scholarly journals Trophic niche breadth of pond zooplankton species using stable isotope analysis and the relationship with the abiotic and biotic factors

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 180917 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hideyuki Doi ◽  
Kwang-Hyeon Chang ◽  
Shin-ichi Nakano
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Niche Breadth ◽  
Resource Competition ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Zooplankton Biomass ◽  
Trophic Niche ◽  
Zooplankton Species ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Ecosystem Size ◽  
The Relationship

Zooplankton species have different feeding habits, but the diversity of their food resources and the factors governing them are still largely unknown. We here estimated the differences in the trophic niche breadths of dominant zooplankton species in ponds, using stable isotopes. To understand the differences in trophic niches of different zooplankton species, we measured the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios and calculated the nearest-neighbour distance (NND), and standard deviation of NND (SDNND) of the bi-plot space of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes in pond zooplankton. We tested the relationship between the NND/SDNND and environmental factors, as well as the zooplankton biomass, using generalized linear models (GLMs). For cladocerans, including Bosmina, Ceriodaphnia and Daphnia, the NNDs were significantly correlated with the biomass, pond morphology (volume and depth), total phosphorous (TP) and fish presence. For copepod species, including Eodiaptomus and cyclopoids, NNDs were significantly correlated with pond morphology, TP and fish presence, but not with biomass. In GLMs of SDNND, significant correlated factors were less than those for NND, and for some species, pond morphology and TP were significantly correlated with SDNND. Here, we found that the NND and SDNND of zooplankton species were related to various factors, including their biomass, predator presence, pond size and water quality. For cladocerans, biomass may be supported by trophic niche breadth, probably because of the consequences of resource competition. Also, predation and ecosystem size may influence trophic niche breadth due to changes in zooplankton behaviours.

Feeding habits of the toothed flounder Cyclopsetta querna (Paralichthyidae) of the south-east Gulf of California

2010 ◽  
Vol 91 (6) ◽  
pp. 1225-1230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felipe Amezcua ◽  
Alfonso Portillo ◽  
Felipe Amezcua-Linares
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of California ◽  
Diet Composition ◽  
Niche Breadth ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Demersal Fish ◽  
Trophic Niche ◽  
The South ◽  
Top Predators

Feeding habits of the toothed flounder Cyclopsetta querna caught in the south-east Gulf of California were studied. Specimens were collected via demersal fish surveys. Results of this study show that C. querna is a predator that focuses on fish inhabiting the bottom and in particular on tonguefish (Symphurus sp.), midshipman fish (Porichthys sp.) and moray eels (Muraenidae). The diet of the toothed flounder did not vary significantly throughout the period of study, and neither size nor sex-related variations in diet composition were observed. Simpson's index indicates a limited trophic niche breadth with a diet dominated by a limited number of taxa. The estimated TROPH value for C. querna is similar to that estimated for other demersal top predators from the studied area; therefore, the toothed flounder can be considered a top carnivore from the demersal community in the Gulf of California.

scholarly journals Sargassum blooms in the Caribbean alter the trophic structure of the sea urchin Diadema antillarum

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7589 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Cabanillas-Terán ◽  
Héctor A. Hernández-Arana ◽  
Miguel-Ángel Ruiz-Zárate ◽  
Alejandro Vega-Zepeda ◽  
Alberto Sanchez-Gonzalez
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
Sea Urchin ◽  
Niche Breadth ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Trophic Niche ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Diadema Antillarum ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Hypoxic Conditions ◽  
The Impact

