Atlantic Spotted Dolphin Stenella frontalis (G. Cuvier, 1829)

Silva, Mónica; Chevallard, Pablo; Pérez‐Jorge, Sergi

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-65038-8_106-1

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…d 13 C values of S. frontalis therefore reflect carbon sources from various habitats. However, both species have extremely similar d 13 C values, which suggests that the habitat used by S. frontalis before reaching the sampling area is comparable to the Azores: an oceanic environment depleted in 13 C. Seasonality in sightings suggests that S. frontalis may move between the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands (Queŕouil et al, 2010;Silva et al, 2021). These oceanic Macaronesian archipelagos share similar oceanographic characteristics, potentially leading to comparable carbon baselines.…”

Section: Mid-trophic Positionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Isotopic niches reveal the trophic structure of the cetacean community in the oceanic waters around the Azores

Lebon,

Colaço,

Prieto

et al. 2024

Front. Mar. Sci.

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IntroductionThe oceanic waters around the Azores host a high diversity of cetaceans, with 28 species of toothed and baleen whales present year-round or seasonally. This high cetacean biodiversity likely plays an important role in the structure, functioning and productivity of the ecosystem, and may increase trophic redundancy, thus contributing to food web resilience to disturbances.MethodsHere we used stable isotope (δ13C and δ15N) analysis to characterize trophic niches, assess niche overlap, describe the trophic structure and discuss potential redundancy in the cetacean community. Using 407 samples from 12 species, we estimated Standard Ellipse Areas and overlaps between species and used a hierarchical clustering analysis to identify trophic guilds.Results and discussionδ13C and δ15N values ranged from -20.53 to -15.46‰ and from 7.78 to 14.41‰ respectively, suggesting the use of diverse habitats and resources among cetacean species. Clustering analysis revealed that species were grouped into four trophic guilds, segregated mainly by trophic position (TP): a low-TP guild with three zooplanktivore baleen whales, a mid-TP guild with micronektivores, a high-TP guild with micronekton and nekton consumers, and a cluster with only Pseudorca crassidens. There was significant isotopic niche overlap between one pair of species within each guild, indicating some potential for trophic redundancy in the community. Yet, these pairs also showed some form of spatial or temporal partitioning, suggesting that mechanisms promoting species coexistence could play a key role in structuring the cetacean community in the region and in its ecological role.

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Section: Mid-trophic Positionmentioning

confidence: 96%