016-3051-3

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…The higher robustness of the cephalic region in S. flavilatus may reflect more robust mouth structures and a higher ability to seize and crush bigger food items. Eventually, a study on pharyngeal jaw morphology showed a divergence in the dentition between S. flavilatus and S. rectifraenum; the former has molariform lower pharyngeal jaw teeth that may help to crush benthic organisms, while the latter has papilliform dentition, better suited to processing filamentous algae [76]. Stegastes rectifraenum has a more fusiform body shape that may provide higher swimming abilities than S. flavilatus, and would make S. rectifraenum to be more adapted to shallow reefs (< 10 m) directly exposed to wave actions as no crest are present in the reefs in the GC.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecomorphology, trophic niche, and distribution divergences of two common damselfishes in the Gulf of California

Olivier

Lepoint

Aguilar-Medrano

et al. 2019

Comptes Rendus. Biologies

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Damselfishes of the genus Stegastes are among the most conspicuous benthic reefassociated fish in the Gulf of California, and the two most commonly found species are the Beaubrummel Gregory Stegastes flavilatus and the Cortez damselfish Stegastes rectifraenum. Both species are described as ecologically and morphologically very similar. However, the niche theory predicts that coexisting species will tend to minimize competition through niche partitioning. We, therefore, investigated the degree of their ecological similarity through their morphology, trophic ecology, and spatial distribution, as well as, the effects of environmental variables on their abundance. We showed that S. rectifraenum is highly abundant in the entire Gulf of California while S. flavilatus is only found in the central and southern part. The abundance of S. rectifraenum was higher in shallow water and decreased when the cover of macroalgae and sand increased. No environmental variable was related to the abundance of S. flavilatus. Both species had distinct isotopic niches: S. flavilatus fed almost exclusively on plankton and zoobenthos, while S. rectifraenum had an omnivorous diet mixing turf, zoobenthos and plankton. The diet divergence was reflected in the morphology of the two species. Stegastes flavilatus had a more rounded body shape, with a higher supraoccipital crest and more gill rakers than S. rectifraenum, which may increase its ability to feed on vagile invertebrates and zooplankton. Our results support the hypothesis that a niche partition has occurred between the two species. Furthermore, the importance of planktonic food sources to both species, considered as benthic territorial feeders, challenges the traditional ecological description of the Stegastes species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecomorphology, trophic niche, and distribution divergences of two common damselfishes in the Gulf of California

Olivier

Lepoint

Aguilar-Medrano

et al. 2019

Comptes Rendus. Biologies

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“…However, CTX could also be transferred through invertebrates and other grazers of turf algae, such as damselfishes [ 13 ]. Damselfishes (Pomacentridae) are a diverse group of fishes that constitute a large component of the fish fauna of coral reefs, with a wide range of feeding preferences, including some that graze turf algae [ 135 , 136 ]. Damselfishes constitute a considerable proportion of the prey of coral trout on the GBR [ 99 ], and low concentrations of CTX have been recently detected from a single damselfish from a Caribbean reef [ 137 ], making damselfishes worthy of further study as possible alternate vectors for the trophic transfer of CTX to predatory fishes in the Caribbean Sea and, potentially, the Pacific Ocean.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Model of the Origin of a Ciguatoxic Grouper (Plectropomus leopardus)

