Stable isotope analysis reveals trophic diversity and partitioning in territorial damselfishes on a low-latitude coral reef

Eurich, Jacob G.; Matley, Jordan K.; Baker, Ronald J.; McCormick, Mark I.; Jones, Geoffrey P.

doi:10.1007/s00227-018-3463-3

Cited by 29 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…A small metal ball was then placed into each individual tube, and the tissue was ground into a fine powder using a ball mill. This ensured that the sample was homogeneous, and therefore representative of the organism's true δ 15 N and δ 13 C content (Eurich, Matley, Baker, McCormick, & Jones, ). Powdered samples were then weighed into tin capsules and analysed for stable isotope content using an Nu Instruments NuHorizon Continuous Flow IRMS (CF‐IRMS).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Generalistic feeding strategies are known to play an important role in spatial partitioning and co-existence among species by minimizing competition for trophic space (e.g. pomacentrid fishes; Eurich et al, 2019). Generalists are thought to have an advantage over specialists, as they are able to consume a wider array of food sources and are therefore better equipped to deal with food shortages (Clavel, Julliard, & Devictor, 2011;Wilson et al, 2008).…”

Section: Nevertheless Niche Segregation (Based On Isotopic Niche Spamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Trophic niche segregation allows range‐extending coral reef fishes to co‐exist with temperate species under climate change

Kingsbury

Gillanders

Booth

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

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Changing climate is forcing many terrestrial and marine species to extend their ranges poleward to stay within the bounds of their thermal tolerances. However, when such species enter higher latitude ecosystems, they engage in novel interactions with local species, such as altered predator–prey dynamics and competition for food. Here, we evaluate the trophic overlap between range‐extending and local fish species along the east coast of temperate Australia, a hotspot for ocean warming and species range extensions. Stable isotope ratios (δ15N and δ13C) of muscle tissue and stomach content analysis were used to quantify overlap of trophic niche space between vagrant tropical and local temperate fish communities along a 730 km (6°) latitudinal gradient. Our study shows that in recipient temperate ecosystems, sympatric tropical and temperate species do not overlap significantly in their diet—even though they forage on broadly similar prey groups—and are therefore unlikely to compete for trophic niche space. The tropical and temperate species we studied, which are commonly found in shallow‐water coastal environments, exhibited moderately broad niche breadths and local‐scale dietary plasticity, indicating trophic generalism. We posit that because these species are generalists, they can co‐exist under current climate change, facilitating the existence of novel community structures.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Nevertheless Niche Segregation (Based On Isotopic Niche Spamentioning

confidence: 99%

Trophic niche segregation allows range‐extending coral reef fishes to co‐exist with temperate species under climate change

Kingsbury

Gillanders

Booth

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

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“…Casey et al, 2016;Mouillot et al, 2014). However, broad trophic assignments may not capture the innate complexity of an animal's foraging behaviour or the high richness of prey embedded in coral reef food webs (Eurich, Matley, Baker, McCormick, & Jones, 2019;Polis & Strong, 1996). For instance, species within the family Acanthuridae are typically classified as grazing, mobile herbivores, but they exhibit a wide breadth of feeding behaviours and diets, with evidence of fine-scale morphological, dietary and behavioural specialization (Brandl, Robbins, & Bellwood, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reconstructing hyperdiverse food webs: Gut content metabarcoding as a tool to disentangle trophic interactions on coral reefs

