A morphological and functional basis for maximum prey size in piscivorous fishes

Mihalitsis, Michalis; Bellwood, David R.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0184679

Cited by 78 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…At an individual level, the trajectory of increase in trophic level was variable between individuals, with six significantly different trajectory types identified from a generalised additive model. Typically, increases in trophic level are attributed to increases in gape size (Mihalitsis & Bellwood, ), which would lead to a linear increase in trophic level with girth (in our case indicated by distance from vertebral centra). While this pattern was evident in three of the sharks sampled, a similar number of individuals displayed trajectories that were exponential ( n = 4) or asymptotic ( n = 3).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

“…Examining the potential contribution of prey items to the diets of great hammerheads with 15 N, 13 C and 34 S stable isotopes may facilitate more accurately evaluating their resource use in coastal food webs. As in many elasmobranch species, trophic levels among populations of great hammerheads are likely to increase with body size: fishes and sharks with larger gape sizes tend to feed on larger organisms, which themselves are more likely to be at higher trophic levels (Hammerschlag, ; Mihalitsis & Bellwood, ). Greater biophysical rigidity in jaw structure comes with increased size (Ferrara et al ., ) and the associated greater mobility and strength also allow capture of larger prey (Lowe, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Resource use of great hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna mokarran) off eastern Australia

Raoult

Broadhurst²,

Peddemors

et al. 2019

Journal of Fish Biology

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Great hammerhead sharks Sphyrna mokarran are the largest member of Sphyrnidae, yet the roles of these large sharks in the food webs of coastal ecosystems are still poorly understood. Here we obtained samples of muscle, liver and vertebrae from large S. mokarran (234-383 cm total length; L T ) caught as by-catch off eastern Australia and used stable-isotope analyses of δ 15 N, δ 13 C and δ 34 S to infer their resource use and any associated ontogenetic patterns. The results indicated large S. mokarran are apex predators primarily relying on other sharks and rays for their diet, with a preference for benthic resources such as Australian cownose rays Rhinoperon neglecta during the austral summer. Teleosts, cephalopods and crustaceans were not significant components of S. mokarran diets, though some conspecifics appeared to rely on more diverse resources over the austral summer. Ontogenetic shifts in resource use were detected but trajectories of the increases in trophic level varied among individuals. Most S. mokarran had non-linear trajectories in ontogenetic resource-use shifts implying size was not the main explanatory factor. Stable isotope values of δ 13 C and δ 34 S in muscle suggest S. mokarran span coastal, pelagic and benthic food webs in eastern Australia.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resource use of great hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna mokarran) off eastern Australia

Raoult

Broadhurst²,

Peddemors

et al. 2019

Journal of Fish Biology

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“…Fishes are limited in the size of prey items they can capture and ingest by their gape size (Mihalitsis & Bellwood, 2017). This imposes a fixed maximum size on the prey items available and restricts the size at which feeding behaviours such as winnowing can be performed (Schmitt & Holbrook, 1984).…”

Section: (A) Feedingmentioning

confidence: 99%

The hidden half: ecology and evolution of cryptobenthic fishes on coral reefs

et al. 2018

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Teleost fishes are the most diverse group of vertebrates on Earth. On tropical coral reefs, their species richness exceeds 6000 species; one tenth of total vertebrate biodiversity. A large proportion of this diversity is composed of cryptobenthic reef fishes (CRFs): bottom-dwelling, morphologically or behaviourally cryptic species typically less than 50 mm in length. Yet, despite their diversity and abundance, these fishes are both poorly defined and understood. Herein we provide a new quantitative definition and synthesise current knowledge on the diversity, distribution and life history of CRFs. First, we use size distributions within families to define 17 core CRF families as characterised by the high prevalence (>10%) of small-bodied species (<50 mm). This stands in strong contrast to 42 families of large reef fishes, in which virtually no small-bodied species have evolved. We posit that small body size has allowed CRFs to diversify at extremely high rates, primarily by allowing for fine partitioning of microhabitats and facilitation of allopatric reproductive isolation; yet, we are far from understanding and documenting the biodiversity of CRFs. Using rates of description since 1758, we predict that approximately 30 new species of cryptobenthic species will be described per year until 2050 (approximately twice the annual rate compared to large fishes). Furthermore, we predict that by the year 2031, more than half of the described coral reef fish biodiversity will consist of CRFs. These fishes are the 'hidden half' of vertebrate biodiversity on coral reefs. Notably, global geographic coverage and spatial resolution of quantitative data on CRF communities is uniformly poor, which further emphasises the remarkable reservoir of biodiversity that is yet to be discovered. Although small body size may have enabled extensive diversification within CRF families, small size also comes with a suite of ecological challenges that affect fishes' capacities to feed, survive and reproduce; we identify a range of life-history adaptations that have enabled CRFs to overcome these limitations. In turn, these adaptations bestow a unique socio-ecological role on CRFs, which includes a key role in coral reef trophodynamics by cycling trophic energy provided by microscopic prey to larger consumers. Although small in body size, the ecology and evolutionary history of CRFs may make them a critical component of coral-reef food webs; yet our review also shows that these fishes are highly susceptible to a variety of anthropogenic disturbances. Understanding the consequences of these changes for CRFs and coral reef ecosystems will require us to shed more light on this frequently overlooked but highly diverse and abundant guild of coral reef fishes.

