Unravelling the foraging behavior of the southern stingray, Hypanus americanus (Myliobatiformes: Dasyatidae) in a Southwestern Atlantic MPA

Freitas, Renato Hajenius Aché de; Aguiar, Aline A.; Freitas, Ana Karina C. H. A.; Lima, Sérgio M. Q.; Valentin, Jean Louis

doi:10.1590/1982-0224-20180131

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Similarly, it was observed for the coasts of America by Szczepanski and Bengtson (2014) in Delaware Bay, North Atlantic; Molina and Cazorla (2015) in Northern Patagonia, South Atlantic, and Coasaca‐Céspedes et al (2019) in Northern Peru, South Pacific. Individuals of this genus can also dig holes to unearth their prey using water jets propelled by their gills toward the sediment and not by flapping like other members of the Myliobatidae family (Freitas et al, 2019), which allows them to access different mollusk or crustacean species (Gregory et al, 1979).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feeding guilds among batoids in the northwest coast of the Baja California Sur, Mexico

Reyes‐Ramírez

Valdéz

Elorriaga‐Verplancken

et al. 2022

Marine Ecology

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Research on the feeding habits of batoids provides information of intra and interspecific interactions of this taxon in marine ecosystems. We analyzed 832 stomachs of nine ray species collected from the artisanal fishery on the Northwest coast of Baja California Sur (NBCS). We identified 79 prey items assembled in five trophic groups (crustaceans, fish, mollusks, polychaetes, and sipunculidae). Results indicated that the red crab Pleuroncodes planipes was the most important prey in the diet of the seven batoid species. A low dietary similarity of the rays was observed, which evidenced different feeding strategies. In this regard, we identified four well‐separated trophic guilds. Each guild was characterized by the consumption of specific prey: (1) Hypanus dipterurus and Narcine entemedor that fed mostly on polychaetes; (2) Rostroraja velezi and Gymnura marmorata fed mostly on fishes (Clupeidae and Batrachoididae); (3) Hypanus longus, Myliobatis californica, and Platyrhinoidis triseriata fed on crustaceans (Munnidae) and Sipunculus worms; and (4) Pseudobatos productus and Zapteryx exasperata fed on crustaceans (Portunidae) and fishes (Synodontidae and Batrachoididae). We concluded that batoids off the NBCS show prey sharing between the different species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feeding guilds among batoids in the northwest coast of the Baja California Sur, Mexico

Reyes‐Ramírez

Valdéz

Elorriaga‐Verplancken

et al. 2022

Marine Ecology

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“…Despite the fact that both species are hyperbenthivorous and the diet overlap could increase species competition, interspecific associations may also increase foraging efficiency (Paijmans et al, 2019). Stingrays perform foraging traits which expose the benthic fauna (Freitas et al, 2019), facilitating prey catchability.…”

Section: Oceanographic Features Driving the Community Dynamicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functionality and Effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas in Southeastern Brazilian Waters for Demersal Elasmobranchs

et al. 2021

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Ensuring the efficacy of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) requires that adequate management strategies be implemented according to the MPA’s objectives. Within the scope of species conservation, achieving MPA objectives demands understanding of the role played by MPAs for the target species. In 2014, Brazilian stakeholders and experts set the action plan for elasmobranchs’ conservation, which intended to create new protected areas and expand the existing ones. Nevertheless, more than 65% of Brazilian elasmobranch species are threatened by anthropogenic pressures such as fisheries and habitat loss. In addition, their ecological aspects are not well studied, which might jeopardize the success of the proposed actions. To assess the functionality and effectiveness of two no-take MPAs for sixteen demersal species, the Wildlife Refuge of Alcatrazes (WRA) and the Tupinambás Ecological Station (TES), we evaluated the community structure, space-time variations in functional diversity and changes in fishery indicators. Community dynamics were driven by inshore intrusion and time persistent effects of a cold and nutrient-rich water mass, the South Atlantic Central Water, which increased the relative abundance of species, functional groups, and overall diversity. Spatially, the heterogeneity of benthic habitats, due to the action of stronger waves in specific parts of the MPAs, reflects a diverse community of benthic invertebrates, explaining differences in relative abundance and similarities in space use by the functional groups. Regarding effectiveness, the MPAs make up a key network with the surrounding protection areas to support the ecosystem maintenance on the central and northern coast of the São Paulo state. The establishment of the TES has positively influenced the community throughout the years while the recent creation of the WRA may have promoted some improvements in fisheries indicators for a threatened guitarfish. We propose different functions of the Alcatrazes archipelago for each species and suggest some measures to enhance not only elasmobranch conservation but also the MPAs’ effectiveness.

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Bioturbation by Benthic Stingrays Alters the Biogeomorphology of Tidal Flats

Nauta,

Leurs,

Nieuwenhuis

et al. 2024

Ecosystems

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Fishing-down-marine-food-webs has resulted in alarming declines of various species worldwide. Benthic rays are one examples of such overexploited species. On tidal flats, these rays are highly abundant and play an ecologically important role. They use tidal flats as refuge, feeding and resting grounds, during which they bury into the sediment, which results in sediment bioturbation. Changes in bioturbation intensity, following ray removal, may affect the biogeomorphology of tidal flats with possible cascading effects on the macrozoobenthic community. However, it is poorly understood how these indirect effects could influence ecosystem function. We therefore studied the geomorphic impact of benthic rays (specifically the pearl whipray/stingray Fontitrygon margaritella) on the tropical tidal flats of the Bijagós Archipelago, Guinea-Bissau, on a landscape scale. We investigated 1) bioturbation rates by rays using drone and ground surveys, 2) the spatial distribution of ray pits on multiple tidal flats, 3) the impact of rays on sediment properties and macrozoobenthos by experimental exclusion (15 months). Benthic rays bioturbated 3.7 ± 0.35% of the tidal flat’s sediment surface per day over one single 24-h period, which equals a complete top-sediment-surface turnover every 27 days. The spatial distribution of ray pits was affected by tidal flat geomorphology since pits decayed faster at areas exposed to strong hydrodynamic forces. Predator exclusion altered sediment properties, leading to changes in sedimentation (− 17%) and erosion (− 43%) rates. In addition, macrozoobenthic species composition changed, marked by an increase in Capitellidae worms and a greater biomass of Malacostraca over time. These changes indicated substantial effects of ray bioturbation on the biotic and geomorphic landscape of tidal flats. Overall, we conclude that changing abundances of benthic rays can have clear landscape-wide geomorphological effects on intertidal ecosystems. These indirect consequences of fisheries should be incorporated in integrative management plans to preserve tidal flats and connected ecosystems.

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Unravelling the foraging behavior of the southern stingray, Hypanus americanus (Myliobatiformes: Dasyatidae) in a Southwestern Atlantic MPA

Cited by 5 publications

References 41 publications

Feeding guilds among batoids in the northwest coast of the Baja California Sur, Mexico

Feeding guilds among batoids in the northwest coast of the Baja California Sur, Mexico

Functionality and Effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas in Southeastern Brazilian Waters for Demersal Elasmobranchs

Bioturbation by Benthic Stingrays Alters the Biogeomorphology of Tidal Flats

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