Predation on myctophids by the squid Moroteuthis ingens around Macquarie and Heard Islands: stomach contents and fatty acid analyses

Phillips, Katrina L.; Jackson, George D.; Nichols, Peter D.

doi:10.3354/meps215179

Cited by 127 publications

(91 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…In the few cephalopods so far investigated, most species feed on small crustaceans as juveniles and shift the diet to larger fishes and other cephalopods during growth (Rodhouse & Nigmatullin 1996). We observed a 1.9‰ difference (about half a trophic level) in d 15 N between medium and large beaks of M. ingens; a value that corresponds well with the known feeding ecology of the species with smaller squids feeding on both crustaceans and fishes, while larger squids prey mainly upon mesopelagic fishes (Cherel & Duhamel 2003;Phillips et al 2003). A larger difference (4‰; about one trophic level) was noted between small and large beaks of K. longimana (figure 2).…”

Section: Discussion (A) Methodological Commentssupporting

confidence: 62%

Stable isotopes, beaks and predators: a new tool to study the trophic ecology of cephalopods, including giant and colossal squids

2005

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Cephalopods play a key role in the marine environment but knowledge of their feeding habits is limited by lack of data. Here, we have developed a new tool to investigate their feeding ecology by combining the use of their predators as biological samplers together with measurements of the stable isotopic signature of their beaks. Cephalopod beaks are chitinous hard structures that resist digestion and the stable isotope ratios of carbon (d 13 C) and nitrogen (d 15 N) are indicators of the foraging areas and trophic levels of consumers, respectively. First, a comparison of d 13 C and d 15 N values of different tissues from the same individuals showed that beaks were slightly enriched in 13 C but highly impoverished in 15 N compared with lipid-free muscle tissues. Second, beaks from the same species showed a progressive increase in their d 15 N values with increasing size, which is in agreement with a dietary shift from lower to higher trophic levels during cephalopod growth. In the same way, there was an increase in the d 15 N signature of various parts of the same lower beaks in the order rostrum, lateral walls and wings, which reflects the progressive growth and chitinization of the beaks in parallel with dietary changes. Third, we investigated the trophic structure of a cephalopod community for the first time. Values of d 15 N indicate that cephalopods living in slope waters of the subantarctic Kerguelen Islands (nZ18 species) encompass almost three distinct trophic levels, with a continuum of two levels between crustacean-and fish-eaters and a distinct higher trophic level occupied by the colossal squid Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni. d 13 C values demonstrated that cephalopods grow in three different marine ecosystems, with 16 species living and developing in Kerguelen waters and two species migrating from either Antarctica (Slosarczykovia circumantarctica) or the subtropics (the giant squid Architeuthis dux). The stable isotopic signature of beaks accumulated in predators' stomachs therefore revealed new trophic relationships and migration patterns and is a powerful tool to investigate the role of the poorly known cephalopods in the marine environment.

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Section: Discussion (A) Methodological Commentssupporting

confidence: 62%

Stable isotopes, beaks and predators: a new tool to study the trophic ecology of cephalopods, including giant and colossal squids

2005

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“…Studies in New Zealand have demonstrated that the species is annual, undergoes an ontogenic migration from pelagic to benthopelagic waters and is a terminal spawner (Jackson 1993, 1997, Jackson & Mladenov 1994. Analysis of stomach contents showed that large individuals of M. ingens are primarily piscivorous, feeding mainly on mesopelagic fish in New Zealand waters and at Macquarie Island (Jackson et al 1998b, Phillips et al 2001.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet of the squid Moroteuthis ingens (Teuthoidea: Onychoteuthidae) in the upper slope waters of the Kerguelen Islands

