Seasonal variation in the importance of pelagic fish in the diet of piscivorous fish in the Moray Firth, NE Scotland: a response to variation in prey abundance?

Greenstreet, Simon P. R.; McMillan, Julie A; Armstrong, Eric

doi:10.1006/jmsc.1997.0258

Cited by 56 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although a lot is known about who eats whom in marine ecosystems, much less is understood about the dynamics and possible interactions (Greenstreet et al 1998). Many marine fishes are opportunistic feeders and readily switch feeding preferences in space and time (Greenstreet et al 1998;Jennings & Kaiser 1998;Reynolds 2008). Selectivity for particular sizes or species of prey may reflect the ease and energetic costs of capture (Werner & Hall 1974;Luo et al 1996;Moteki et al 2001) and should change with the concentration, distribution and abundance of the prey (Mayer & Wahl 1997;Munk 1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Overlap in distribution and diets of Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus), Norwegian spring-spawning herring (Clupea harengus) and blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou) in the Norwegian Sea during late summer

Langøy

Nøttestad

Skaret

et al. 2012

Marine Biology Research

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Based on two large-scale surveys in the Norwegian Sea in July 2004 and 2006 we investigated the potential overlap in distribution and diets and association with environmental variables for mackerel, herring and blue whiting. Mackerel and blue whiting had low overlap in both distribution and diets, and were associated with warm Atlantic and cold prey-rich Arctic waters, respectively. Also, herring and mackerel were negatively correlated, associated with different environmental variables and even had low diet overlap in Atlantic water where the highest overlap in distribution was observed, but these trends were much clearer in 2006 than in 2004. Prey was patchily distributed and data from single stations indicated that feeding was opportunistic, in particular for mackerel. However, mackerel diet width and feeding incidence were similar between the years, whereas herring was more selective in 2004, probably reaching the end of the feeding season. A delayed peak in Calanus availability was indicated in 2006 and may have prolonged the feeding season, partly explain the difference between the years. Our data did not indicate a prey shift due to encounters between mackerel and herring. Concentrated efforts in limited areas are needed to further elucidate this aspect of interaction.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overlap in distribution and diets of Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus), Norwegian spring-spawning herring (Clupea harengus) and blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou) in the Norwegian Sea during late summer

Langøy

Nøttestad

Skaret

et al. 2012

Marine Biology Research

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“…When studying the diet of whiting and haddock in the Moray Firth (NE Scotland), Greenstreet et al (1998) also found indications of seasonal shifts in feeding patterns. Sandeel were more prominent in whiting diets during the summer, which coincided with their peak abun- Table 1 dance, while clupeids and gadoids were more important at other times.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Although a considerable amount is known about who eats whom in marine systems, much less is understood about the dynamics, and specifically how diets of marine consumers relate to changes in the abundance of their prey (Greenstreet et al 1998). Many marine fishes are opportunistic predators and readily switch feeding preferences in space as well as in time, either on a seasonal (Greenstreet et al 1998) or interannual (Jennings & Kaiser 1998, Link & Garrison 2002 basis.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many marine fishes are opportunistic predators and readily switch feeding preferences in space as well as in time, either on a seasonal (Greenstreet et al 1998) or interannual (Jennings & Kaiser 1998, Link & Garrison 2002 basis. Consequently, marine ecosystems are characterised by highly connected food webs, but a multitude of weak predatorprey linkages (Garrison & Link 2000, Link 2002.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatial and temporal structure of predator-prey relationships in the Celtic Sea fish community

Trenkel¹,

Pinnegar²,

Dawson³

et al. 2005

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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The spatial and temporal structure of predator-prey relationships in the Celtic Sea was investigated for 4 commercially important predator species (cod Gadus morhua, hake Merluccius merluccius, megrim Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis, and whiting Merlangius merlangus) using stomachcontent and bottom-trawl survey data for the period 1982 to 1995. Blue whiting Micromesistius poutassou were consumed more often during the summer months, whereas mackerel Scomber scombrus and Trisopterus spp. (poor cod T. minutus, Norway pout T. esmarkii, and bib T. luscus) were found more often in predator stomachs during the winter half-year. On a spatial scale, blue whiting was consumed over the shelf edge, in accordance with their higher densities in the environment, while mackerel, horse mackerel Trachurus trachurus and Trisopterus spp. were eaten more often on the continental shelf, again in agreement with their depth-related density-distribution patterns. The spatial distribution of whiting closely matched that of a key prey, Trisopterus spp. This might indicate an 'aggregative response' by the predator. The results of this study suggest spatial and seasonal prey-switching behaviour by cod, hake and whiting. Overall, the Celtic Sea fish community is characterised by opportunistic predators and general independence between predator and prey distributions. Interspecific predator interactions are reduced by size-, space-and time-dependent feeding behaviours.

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Use of state‐space modelling to identify ecological covariates associated with trends in pinniped demography

Caillat

Cordes

Thompson

et al. 2019

Aquatic Conservation

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1. Identifying and understanding ecological drivers that influence wildlife populations is challenging but critical for conservation. This typically requires integrating longterm data on both the population and potential drivers within statistical models that are suitable for analysing these complex relationships. State-space models offer one method for integrating such data. Once implemented within a Bayesian framework, these analyses can control for multifactorial influences on populations, allowing one to extract otherwise undetectable correlations between the environment and the underlying, inferred demography.2. In the Moray Firth, Scotland, harbour seals have been counted annually for 30 years . A Bayesian state-space model was used to explore whether patterns in vital rates were correlated to changes in prey abundance, inter-specific competition (grey seal abundance), environmental variables [the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and sea-surface temperature], or level of biotoxins (saxitoxin and domoic acid) in the Moray Firth waters.3. The credible interval of the posterior distributions of three of these covariate coefficients (sandeel proxy, NAO and grey seal abundance) suggested that there was a relationship between those covariates and vital rates. Both the sandeel proxy and NAO showed a positive correlation with fecundity, whereas grey seal abundance had a negative impact on pup survival.4. This work demonstrates how an integrated state-space modelling approach can bring together diverse data sets and point to important interactions with prey, and with other predators in the system. This suggests that the wider-scale management of UK harbour seal populations with their contrasting temporal trends needs to account for variation in the marine ecosystem at appropriate spatial scales, in line with current policy concerning spatial planning in the marine environment.

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Seasonal variation in the importance of pelagic fish in the diet of piscivorous fish in the Moray Firth, NE Scotland: a response to variation in prey abundance?

Cited by 56 publications

References 25 publications

Overlap in distribution and diets of Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus), Norwegian spring-spawning herring (Clupea harengus) and blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou) in the Norwegian Sea during late summer

Overlap in distribution and diets of Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus), Norwegian spring-spawning herring (Clupea harengus) and blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou) in the Norwegian Sea during late summer

Spatial and temporal structure of predator-prey relationships in the Celtic Sea fish community

Use of state‐space modelling to identify ecological covariates associated with trends in pinniped demography

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