Isotopes reveal fluctuation in trophic levels of estuarine organisms, in space and time

Vinagre, Catarina; Salgado, Jéssica Waleska; Mendonça, Vanessa; Cabral, Henrique N.; Costa, M. J.

doi:10.1016/j.seares.2012.05.010

Cited by 33 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…This follows the trends observed by Vinagre et al (2012), who reported generally lower trophic levels for numerous estuarine organisms during the summer (wet) season. This was attributed to the higher abundances of micro-and macroalgae, which were consumed more extensively by lower trophic level organisms, thus resulting in a cascade up the food chain (Vinagre et al, 2012).…”

supporting

confidence: 90%

“…Therefore, it is likely that the larger fish at Esengeni are feeding at a higher trophic level compared to the smaller fish. Vinagre et al (2012) suggest that as fish increase in size, their ability to eat larger and higher trophic level prey increases, due to the increase in mouth gape. At Catalina Bay and Charter's Creek, this trend is reversed, with smaller fish feeding at a higher trophic level.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Temporal and spatial dietary dynamics of the longspine glassy (<i>Ambassis ambassis</i>) in the St Lucia estuarine system, iSimangaliso Wetland Park

Dyer¹,

Perissinotto²,

Carrasco³

2015

WSA

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Among the 155 recorded fish species in the St Lucia estuarine system, Ambassis ambassis is one of the most prominent. After a decade dominated by dry and hypersaline conditions, the St Lucia system has changed dramatically with the onset of a new wet phase in 2011. In response, A. ambassis has expanded its distribution throughout the system. Stable δ 15 N and δ 13 C isotope analysis was used in conjunction with gut content analysis to elucidate the diet of this species at 5 representative sampling localities. Zooplankton as well as terrestrial and aquatic insects were prevalent in the diet. Non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis revealed a considerable dietary overlap for the fish collected at the different localities. Seasonally, trophic position differed significantly, with the dry season showing consistently higher isotopic signatures at all sites. A significant relationship was identified between trophic position, salinity and temperature, indicating the potential effect of these variables on the diet. The ability of A. ambassis to link lower trophic level organisms, such as zooplankton, with larger piscivorous predators is thus indicative of the vital role this species occupies in the food webs of the St Lucia system.

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supporting

confidence: 90%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal and spatial dietary dynamics of the longspine glassy (<i>Ambassis ambassis</i>) in the St Lucia estuarine system, iSimangaliso Wetland Park

Dyer¹,

Perissinotto²,

Carrasco³

2015

WSA

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It is possible that TL changes seasonally or spatially depending on distributions of the prey and predator, demographic dynamics, climatic factors etc. (for example see Vinagre et al 2012). Alternatively, different methods of estimating TLs may suggest different values for a species, thereby potentially influencing overall TL.…”

Section: Implications Of Estimating Tls Using Different Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Beyond the issues concerning catch-based TL indicators, there is also the uncertainty involved in the estimation of a single TL for species with variable ontogeny. The TL of species varies with size and can vary in time and space (Jennings et al 2002, Vinagre et al 2012, necessitating some caution in TL-based indicator assessments (Caddy et al 1998). However, the effect of ontogenetic changes in the TL of species was found to be negligible within-species in comparison with between-species effects (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trophic level-based indicators to track fishing impacts across marine ecosystems

Shannon¹,

Coll²,

Bundy³

et al. 2014

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

133

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Trophic level (TL)-based indicators have been widely used to examine fishing impacts in aquatic ecosystems and the induced biodiversity changes. However, much debate has ensued regarding discrepancies and challenges arising from the use of landings data from commercial fisheries to calculate TL indicators. Subsequent studies have started to examine survey-based and model-based indicators. In this paper, we undertake an extensive evaluation of a variety of TL indicators across 9 well-studied marine ecosystems by making use of model-as well as surveyand catch-based TL indicators. Using detailed regional information and data on fishing history, fishing intensity, and environmental conditions, we evaluate how well TL indicators are capturing fishing effects at the community level of marine ecosystems. Our results highlight that the differences observed between TL indicator values and trends is dependent on the data source and the TL cut-off point used in the calculations and is not attributable to an intrinsic problem with TLbased indicators. All 3 data sources provide useful information about the structural changes in the ecosystem as a result of fishing, but our results indicate that only model-based indicators represent fishing impacts at the whole ecosystem level.

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“…They are the most abundant size class in the benthos and are closely connected to other compartments of the benthos (including prokaryotes and macrofauna; Baldrighi et al 2013). They play an important role in benthic food webs, not only as consumers (feeding on detritus, diatoms and algae, and preying on other small metazoans; Pergent et al 1994;Duarte and Cebrian 1996;Gee and Somerfield 1997;Mateo and Romero 1997;Gwyther 2003;Torres-Pratts and Schizas 2007;Mascart et al 2013Mascart et al , 2015, but also as producers (being a food source for macrofauna and fish; Gerlach 1978; Lebreton et al 2011;Vinagre et al 2012;Carpentier et al 2014). The abundance, diversity, distribution and functional properties of meiofauna can be affected by several abiotic factors, including temperature, salinity, hydrodynamic and sedimentary processes, sediment grain size, oxygenation level and food availability (Ingels et al 2011;Lizhe et al 2012;Ngo et al 2013;Zeppilli et al 2013;Górska et al 2014;Pusceddu et al 2014b), and also, by biotic factors such as predation and competition (Tita et al 2000;Danovaro et al 2007;Nascimento et al 2011;Braeckman et al 2013;Boldina et al 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is the meiofauna a good indicator for climate change and anthropogenic impacts?

et al. 2015

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Our planet is changing, and one of the most pressing challenges facing the scientific community revolves around understanding how ecological communities respond to global changes. From coastal to deep-sea ecosystems, ecologists are exploring new areas of research to find model organisms that help predict the future of life on our planet. Among the different categories of organisms, meiofauna offer several advantages for the study of marine benthic ecosystems. This paper reviews the advances in the study of meiofauna with regard to climate change and anthropogenic impacts. Four taxonomic groups are valuable for predicting global changes: foraminifers (especially calcareous forms), nematodes, copepods and ostracods. Environmental variables are fundamental in the interpretation of meiofaunal patterns and multistressor experiments are more informative than single stressor ones, revealing complex ecological and biological interactions. Global change has a general negative effect on meiofauna, with important consequences on benthic food webs. However, some meiofaunal species can be favoured by the extreme conditions induced by global change, as they can exhibit remarkable physiological adaptations. This review highlights the need to incorporate studies on taxonomy,

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Isotopes reveal fluctuation in trophic levels of estuarine organisms, in space and time

Cited by 33 publications

References 34 publications

Temporal and spatial dietary dynamics of the longspine glassy (<i>Ambassis ambassis</i>) in the St Lucia estuarine system, iSimangaliso Wetland Park

Temporal and spatial dietary dynamics of the longspine glassy (<i>Ambassis ambassis</i>) in the St Lucia estuarine system, iSimangaliso Wetland Park

Trophic level-based indicators to track fishing impacts across marine ecosystems

Is the meiofauna a good indicator for climate change and anthropogenic impacts?

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