et al. 2019

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Anthropogenic stressors have strong impacts on ecosystems. To understand their influence, detailed knowledge about trophic relationships among species is critical. However, this requires both exceptional resolution in dietary assessments and sampling breadth within communities, especially for highly diverse, tropical ecosystems. We used gut content metabarcoding across a broad range of coral reef fishes (8 families, 22 species) in Mo'orea, French Polynesia, to test whether this technique has the potential to capture the structure of a hyperdiverse marine food web. Moreover, we explored whether taxonomic groups (families) and traditional, broad‐scale trophic assignments explained fish diet across four different metrics of quantifying predator–prey interactions. Metabarcoding yielded a large number (4,341) of unique operational taxonomic units (i.e. prey) with high‐resolution taxonomic assignments (i.e. often to the level of genus or species). We demonstrate that across multiple metrics, taxonomic group at the family level is a consistently better, albeit still weak, predictor of empirical trophic relationships than frequently used, broad‐scale functional assignments. Our method also reveals a complex trophic network with fine‐scale partitioning among species, further emphasizing the importance of examining fish diets beyond broad trophic categories. We demonstrate the capacity of metabarcoding to reconstruct diverse and complex food webs with exceptional resolution, a significant advancement from traditional food web reconstruction. Furthermore, this method allows us to pinpoint the trophic niche of species with niche‐based modelling, even across hyperdiverse species assemblages such as coral reefs. In conjunction with complementary techniques such as stable isotope analysis, applying metabarcoding to whole communities will provide unparalleled information about energy and nutrient fluxes and inform their susceptibility to disturbances even in the world's most diverse ecosystems.

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“…However, planktivorous damselfishes are understudied in the literature, apart from small-scale studies that examine their feeding, trophic status, habitat associations and recruitment [11,[19][20][21][22][23]. These studies have revealed coral habitat and niche partitioning seems likely to be an important general determinant of damselfish spatial patterns on coral reefs [21,24]. The fact that damselfish assemblages and those of other fish groups so often decline after coral losses due to major disturbances [25][26][27][28][29] further highlights the fundamental importance of coral habitat for reef fish assemblages and how it may drive their distributions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Though habitat preferences may initially determine spatial distributions of many reef fishes, patterns established at settlement may later be altered by a wide range of ecological processes, including mortality [30], competitive exclusion [23] and antagonistic behaviours [24]. This is particularly relevant to planktivorous damselfishes because many have little inclination to move once settled and so cannot avoid the processes operating locally that may influence post-settlement survival; in fact many of the smaller-bodied species have very small home ranges and appear to retain high fidelity to settlement sites [20,31].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Distribution of Planktivorous Damselfishes (Pomacentridae) on the Great Barrier Reef and the Relative Influences of Habitat and Predation

2019

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Planktivorous damselfishes (Pomacentridae) are diverse and abundant on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), are important prey for commercially harvested coral trout (Plectropomus spp.) and their feeding mode plays a central role in transferring energy from the plankton to the reef. However, little is known about their distribution patterns throughout the GBR and how those patterns are influenced by predators and habitat despite increasing pressures on both. Here we quantify the distribution and abundance of GBR planktivorous damselfishes, then examine the role of coral trout and habitat in shaping their assemblages. The assemblage structure of planktivorous damselfishes varied across the continental shelf, yet their total abundances varied sub-regionally, dependent on differences in coral habitat. Latitudinal patterns were relatively weak. Damselfish assemblages generally retained characteristics of their sub-regional setting over 20 years and assemblage degradation was only associated with major coral losses. Damselfish numbers were not negatively influenced by top-down control from coral trout. Instead, numbers of coral trout and damselfishes were both positively associated with coral habitat and each other. Our findings suggest that a complexity of factors and interactions shape reef fish assemblages and reinforce the fundamental importance of coral as the foundation of healthy reef communities.

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Stable isotope analysis reveals trophic diversity and partitioning in territorial damselfishes on a low-latitude coral reef

Cited by 29 publications

References 74 publications

Trophic niche segregation allows range‐extending coral reef fishes to co‐exist with temperate species under climate change

Trophic niche segregation allows range‐extending coral reef fishes to co‐exist with temperate species under climate change

Reconstructing hyperdiverse food webs: Gut content metabarcoding as a tool to disentangle trophic interactions on coral reefs

The Distribution of Planktivorous Damselfishes (Pomacentridae) on the Great Barrier Reef and the Relative Influences of Habitat and Predation

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