Diet and feeding strategies of mesopelagic fishes in the western Mediterranean

Bernal, A.; Olivar, M. Pilar; Maynou, Francesc; Puelles, María Luz Fernández de

doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2015.03.005

Cited by 97 publications

(80 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…The high abundance of calanoid copepods in the zooplankton community in the lagoon did not influence the preference of diet in those small fishes. The result supported earlier findings [7], on the possible preference of the fishes towards the non-calanoid zooplankton diet. Nonetheless, longer sampling period at different part of the lagoon will be needed to confirm the results of the present study.…”

Section: Stomach Contentsupporting

confidence: 92%

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Diet Preferences of Small Fishes at Setiu Lagoon, Malaysia

Kassim¹,

Majid²,

Alwi³

et al. 2018

ESD

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Abstract. This study aimed to investigate diet preferences of small fishes in a shallow coastal lagoon through analysis of their stomach contents. The 24 hours samplings was done during high tide at selected stations; mangrove areas and seagrass areas, both located at coastal lagoon of Setiu, Terengganu (N 5 o 41.75' E 102 o 42' to N 5 o 42.5' E 102 o 41'). The small fishes were caught using seine nets (0.5 cm 2 ), while the zooplanktons were collected using Kitahara zooplankton net (110 microns) then were preserved. All items found in the stomach were compared with the composition of the zooplanktons obtained from the water samples. During the sampling time, 10 species of small fishes were caught. There were higher number of fishes and zooplanktons caught from the seagrass areas than the mangrove areas. Nonetheless, diversity of zooplankton was higher in the mangroves. Overall, the number of harpacticoid was higher than all other food items found in the stomach of fishes caught from both areas despite the high number of calanoid copepods found in the lagoon.

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Section: Stomach Contentsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…The strong relationship between juvenile fishes with the planktonic calanoid copepods in Chikugo estuary in Japan was reported [6]. Despite that, some juvenile fishes prefer non-calanoid copepods and other small zooplanktons as their diet [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet Preferences of Small Fishes at Setiu Lagoon, Malaysia

Kassim¹,

Majid²,

Alwi³

et al. 2018

ESD

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“…Stomiidae), zooplankton may serve as an intermediate resource between larger meals (Sutton, ). Thus, mesopelagic fishes likely constitute an important control on zooplankton communities as a result of the high consumption of zooplankton prey (Bernal, Oliver, Maynou, & Fernández de Puelles, ), with predation highest in the epipelagic zone at night (Hopkins et al., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trophic structure of mesopelagic fishes in the Gulf of Mexico revealed by gut content and stable isotope analyses

2017

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Mesopelagic fishes represent an important component of the marine food web due to their global distributions, high abundances and ability to transport organic material throughout a large part of the water column. This study combined stable isotope (SIAs) and gut content analyses (GCAs) to characterize the trophic structure of mesopelagic fishes in the North‐Central Gulf of Mexico. Additionally, this study examined whether mesopelagic fishes utilized chemosynthetic energy from cold seeps. Specimens were collected (9–25 August 2007) over three deep (>1,000 m) cold seeps at discrete depths (surface to 1,503 m) over the diurnal cycle. GCA classified 31 species (five families) of mesopelagic fishes into five feeding guilds: piscivores, large crustacean consumers, copepod consumers, generalists and mixed zooplanktivores. However, these guilds were less clearly defined based on stable isotope mixing model (MixSIAR) results, suggesting diets may be more mixed over longer time periods (weeks–months) and across co‐occurring species. Copepods were likely important for the majority of mesopelagic fishes, consistent with GCA (this study) and previous literature. MixSIAR results also identified non‐crustacean prey items, including salps and pteropods, as potentially important prey items for mesopelagic fishes, including those fishes not analysed in GCA (Sternoptyx spp. and Melamphaidae). Salps and other soft‐bodied species are often missed in GCAs. Mesopelagic fishes had δ13C results consistent with particulate organic matter serving as the baseline organic carbon source, fueling up to three trophic levels. Fishes that undergo diel vertical migration were depleted in 15N relative to weak migrators, consistent with depth‐specific isotope trends in sources and consumers, and assimilation of 15N‐depleted organic matter in surface waters. Linear correlations between fish size and δ15N values suggested ontogenetic changes in fish diets for several species. While there was no direct measure of mesopelagic fishes assimilating chemosynthetic material, detection of infrequent consumption of this food resource may be hindered by the assimilation of isotopically enriched photosynthetic organic matter. By utilizing multiple dietary metrics (e.g. GCA, δ13C, δ15N, MixSIAR), this study better defined the trophic structure of mesopelagic fishes and allowed for insights on feeding, ultimately providing useful baseline information from which to track mesopelagic trophodynamics over time and space.

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“…being the dominant taxonomic groups. These animals feed on phytoplankton, small zooplankton, and detritus (Mauch line 1980b, Karuppasamy & Menon 2004, Bernal et al 2015 and are common prey for the large mesopelagic fishes and cephalopods (Nigma tullin et al 2001, Choy et al 2013) that are primary prey for the Blainville's beaked whales (Santos et al 2001, Hickmott 2005. The constant frequency res ponse throughout the day and coherent movement of these layers support the conclusion that species composition within each layer type remained the same between day and night despite the lack of trawl information at night.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial variability of deep scattering layers shapes the Bahamian mesopelagic ecosystem

Sato¹,

Benoit‐Bird²

2017

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Deep scattering layers (DSLs) play an important role in pelagic food webs, serving as a vehicle for transferring energy between productive surface waters and the deep sea. We explored the spatial dynamics of DSLs off the Bahamas in shaping oligotrophic ecosystems. We compared 2 areas known to be important foraging habitats for a deep-diving predator, Blainville's beaked whales: the Tongue of the Ocean (TOTO), an oceanographically isolated habitat, and the waters off Abaco Island, an oceanographically connected habitat. Using ship-based multifrequency echosounders and direct net sampling, we identified common layer structures characterized by diffuse, broad layers (>100 m in thickness) observed across the study areas. Within those diffuse layers, we occasionally observed distinctively bounded intense layers (~20 m in thickness) located at the upper edges of the DSLs. We found that spatial variability of layer structures shaped the Bahamian ecosystem. By comparing common layer types across the sampling locations, 2 potential mechanisms were identified. The area off Abaco Island was characterized by diffuse layers comprised of larger animals with greater migration distance and biomass than the habitat in TOTO, suggesting that Abaco may transfer more energy between energy-rich surface waters and the deep sea. Within TOTO, habitat most frequently used by beaked whales was characterized by the highest occurrence of intense layers dominated by thinner layers, suggesting such fine-scale structures may increase foraging efficiency by layer predators. Spatial variability of the DSL structures reveals the dynamics of the Bahamian mesopelagic ecosystem, potentially driving the beaked whales through bottom-up control of their prey.

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Diet and feeding strategies of mesopelagic fishes in the western Mediterranean

Cited by 97 publications

References 62 publications

Diet Preferences of Small Fishes at Setiu Lagoon, Malaysia

Diet Preferences of Small Fishes at Setiu Lagoon, Malaysia

Trophic structure of mesopelagic fishes in the Gulf of Mexico revealed by gut content and stable isotope analyses

Spatial variability of deep scattering layers shapes the Bahamian mesopelagic ecosystem

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