Trophic ecology of northern gannets Morus bassanus highlights the extent of isotopic niche overlap with other apex predators within the Bay of Biscay

Gaspar, Claudia; Giménez, Joan; Andonegi, Eider; Astarloa, Amaia; Chouvelon, Tiphaine; Franco, Javier; Goñi, Nicolás; Corrales, X.; Spitz, Jérôme; Bustamante, Paco; Louzao, Maité

doi:10.1007/s00227-022-04079-y

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 90 publications

(134 reference statements)

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“…Boreal and Lusitanian species displayed trophic niche overlap, indicating that competition for food resources exists between the two biogeographical groups (Gaspar et al., 2022; Pankow et al., 2021; Pelage et al., 2022). The surface area of the Boreal group trophic niche overlapped by the Lusitanian group increased, while the surface area of the Lusitanian group trophic niche overlapped by the Boreal group decreased.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Boreal and Lusitanian species display trophic niche variation in temperate waters

Amelot,

Robert,

Mouchet

et al. 2023

Ecology and Evolution

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Climate change has non‐linear impacts on species distributions and abundance that have cascading effects on ecosystem structure and function. Among them are shifts in trophic interactions within communities. Sites found at the interface between two or more biogeographical regions, where species with diverse thermal preferenda are assembled, are areas of strong interest to study the impact of climate change on communities' interactions. This study examined variation in trophic structure in the Celtic Sea, a temperate environment that hosts a mixture of cold‐affiliated Boreal species and warm‐affiliated Lusitanian species. Using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios, trophic niche area, width, and position were investigated for 10 abundant and commercially important demersal fish species across space and time. In general, the niches of Boreal species appear to be contracting while those of Lusitanian species expand, although there are some fluctuations among species. These results provide evidence that trophic niches can undergo rapid modifications over short time periods (study duration: 2014–2021) and that this process may be conditioned by species thermal preferenda. Boreal species displayed spatial variation in trophic niche width and seem to be facing increased competition with Lusitanian species for food resources. These findings underscore the need to utilize indicators related to species trophic ecology to track the ecosystem alterations induced by climate change. Such indicators could reveal that the vulnerability of temperate ecosystems is currently being underestimated.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Boreal and Lusitanian species display trophic niche variation in temperate waters

Amelot,

Robert,

Mouchet

et al. 2023

Ecology and Evolution

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“…The broader niche width of L. xanthurus reveals a wider use of MCBs' habitat and/or prey sources [57]. The variation in niche widths could be related to species with smaller niche widths having a trophic behavior that is more flexible compared to species with larger niche widths, which include individuals with specialized trophic behavior [58]. Generalist species are believed to have a narrower isotopic niche width than specialist species due to generalists having similar isotopic signatures because they are sampling the same prey items in similar proportions and thus integrate their diet [59,60].…”

Section: Trophic Levels and Niche Overlap Of The Four Mcb Fish Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial, Temporal, and Interspecific Differences in Composition of Stable Isotopes in Fishes in Maryland Coastal Bays

Richardson,

Chigbu,

Ishaque

2024

Diversity

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Carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopes were used to evaluate spatial, temporal, and interspecific differences in trophic relationships of four fish species (Paralichthys dentatus, Anchoa mitchilli, Leiostomus xanthurus, and Bairdiella chrysoura) in Maryland’s coastal bays. The δ13C values for all species were more enriched in 2017 than in 2018, a year of higher-than-average rainfall that likely caused higher amounts of terrestrial carbon to enter the estuary. There were significant differences among species in the δ13C values, with L. xanthurus being the least depleted (−17.2‰ in 2017; −18.8‰ in 2018). Spatially, the δ13C values of the species, particularly P. dentatus and B. chrysoura, were more depleted in the northern bays, which have a higher nutrient content and receive more freshwater inflow directly from tributaries, than the southern bays. The observed δ13C values (−19.5 ± 0.2‰ to –17.2 ± 0.3‰), however, indicate that marine phytoplankton was the primary carbon source of the fishes. Overall, A. mitchilli was the most enriched in δ15N (13.0‰), and L. xanthurus was the most depleted (10.2‰). δ15N was more enriched in fish from the more human-impacted northern bays than in fish from the southern bays, though this might also have stemmed from the differences in the diet composition of the species in the northern and southern bays. A. mitchilli had the highest trophic level, while L. xanthurus and P. dentatus had the lowest trophic levels. Niche breadth was widest in L. xanthurus compared to the other fish species, suggesting a higher variability in diets among L. xanthurus individuals, leading to specialized diets. There was a high niche overlap between B. chrysoura, A. mitchilli, and L. xanthurus, which indicates they fed on similar prey resources.

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Unravelling the trophic ecology of poorly studied and threatened elasmobranchs inhabiting the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman

Navarro,

Rastgoo,

Giménez

2023

Mar Biol

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Elasmobranch population declines due to human impacts have been documented at a global scale, having impacts on the functioning and structure of marine ecosystems. This situation leads to an international focus on the conservation of their populations and a key step in the management and conservation of elasmobranch populations is to understand their trophic ecology. Here, by using stable isotopes analysis, we investigated the trophic relationships, trophic niche breadth, and trophic redundancy among 21 batoids and 12 sharks inhabiting the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, two productive areas of the Arabian Sea considered global elasmobranch hotspots. Isotopic results revealed differences in the trophic niche and trophic position among the elasmobranch sampled at species and at family level. For example, the batoids of the family Torpedinidae and the sharks of the family Triakidae occupied higher trophic positions and the family Glaucostegidae showed a lower trophic niche width, whereas the batoids of the family Myliobatidae or Gymnuridae, in overall, showed lower higher trophic niche width, reflecting the trophic habits described for most of the sampled species. We also provided some insights into the ecology of poorly known species, especially relevant for those that are endangered at a global or regional scale. In conclusion, we provide new information about the trophic ecology among batoids and sharks inhabiting the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. This information is highly useful to study the consequences of future changes on their feeding preferences due to natural or human-related factors.

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Trophic ecology of northern gannets Morus bassanus highlights the extent of isotopic niche overlap with other apex predators within the Bay of Biscay

Cited by 6 publications

References 90 publications

Boreal and Lusitanian species display trophic niche variation in temperate waters

Boreal and Lusitanian species display trophic niche variation in temperate waters

Spatial, Temporal, and Interspecific Differences in Composition of Stable Isotopes in Fishes in Maryland Coastal Bays

Unravelling the trophic ecology of poorly studied and threatened elasmobranchs inhabiting the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman

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