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“…Mesopredatory fishes were classified as "small" (≤50 cm TL), "medium" (50-100 cm TL), and "large" (>100 cm TL) (e.g., Roff et al, 2019). Many sharks and large predatory teleosts are limited by gape width to consuming prey that are ~≤40% of their body length (Barley et al, 2017b;Bethea, Buckel, & Carlson, 2004), and up to as much as half their body length for some piscivores (Mihalitsis & Bellwood, 2017;Scharf, Juanes, & Rountree, 2000). As all species of shark recorded in our study attained at least 150 cm TL, the "small" size class of reef fishes was within the size range of prey for all species of shark, and the "medium" and "large" size classes were within the prey size range of apex species (>300 cm TL) such as tiger (Galeocerdo cuvier), bull (Carcharhinus leucas), and greater hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) sharks, although these larger species are not necessarily limited by gape width due to a variety of prey manipulation strategies (Braccini, 2008;Lucifora, García, Menni, & Escalante, 2006).…”

Section: Data Processingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Protection from illegal fishing and shark recovery restructures mesopredatory fish communities on a coral reef

Speed

Rees

Cure

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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The recovery of communities of predatory fishes within a no‐take marine reserve after the eradication of illegal fishing provides an opportunity to examine the role of sharks and other large‐bodied mesopredatory fishes in structuring reef fish communities. We used baited remote underwater video stations to investigate whether an increase in sharks was associated with a change in structure of the mesopredatory fish community at Ashmore Reef, Western Australia. We found an almost fourfold increase in shark abundance in reef habitat from 0.64 hr−1 ± 0.15 SE in 2004, when Ashmore Reef was being fished illegally, to 2.45 hr−1 ± 0.37 in 2016, after eight years of full‐time enforcement of the reserve. Shark recovery in reef habitat was accompanied by a two and a half‐fold decline in the abundance of small mesopredatory fishes (≤50 cm TL) (14.00 hr−1 ± 3.79 to 5.6 hr−1 ± 1.20) and a concomitant increase in large mesopredatory fishes (≥100 cm TL) from 1.82 hr−1 ± 0.48 to 4.27 hr−1 ± 0.93. In contrast, near‐reef habitats showed an increase in abundance of large mesopredatory fishes between years (2.00 hr−1 ± 0.65 to 4.56 hr−1 ± 1.11), although only smaller increases in sharks (0.67 hr−1 ± 0.25 to 1.22 hr−1 ± 0.34) and smaller mesopredatory fishes. Although the abundance of most mesopredatory groups increased with recovery from fishing, we suggest that the large decline of small mesopredatory fish in reef habitat was mostly due to higher predation pressure following the increase in sharks and large mesopredatory fishes. At the regional scale, the structure of fished communities at Ashmore Reef in 2004 resembled those of present day Scott Reefs, where fishing still continues today. In 2016, Ashmore fish communities resembled those of the Rowley Shoals, which have been protected from fishing for decades.

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A morphological and functional basis for maximum prey size in piscivorous fishes

Cited by 78 publications

References 50 publications

Resource use of great hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna mokarran) off eastern Australia

Resource use of great hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna mokarran) off eastern Australia

The hidden half: ecology and evolution of cryptobenthic fishes on coral reefs

Protection from illegal fishing and shark recovery restructures mesopredatory fish communities on a coral reef

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