Decadal diet shift in yellowfin tuna Thunnus albacares suggests broad-scale food web changes in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean

Olson, Robert J.; Duffy, Leanne M.; Kuhnert, Petra M.; Galván‐Magaña, Felipe; Bocanegra-Castillo, Noemí; Alatorre-Ramírez, Vanessa

doi:10.3354/meps10609

Cited by 80 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…Bluefin species globally prefer a few species of schooling, energetically rich fishes as their primary prey (anchovy and sardine in Japan and in the CCLME, herring, menhaden, mackerel and/or sandlance in the western Atlantic, anchovy and/or sardine in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, and sardines, anchovy, and mackerel in the South Pacific; Fig. 3 and SI Appendix, Table S7); this is in contrast to YFT, which in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans feed on a large number of different species of fish, cephalopods, and crustaceans (38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43), many of which have relatively low energy density (e.g., flying fish, halfbeaks, pelagic red crabs; SI Appendix, Table S7). Studies of ALB diet across various ocean regions (Pacific Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, and Mediterranean Sea) reveal that ALB diet is diverse but often dominated by cephalopod and crustacean species (30,41,44,45).…”

Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing niche width of endothermic fish from genes to ecosystem

Madigan

Carlisle

Gardner

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Endothermy in vertebrates has been postulated to confer physiological and ecological advantages. In endothermic fish, niche expansion into cooler waters is correlated with specific physiological traits and is hypothesized to lead to greater foraging success and increased fitness. Using the seasonal co-occurrence of three tuna species in the eastern Pacific Ocean as a model system, we used cardiac gene expression data (as a proxy for thermal tolerance to low temperatures), archival tag data, and diet analyses to examine the vertical niche expansion hypothesis for endothermy in situ. Yellowfin, albacore, and Pacific bluefin tuna (PBFT) in the California Current system used more surface, mesopelagic, and deep waters, respectively. Expression of cardiac genes for calcium cycling increased in PBFT and coincided with broader vertical and thermal niche utilization. However, the PBFT diet was less diverse and focused on energy-rich forage fishes but did not show the greatest energy gains. Ecosystem-based management strategies for tunas should thus consider species-specific differences in physiology and foraging specialization.pelagic | tuna | Thunnus | evolution | endothermy

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Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing niche width of endothermic fish from genes to ecosystem

Madigan

Carlisle

Gardner

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…Changes to the model diet matrix are the typical first step in obtaining a balanced model because diet studies of diverse pelagic animals have cited flexibility in feeding habits due to changes in prey and environmental variability, among other factors (e.g. Young et al 2010, Choy et al 2013, Olson et al 2014. Based on results of our pre-balance check, we made additional changes to the biomasses and Q:B values of 2 groups (changes detailed in Fig.…”

Section: Ecopath Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Finding the way to the top: how the composition of oceanic mid-trophic micronekton groups determines apex predator biomass in the central North Pacific

Choy

Wabnitz²,

Weijerman³

et al. 2016

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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We updated and expanded a model of the pelagic ecosystem for the area of the central North Pacific occupied by the Hawaii-based longline fishery. Specifically, results from the most recent diet studies were used to expand the representation of the lesser-known non-target fish species (e.g. lancetfish, opah, snake mackerel) and 9 mid-trophic micronekton functional groups. The model framework Ecopath with Ecosim was used to construct an ecosystem energy budget and to examine how changes in the various micronekton groups impact apex predator biomass. Model results indicate that while micronekton fishes represented approximately 54% of micronekton biomass, they accounted for only 28% of the micronekton production. By contrast, crustaceans represented 24% of the biomass and accounted for 44% of production. Simulated ecosystem changes resulting from changes to micronekton groups demonstrated that crustaceans and mollusks are the most important direct trophic pathways to the top of the food web. Other groups appear to comprise relatively inefficient pathways or 'trophic dead-ends' that are loosely coupled to the top of the food web (e.g. gelatinous animals), such that biomass declines in these functional groups resulted in increased biomass at the highest trophic levels by increasing energy flow through more efficient pathways. Overall, simulated declines in the micronekton groups resulted in small changes in biomass at the very top of the food web, suggesting that this ecosystem is relatively ecologically resilient with diverse food web pathways. However, further understanding of how sensitive micronekton are to changes in ocean chemistry and temperature resulting from climate change is needed to fully evaluate and predict potential ecosystem changes.

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“…This was true for yellowfin tuna Thunnus albacares, striped marlin Tetrapturus audax, blue marlin Makaira nigricans, blue shark Prionace glauca, opah Lampris guttatus, dolphin fish Coryphaena hippurus, and lancet fish Alepi saurus spp. (Shimose et al 2006, Choy et al 2013, Olson et al 2014. In a few species, such as albacore tuna Thunnus alalunga, bigeye tuna Thunnus obesus, and swordfish Xiphias gladius, cephalopods compose more than 50% of the prey by weight (Watanabe et al 2009, Logan et al 2013, as was the case for SBT in the present study.…”

Section: Foraging Ecology Of Sbt In the Open Oceanmentioning

confidence: 59%

“…Many studies of the foraging ecology of tuna species have been performed in open oceans of the North Atlantic, eastern North Pacific, eastern South Pacific, central western Pacific, and western Indian oceans (e.g. Moteki et al 2001, Ber trand et al 2002, Potier et al 2007, Butler et al 2010, Logan et al 2011, Olson et al 2014. However, there have been few food-web studies in the circumpolar southern temperate waters in the southern hemisphere at latitudes between 30°and 50°S that extend across 3 oceans (but see Young et al 1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Open-ocean foraging ecology of southern bluefin tuna Thunnus maccoyii based on stomach contents

Itoh

Sakai²

2016

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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We investigated the foraging ecology of southern bluefin tuna Thunnus maccoyii in open-ocean habitats of temperate waters in the southern hemisphere by analyzing their stomach contents. Samples were collected from longline vessels over 15 yr (n = 4649). Of the prey, 51% by weight were cephalopods and 46% were teleosts. These values differ from those in the literature for other top predators in the open oceans, for which teleosts compose the largest portion of prey. The dominance of cephalopods also differs from the pattern for juveniles in previous studies in their coastal habitat, where most of the prey are teleosts. Thus, a distinct shift of prey occurs along with the habitat shift due to ontogenetic development. By weight, important prey were ommastrephid (18%), lycoteuthid (12%), and argonautid (1%) cephalopods and nomeid (8%, mainly Cubiceps caeruleus), paralepidid (7%), bramid (6%), and alepisaurid (6%) teleosts. The prey composition was relatively consistent among tuna sizes, sea surface temperatures, and years; changes in prey composition were due largely to differences in the cephalopod prey. Cephalopods belonging to the families Lycoteuthidae and Argonautidae contributed to the prey only off the southern coast of Africa and near Tasmania, respectively. Lycoteuthids occurred at lower sea surface temperatures than ommastrephids off the southern coast of Africa. Small ommastrephids were dominant in smaller tuna in the southeastern Indian Ocean. Our data provide basic information that will improve our understanding of the oceanic food webs in southern temperate waters.

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Decadal diet shift in yellowfin tuna Thunnus albacares suggests broad-scale food web changes in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean

Cited by 80 publications

References 77 publications

Assessing niche width of endothermic fish from genes to ecosystem

Assessing niche width of endothermic fish from genes to ecosystem

Finding the way to the top: how the composition of oceanic mid-trophic micronekton groups determines apex predator biomass in the central North Pacific

Open-ocean foraging ecology of southern bluefin tuna Thunnus maccoyii based on stomach contents

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