Cherel¹,

Duhamel²

2003

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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The diet of the onychoteuthid squid Moroteuthis ingens was investigated through stomach content analyses of 72 individuals collected aboard a trawler targeting Patagonian toothfish Dissostichus eleginoides in the upper slope waters of the Kerguelen Archipelago. M. ingens is primarily piscivorous (67% by number and 87% by reconstituted mass), although the diet also includes squids (12 and 12%, respectively) and crustaceans (21 and <1%, respectively). The main fish prey were the paralepidid Arctozenus risso (28% by reconstituted mass), the gempylid Paradiplospinus gracilis (24%) and various myctophids. M. ingens preyed also upon conspecifics (cannibalism, 6%), and the euphausiid Euphausia triacantha was the main crustacean item. Most of the prey are pelagic organisms performing diurnal migration, suggesting that the benthopelagic M. ingens catch them when they are near the bottom during the day. In turn, M. ingens is a prey for several species of top predators, including D. eleginoides and air-breathing vertebrates. M. ingens thus contributes to carbon export from the pelagic environment to the benthos and from the ocean to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide expired by birds and mammals.

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“…TAGs, which are the main lipid class in most fish species (Clarke et al 1984), are a common form of energy storage (Patton 1975), whereas PLs have a structural role in biomembranes (Sargent 1976). PLs were found to be the main lipid class in some species of cephalopods and crustaceans in which 20:5n-3, 22:6n-3 and20:4n-6 were present in high concentrations (Phillips et al 2001;Rosa & Nunes 2003;Pilar Sieiro et al 2006).…”

Section: Proximate Composition and Energy Densitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This unexpected profile when compared with other species sharing the same trophic niche, would suggest that factors other than diet influence the Fa composition of the marine species studied, at least for squid. The Fas 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3 originate from phytoplankton (Sargent et al 1987), and are generally found in significant amounts in cephalopod species (Phillips et al 2001;Rosa et al 2005;Ozogul et al 2008). Phillips et al (2001) hypothesised that squid selectively retain these Fas from the diet, or that this taxon is able to elongate n-3 precursors.…”

Section: Proximate Composition and Energy Densitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Fas 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3 originate from phytoplankton (Sargent et al 1987), and are generally found in significant amounts in cephalopod species (Phillips et al 2001;Rosa et al 2005;Ozogul et al 2008). Phillips et al (2001) hypothesised that squid selectively retain these Fas from the diet, or that this taxon is able to elongate n-3 precursors. Similarly, benthic scampi showed high concentrations of 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3, but this crustacean had a unique Fa signature with a high proportion of 20:4n-6, which is consistent with reported levels of this Fa in some other benthic invertebrates (Graeve et al 1997;Hagen et al 2000).…”

Section: Proximate Composition and Energy Densitymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Proximate composition, energy content, and fatty acid composition of marine species from Campbell Plateau, New Zealand

Meynier

Morel

Mackenzie

et al. 2008

New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research

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Campbell Plateau is an important fishing ground for the main commercial New Zealand species. Yet, studies on trophic interactions between species and their nutritional values are limited. The objectives of this study were to determine the proximate composition and energy contents of selected commercial and non-commercial marine species from Campbell Plateau and their fatty acid (FA) composition, and to evaluate the degree to which species can be differentiated by their FA compositions. We analysed 43 fish specimens from 5 different species (Macruronus novaezelandiae, Lepidorhynchus denticulatus, Pseudophycis backus, Hemerocoetes spp. and Squalus acanthias), 17 cephalopod specimens from 2 species (Nototodarus sloani and Enteroctopus zealandicus), and 6 Metanephrops challengeri (crustacean). The variation of energy contents between fish species was not significant, but their lipid and protein contents varied significantly. FA signatures distinguished the species analysed and, at a broader scale, the type of habitat. Within-specie s variability was important for benthic species. In general, the diet inference from FA trophic markers was consistent with reported diets from stomach contents.

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Predation on myctophids by the squid Moroteuthis ingens around Macquarie and Heard Islands: stomach contents and fatty acid analyses

Cited by 127 publications

References 35 publications

Stable isotopes, beaks and predators: a new tool to study the trophic ecology of cephalopods, including giant and colossal squids

Stable isotopes, beaks and predators: a new tool to study the trophic ecology of cephalopods, including giant and colossal squids

Diet of the squid Moroteuthis ingens (Teuthoidea: Onychoteuthidae) in the upper slope waters of the Kerguelen Islands

Proximate composition, energy content, and fatty acid composition of marine species from Campbell Plateau, New Zealand

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