The arrival of large masses of drifting Sargassum since 2011 has caused changes in the natural dynamics of Caribbean coastal ecosystems. In the summer of 2015, unprecedented and massive mats of S. fluitans and S. natans have been observed throughout the Mexican Caribbean including exceptional accumulations ashore. This study uses stable isotopes to assess the impact of Sargassum blooms on the trophic dynamics of the Diadema antillarum sea urchin, a keystone herbivore on many Caribbean reefs. Bayesian models were used to estimate the variations in the relative proportions of carbon and nitrogen of assimilated algal resources. At three lagoon reef sites, the niche breadth of D. antillarum was analysed and compared under massive influx of drifting Sargassum spp. vs. no influx of Sargassum blooms. The effects of the leachates generated by the decomposition of Sargassum led to hypoxic conditions on these reefs and reduced the taxonomic diversity of macroalgal food sources available to D. antillarum. Our trophic data support the hypothesis that processes of assimilation of carbon and nitrogen were modified under Sargassum effect. Isotopic signatures of macroalgae associated with the reef sites exhibited significantly lower values of δ15N altering the natural herbivory of D. antillarum. The Stable Isotopes Analysis in R (SIAR) indicated that, under the influence of Sargassum blooms, certain algal resources (Dictyota, Halimeda and Udotea) were more assimilated due to a reduction in available algal resources. Despite being an abundant available resource, pelagic Sargassum was a negligible contributor to sea urchin diet. The Stable Isotope Bayesian Ellipses in R (SIBER) analysis displayed differences between sites, and suggests a reduction in trophic niche breadth, particularly in a protected reef lagoon. Our findings reveal that Sargassum blooms caused changes in trophic characteristics of D. antillarum with a negative impact by hypoxic conditions. These dynamics, coupled with the increase in organic matter in an oligotrophic system could lead to reduce coral reef ecosystem function.

scholarly journals Is the Relationship between Body Size and Trophic Niche Position Time-Invariant in a Predatory Fish? First Stable Isotope Evidence

PLoS ONE ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. e9120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takefumi Nakazawa ◽  
Yoichiro Sakai ◽  
Chih-hao Hsieh ◽  
Tadatoshi Koitabashi ◽  
Ichiro Tayasu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Trophic Niche ◽  
Predatory Fish ◽  
Isotope Evidence ◽  
Time Invariant ◽  
The Relationship

scholarly journals Seasonal feeding habits and ontogenetic diet shift of black bullhead (Ameiurus melas) in Lake Sava (Serbia)

2021 ◽  
pp. 45-45
Author(s):  
Milica Jacimovic ◽  
Jasmina Krpo-Cetkovic ◽  
Stefan Skoric ◽  
Marija Smederevac-Lalic ◽  
Aleksandar Hegedis
Keyword(s):  
Niche Breadth ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Fish Fauna ◽  
Trophic Niche ◽  
Diet Analysis ◽  
Diet Shift ◽  
Trophic Diversity ◽  
Black Bullhead ◽  
Ontogenetic Diet Shift

The black bullhead is an invasive species that forms dense populations and has a negative impact on the native ichthyofauna. Recent studies indicate that it is one of the most dominant invasive fish species in Serbian waters. Feeding habits based on stomach contents of individuals caught in Lake Sava were analyzed as a first step towards evaluating its possible negative impact on the native fish fauna of the lake. The following indices for diet analysis were applied: vacuity index, frequency of occurrence, numerical abundance and prominence value. Trophic niche breadth and seasonal trophic diversity were calculated using the Shannon?s index. The diet spectrum comprised 16 different prey categories from five groups: Mollusca, Crustacea, Insecta, Teleostei and plants. Fish were the main prey in all seasons, followed by aquatic invertebrates. Plant material and terrestrial insects were used as food in relatively small quantities. Predation on fish eggs was also detected. Our research confirmed that this species is an opportunistic generalist. An ontogenetic diet shift was also detected. The lowest value of trophic diversity was found in age 1+ individuals (H=1.39), while the highest was found in age 3+ individuals (H=2.00). The widest niche breadth was recorded in spring 2011 (H=2.12).

scholarly journals Diet and trophic niche of the invasive signal crayfish in the first invaded Italian stream ecosystem

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabio Ercoli ◽  
Daniela Ghia ◽  
Laura Gruppuso ◽  
Gianluca Fea ◽  
Tiziano Bo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Food Source ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Food Resource ◽  
Trophic Niche ◽  
Macroinvertebrate Communities ◽  
Signal Crayfish ◽  
Stream Ecosystem ◽  
Stable Isotope Analyses ◽  
Isotope Analyses

