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Article
Trophic Ecology of Meso- and Bathypelagic Predatory Fishes in the Gulf of Mexico
ICES Journal of Marine Science
  • Travis M. Richards, Texas A&M University
  • Emily E. Gipson, University of Central Florida
  • April Cook, Nova Southeastern University
  • Tracey Sutton, Nova Southeastern University
  • R. J. David Wells, Texas A&M University
ORCID
0000-0002-5280-7071
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2019
Keywords
  • Bathypelagic,
  • Epipelagic,
  • Feeding ecology,
  • Mesopelagic,
  • Mixing models,
  • Stable isotopes
Abstract

The trophic ecology of eight circumglobal meso- and bathypelagic fishes (Anoplogaster cornuta, Chauliodus sloani, Coccorella atlantica, Gigantura chuni, G. indica, Omosudis lowii, Photostomias guernei, and Stomias affinis) with contrasting vertical migration habits (vertical migrators vs. non-migrators) were examined using stable isotope analysis (SIA). Mean δ13C values of these predators were similar among species, ranging from –18.17 to –18.99 ‰, suggesting that all species are supported by a similar carbon source. This finding was supported by mixing-model analysis; all of these deep-living predators received the majority (>73%) of their carbon from epipelagic food resources. Mean δ15N values of the predators ranged from 9.18 to 11.13 ‰, resulting in trophic position estimates between the third and fourth trophic level, although significant shifts in δ15N with increasing body size suggest that some of these species undergo ontogenetic shifts in trophic position. Bayesian standard ellipses, used to estimate isotopic niche areas, differed in size among species, with those occupying the highest relative trophic positions possessing the largest isotopic niches. These results, which provide the first trophic descriptions using dietary tracers for several of these species, offer insight into the trophic structure of deep-sea ecosystems and will help inform the construction of ecosystem-based models.

DOI
10.1093/icesjms/fsy074
Comments

©International Council for the Exploration of the Sea 2018. All rights reserved

Citation Information
Travis M. Richards, Emily E. Gipson, April Cook, Tracey Sutton, et al.. "Trophic Ecology of Meso- and Bathypelagic Predatory Fishes in the Gulf of Mexico" ICES Journal of Marine Science Vol. 76 Iss. 3 (2019) p. 662 - 672 ISSN: 1095-9289
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/tracey-sutton/247/