Holmes

Lewis

2023

Toxins

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Published data were used to model the transfer of ciguatoxins (CTX) across three trophic levels of a marine food chain on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), Australia, to produce a mildly toxic common coral trout (Plectropomus leopardus), one of the most targeted food fishes on the GBR. Our model generated a 1.6 kg grouper with a flesh concentration of 0.1 µg/kg of Pacific-ciguatoxin-1 (P-CTX-1 = CTX1B) from 1.1 to 4.3 µg of P-CTX-1 equivalents (eq.) entering the food chain from 0.7 to 2.7 million benthic dinoflagellates (Gambierdiscus sp.) producing 1.6 pg/cell of the P-CTX-1 precursor, P-CTX-4B (CTX4B). We simulated the food chain transfer of ciguatoxins via surgeonfishes by modelling Ctenochaetus striatus feeding on turf algae. A C. striatus feeding on ≥1000 Gambierdiscus/cm2 of turf algae accumulates sufficient toxin in <2 days that when preyed on, produces a 1.6 kg common coral trout with a flesh concentration of 0.1 µg/kg P-CTX-1. Our model shows that even transient blooms of highly ciguatoxic Gambierdiscus can generate ciguateric fishes. In contrast, sparse cell densities of ≤10 Gambierdiscus/cm2 are unlikely to pose a significant risk, at least in areas where the P-CTX-1 family of ciguatoxins predominate. The ciguatera risk from intermediate Gambierdiscus densities (~100 cells/cm2) is more difficult to assess, as it requires feeding times for surgeonfish (~4–14 days) that overlap with turnover rates of turf algae that are grazed by herbivorous fishes, at least in regions such as the GBR, where stocks of herbivorous fishes are not impacted by fishing. We use our model to explore how the duration of ciguatoxic Gambierdiscus blooms, the type of ciguatoxins they produce, and fish feeding behaviours can produce differences in relative toxicities between trophic levels. Our simple model indicates thresholds for the design of risk and mitigation strategies for ciguatera and the variables that can be manipulated to explore alternate scenarios for the accumulation and transfer of P-CTX-1 analogues through marine food chains and, potentially, for other ciguatoxins in other regions, as more data become available.

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“…A species that also featured a wide rhomboidal disc and a slender and elongated MC is G. micrura, a demersal species with feeding preferences for mobile prey such as fish and shrimp. For this type of prey, wide and light mandibular structures allow fast movements, further, pointy teeth allow it to hold and tear prey (Aguilar-Medrano, 2017;Burres et al, 2015;Dean et al, 2007), while a wide disc favors fast movements. On the other hand, P. lentiginosus, which presented a highly angular disc with low aspect-ratio and thick and elongated MC, is a benthic species with feeding preferences for prey such as mollusks and crustaceans, which may include hard-shell prey.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary ecomorphology of select species of rays distributed in the Gulf of Mexico

Aguilar-Medrano

Vega‐Cendejas²

2022

Rev.Mex.Biodiv.

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Bathomorphi is a diverse lineage, accounting for more than half of the chondrichthyan diversity. Yet, more than 12.3% of the species are in the “deficient data” category of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, indicating a gap in the knowledge of this group. In the present study, the diet and morphological variation associated with locomotion (disc) and feeding (Meckel’s cartilage and teeth) of 9 species of batomorphs were analyzed to assess trophic and morphological diversity, size, and sexual dimorphism. Comparative phylogenetic methods were used to determine the evolutionary relationship between variables. According to our results, the species selected showed a wide and intricate morphological variation. Sexual dimorphism was mainly observed in tooth morphology, where males tended to have more pointed teeth than females. Disc allometry was recorded for most species; small specimens presented a longer snout than larger specimens. Only the Meckel’s cartilage was related to the diet of the species. However, the morphological variation of the disc, Meckel’s cartilage, and teeth of the batomorphs were correlated through the evolution of the group and responded to functional patterns such as swimming and feeding, which finally, determined the ecology of the species.

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Ecomorphology and evolution of the pharyngeal apparatus of benthic damselfishes (Pomacentridae, subfamily Stegastinae)

Cited by 8 publications

References 60 publications

Ecomorphology, trophic niche, and distribution divergences of two common damselfishes in the Gulf of California

Ecomorphology, trophic niche, and distribution divergences of two common damselfishes in the Gulf of California

Model of the Origin of a Ciguatoxic Grouper (Plectropomus leopardus)

Evolutionary ecomorphology of select species of rays distributed in the Gulf of Mexico

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