Stable isotope analysis reveals variation in trophic niche depending on altitude in an endemic alpine gecko

AbstractA wide trophic niche and high trophic plasticity are often invoked to explain the successful establishment of many aquatic invaders, but there is little information regarding the diet of most invasive fish in European waters. We combined stomach content and stable isotope analysis (SIA) of13C and15N to examine the trophic niche of the highly invasive topmouth gudgeon (Pseudorasbora parva) in four contrasting ponds and reservoirs in South Wales. Marked differences in diet and trophic position were found among neighbouring systems only a few kilometres apart. The most diverse diet was found in ponds with the fewest number of inter-specific competitors, and resulted in topmouth gudgeon having the highest condition factor, the widest variation in δ13C and δ15N values, and the highest carbon content, typical of generalist feeders. In contrast, topmouth gudgeon that coexisted with other cyprinids, were much more likely to have empty stomachs and relied almost exclusively on plant seeds, resulting in fish having a poor condition factor and low trophic position. Comparisons with other trophic studies indicate that variation in isotope values among neighbouring sites can exceed variation across continents, making it difficult to predict the diet or trophic impacts of the invasive topmouth gudgeon. Given the importance of obtaining reliable data on trophic position for risk assessment, our study shows that the use of SIA could be used to prioritize control and eradication measures that take into account trophic plasticity.

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Diet and isotopic niche of eastern sand darter (Ammocrypta pellucida) near the northern edge of its range: a test of niche specificity

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/cjz-2018-0291 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 97 (9) ◽

pp. 763-772 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jacob Burbank ◽

Mary Finch ◽

D. Andrew R. Drake ◽

Michael Power

Keyword(s):

Stable Isotope ◽

Stable Isotope Analysis ◽

Stomach Content ◽

Isotope Analysis ◽

Resource Limitation ◽

Niche Overlap ◽

Stomach Content Analysis ◽

Trophic Niche ◽

Isotopic Niche ◽

Population Declines

Niche specificity can predispose species to population declines during periods of resource limitation, yet trophic niche specificity is poorly known for many small-bodied freshwater fishes. Applying a two-tiered approach involving stomach content and stable isotope analyses, we examined the diet and trophic niche of the threatened eastern sand darter (Ammocrypta pellucida (Putnam, 1863)) and co-occurring fishes in the Thames River, Ontario, Canada. As with previous studies, stomach content analysis revealed that eastern sand darter consumed a variety of benthic organisms including Chironomidae, Cladocera, Ostracoda, Oligochaeta, and Ephemeroptera; however, proportional contributions of prey groups differed based on stable isotope analysis, highlighting the potential for seasonal variation in prey consumption. Despite evidence of a generalist strategy, stable isotope analysis indicated eastern sand darter exhibited a relatively narrow trophic niche relative to co-occurring fishes. Trophic niche overlap was relatively minor between eastern sand darter and drift-feeding fishes (spotfin shiner (Cyprinella spiloptera (Cope, 1867)), emerald shiner (Notropis atherinoides Rafinesque, 1818), and buffalo sp. (genus Ictiobus Rafinesque, 1820)), but was more evident between eastern sand darter and benthic and benthopelagic fishes (johnny darter (Etheostoma nigrum Rafinesque, 1820) and blackside darter (Percina maculata (Girard, 1859))), indicating that competition with these species may be more likely during periods of prey scarcity.

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Trophic niche differentiation mirrors intra-island population structure of Galápagos marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus)

10.21203/rs.2.17642/v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Sten Anslan ◽

Timm Reinhardt ◽

Patrick Fink ◽

Mario Brauns ◽

Nicolás Peñafiel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stable Isotope ◽

Genetic Differentiation ◽

Stable Isotope Analysis ◽

Isotope Analysis ◽

Trophic Niche ◽

Ecological Niches ◽

Amblyrhynchus Cristatus ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Marine Iguanas ◽

Marine Iguana

Abstract Background: Differences in the trophic niche often underlie ecological specialization of individuals and can promote ecological speciation of populations, but studies showing a link between differences in the trophic niche and genetic differentiation of populations are rare. On the island of San Cristóbal (Galapágos archipelago), a strong genetic differentiation between two relatively proximate populations (subspecies; Amblyrhynchus cristatus mertensi and A. c. godzilla) of marine iguanas along the coastline has been observed. Here, we explore whether this genetic differentiation is mirrored in the iguanas’ trophic niche. Results: Although, no significant difference in the number of consumed algal taxa between subspecies were detected, the Schoener index exhibited low diet overlap between A. c. mertensi and A. c. godzilla. The latter was also demonstrated by the PERMANOVA analysis with significantly different diet OTU composition from the fecal samples between subspecies. Stable isotope analysis revealed that subspecies identity was overall more important than site for the iguanas’ resource use. Conclusions: By applying a metabarcoding approach on feces samples in combination with stable isotope analysis of skin sheds, we found that A. c. mertensi and A. c. godzilla differ in their ecological niches. Moreover, stable isotope analysis indicated that marine iguana populations have low spatial foraging distances, which, together with the diet partitioning patterns, might explain, at least partially, the lack of gene flow between these geographically proximate marine iguana populations. Key words: diet analysis, trophic niche, metabarcoding, stable isotopes, marine iguanas, Amblyrhynchus cristatus

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