AbstractThe occurrence of the signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus in the Valla Stream was the first established population of this invasive species recorded in an Italian stream ecosystem. We evaluated the seasonality of diet and trophic niche of invasive signal crayfish in order to estimate the ecological role and effects on native communities of the stream ecosystem. We studied the differences in food source use between sexes, life stages and seasons using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses. To supplement stable isotope analyses, we evaluated food source usage using traditional stomach content analysis. We tested the hypothesis that juveniles have a different diet, showing different trophic niches, compared to adults. Results indicated that signal crayfish adult and juvenile diets mainly rely on macroinvertebrates and periphyton in summer, shifting to mostly periphyton in autumn. Although the two age classes occupied an equivalent trophic niche, juveniles showed slightly different carbon isotope values, suggesting a somewhat ontogenetic shift consistent among seasons. No significant differences were found in adult and juvenile diets between summer and autumn seasons. Our findings suggest that signal crayfish juveniles and adults exhibited seasonal feeding habits, probably due to ecological behaviour rather than food resource availability, and that both are likely to impose similar effects on macroinvertebrate communities in this and similar stream ecosystems.

scholarly journals Ecomorphology and use of food resources: inter- and intraspecific relationships of fish fauna associated with macrophyte stands

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aline V. R. Prado ◽  
◽  
Erivelto Goulart ◽  
João P. A. Pagotto ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fish Species ◽  
Body Shape ◽  
Niche Breadth ◽  
Fish Fauna ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Morphological Diversity ◽  
Food Resources ◽  
Trophic Niche ◽  
Eichhornia Azurea ◽  
The Relationship

ABSTRACT Based on the form-function interaction and its consequence to niche exploitation by fish species, the study aimed to identify ecomorphological patterns and to investigate the possibility of explaining the trophic niche breadth using the pattern of intraspecific ecomorphological diversity. We tested the following hypotheses: i) the morphology explains variations in diet among fish species; ii) the intraspecific ecomorphological diversity is related to the breadth of the trophic niche explored by the species, so that species that feed on a wider range of resources have greater variation in body shape compared to those specialized in resource consumption. Fish were collected in stands of the aquatic macrophytes Eichhornia azurea and Eichhornia crassipes in lentic environments of the Upper Paraná River floodplain, Brazil. Two major trends were observed in the morphological space: fish with body shapes adapted to explore the substrate and others with a design that facilitates the capture of food items in more structured habitats. The relationship of diet with body shape was confirmed by significant relationships between matrices of trophic and morphological distances, providing evidence that morphology is related to interspecific variations in the use of trophic resources. However, the ranges of morphological and intraspecific trophic variations were not significantly related, rejecting the second hypothesis about the relationship between intraspecific ecomorphological diversity and trophic niche breadth. The morphological characteristics often have multiple ecological roles, which could result in trade-off among these functions. Thus, fish with highly specialized morphology may show specialist feeding or even generalist habit, because in this case some resources may be difficult to exploit, even by a specialist. Species with low and high morphological diversity demonstrated narrow trophic niche and the availability of resources may have been essential for consumption. Therefore, species morphology is related to the use of food resources and ecomorphology can be considered an important tool for the prediction of the exploited niche space by species in assemblages. However it is not possible to predict if species with greater intraspecific morphological diversification indeed have wider niche, since the abundance or scarcity of the available food resources may interfere with trophic niche breadth.

scholarly journals Feeding Habits and Trophic Level of the Panama GruntPomadasys panamensis, an Important Bycatch Species from the Shrimp Trawl Fishery in the Gulf of California

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
José A. Rodríguez-Preciado ◽  
Felipe Amezcua ◽  
Brian Bellgraph ◽  
Juan Madrid-Vera
Keyword(s):  
Trophic Level ◽  
Gulf Of California ◽  
Niche Breadth ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Trophic Niche ◽  
Important Species ◽  
Trawl Fishery ◽  
Shrimp Trawl ◽  
Commercially Important

The Panama grunt is an abundant and commercially important species in the southeastern Gulf of California, but the research undertaken on this species is scarce despite its ecological and economic importance. We studied the feeding habits of Panama grunt through stomach content analyses as a first step towards understanding the biology of this species in the study area. Our results indicate that the Panama grunt is a benthic predator throughout its life cycle and feeds mainly on infaunal crustaceans. Diet differences among grunt were not found according to size, diet, or season. Shannon diversity index results indicate that Panama grunt has a limited trophic niche breadth with a diet dominated by a limited number of taxa as crustaceans. The estimated trophic level of this species is 3.59. Overall, the Panama grunt is a carnivorous fish occupying the intermediate levels of the trophic pyramid.

scholarly journals Feeding habits and dietary overlap during the larval development of two sandperches (Pisces: Pinguipedidae)

2017 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier A. Vera-Duarte ◽  
Mauricio F. Landaeta
Keyword(s):  
Niche Breadth ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Mouth Opening ◽  
Trophic Niche ◽  
Dietary Overlap ◽  
Austral Spring ◽  
Larval Size ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Nearshore Environments ◽  
Larval Species

Two species of sandperch (Pinguipedidae: Perciformes), Prolatilus jugularis and Pinguipes chilensis, inhabit the coastal waters of the South Pacific. Both species have pelagic larvae with similar morphology, but their diet preferences are unknown. Diet composition, feeding success, trophic niche breadth and dietary overlap were described during larval stages for both species. In the austral spring, larval P. jugularis (3.83-10.80 mm standard length [SL]) and P. chilensis (3.49-7.71 mm SL) during their first month of life had a high feeding incidence ( > 70%) and fed mostly on copepod nauplii ( > 80% IRI), Rhincalanus nasutus metanauplii and Paracalanus indicus copepodites. The number of prey ingested was low (mean: 4-5 prey per gut) and independent of larval size; total prey volume and maximum prey width increased as larvae grew. Mouth opening and ingested prey were greater in larval P. jugularis than in P. chilensis, leading to significant differences in prey composition among larval species, in terms of prey number and volume. Pearre’s trophic niche breadth was narrow for both species (0.159±0.07 for P. jugularis; 0.156±0.03 for P. chilensis) and independent of larval size. Dietary overlap was high inter- and intra-species in larvae with a mouth gape < 900 μm. These results suggest the relative importance of both larval species as primary consumers of the pelagic web in nearshore environments of rocky temperate areas.

Evaluating potential competitive interactions following stocking through trophic niche breadth

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (10) ◽  
pp. 1614 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew D. Taylor ◽  
Michael B. Lowry ◽  
Alistair Becker
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Niche Breadth ◽  
Environmental Variability ◽  
Mouth Opening ◽  
Trophic Niche ◽  
Competitive Interactions ◽  
Competing Species ◽  
Competitive Effects ◽  
Run Off ◽  
Trophic Overlap

Responsible fisheries enhancement should include comprehensive monitoring programs to detect ecological effects of fish releases and support adaptive management. Competition for food and shelter is one such impact, and density-dependent effects may occur if release numbers are above levels that the ecosystem can support. Herein we present a novel application of trophic niche breadth estimated from stable isotope data to examine potential competitive interactions arising from eastern king prawn (Melicertus plebejus) stocking. Eastern king prawn and potential competitors (Macrobrachium intermedium, Atherinosoma microstoma, Leptatherina presbyteroides, Ambassis jacksoniensis and Gobiopterus semivestitus) were sampled from two stocked and two reference estuaries, before and after stocking. Stable isotope ratios were measured and used to model trophic overlap and trophic niche breadth. A statistically significant increase in niche breadth was evident for two competing species in one stocked estuary, and one competing species in another. M. intermedium, the species that had the greatest trophic overlap with eastern king prawn, did not show any change in niche breadth. The potential for competition and the role of environmental variability (including rainfall and run-off, mouth opening regime and seasonal changes) in driving the patterns observed are discussed. This approach shows promise for monitoring competitive effects arising from aquaculture-based fisheries enhancements in the future.

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