Trophic Interactions of Mesopelagic Fishes in the South China Sea Illustrated by Stable Isotopes and Fatty Acids

Wang, Fuqiang; Wu, Ying; Chen, Zuozhi; Zhang, Guosen; Zhang, Jun; Zheng, Shan; Kattner, Gerhard

doi:10.3389/fmars.2018.00522

Cited by 23 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…In turn, differences in stable isotopes between depth layers can be attributed to the vertical separation of resources, as δ 15 N and δ 13 C increase with depth consistently with a major reworking of the settling organic matter 43 . Previous studies also reported a vertical change in the source amino acids, and particularly in δ 15 N Phe , for zooplankton 44 and micronektonic fishes 45 , thus supporting the exploitation of resources in deep layers 26 , 28 , 30 , 45 . In this context, vertical migration alleviates trophic competition by allowing the access to different food resources while the niche overlap was most likely between adjacent layers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 52%

“…This study shows that niche separation in micronektonic fishes is due to the vertical habitat range rather than to migration. The large niche overlap of migrant and non-migrant species can be expected because the feeding strategies of the species take advantage of different resources in each depth layer 24 , 30 , 31 . In turn, differences in stable isotopes between depth layers can be attributed to the vertical separation of resources, as δ 15 N and δ 13 C increase with depth consistently with a major reworking of the settling organic matter 43 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies on these organisms focused on changes in their diet and trophic position in relation to their migration habits and vertical distribution. Their trophic position varies within relatively narrow limits as some species are mostly planktivores 20 , 25 – 28 or piscivores 20 , 25 , 29 , 30 , while increasing significantly with individual size 20 , 25 , 27 . In addition, there is evidence of different feeding strategies for active migrants vs. opportunistic, non-migrant species 24 , 30 , 31 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Trophic indices for micronektonic fishes reveal their dependence on the microbial system in the North Atlantic

Bode

Olivar

Hernández‐León

2021

Sci Rep

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The importance of microbes for the functioning of oceanic food webs is well established, but their relevance for top consumers is still poorly appreciated. Large differences in individual size, and consequently in growth rates and the relevant spatial and temporal scales involved, make the integration of microorganisms and large metazoans in a common food web framework difficult. Using stable isotopes, this study estimated the trophic position of 13 species of micronektonic fishes to examine the microbial and metazoan contribution to mid trophic level consumers. Vertically migrant species displayed higher trophic positions than non-migrant species in all depth layers. The estimated trophic positions agreed well with those from the literature, but all species displayed mean increases between 0.5 and 0.8 trophic positions when taking into account microbial trophic steps. Trophic position, but not the relative importance of the microbial food web, increased with individual size, suggesting that current estimates of the trophic position of top consumers and of the length of oceanic food webs are too low because they are based only on metazoan trophic steps. This finding calls for a review of trophic position estimates and of the efficiency of trophic transfers along oceanic food webs.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 52%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Trophic indices for micronektonic fishes reveal their dependence on the microbial system in the North Atlantic

Bode

Olivar

Hernández‐León

2021

Sci Rep

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“…For instance, carbon may be sequestered for longer than a year when released at mesopelagic waters, and for up to centuries when egested on deeper-water masses (generally greater than 1,000 m) 6 , 7 . Conversely, carbon may not be stored when vertical migrants are consumed by epipelagic predators and/or released at surface waters 6 , 7 , 70 . Hence, the contribution of mesopelagic micronektivores to the BCP depends on their diel vertical migration as well as the one of their prey and predators 70 , 71 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Conversely, carbon may not be stored when vertical migrants are consumed by epipelagic predators and/or released at surface waters 6,7,70 . Hence, the contribution of mesopelagic micronektivores to the BCP depends on their diel vertical migration as well as the one of their prey and predators 70,71 . Based on our data, the viperfish is the most abundant mesopelagic micronektivore in the WTA.…”

Section: Trophic Ecology Differences On the Vertical Distribution Almentioning

confidence: 99%

Trophic ecology, habitat, and migratory behaviour of the viperfish Chauliodus sloani reveal a key mesopelagic player

Eduardo

Lucena‐Frédou

Mincarone

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Mesopelagic fishes are numerically the most important vertebrate group of all world’s oceans. While these species are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic activities, basic biological knowledge is still lacking. For instance, major uncertainties remain on the behaviour, ecology, and thus functional roles of mesopelagic micronektivores, particularly regarding their interactions with physicochemical features. Here, we examine the trophic ecology, habitat, and migratory behaviour of the viperfish (Chauliodus sloani)—a poorly known and abundant deep-sea species—to further understand the ecology and thus functional role of mesopelagic micronektivores. Moreover, we explore how physical drivers may affect these features and how these relationships are likely to change over large oceanic areas. The viperfish heavily preys on epipelagic migrant species, especially myctophids, and presents spatial and trophic ontogenetic shifts. Temperature restricts its vertical distribution. Therefore, its trophodynamics, migratory behaviour, and functional roles are expected to be modulated by the latitudinal change in temperature. For instance, in most tropical regions the viperfish stay full-time feeding, excreting, and serving as prey (e.g. for bathypelagic predators) at deep layers. On the contrary, in temperate regions, the viperfish ascend to superficial waters where they trophically interact with epipelagic predators and may release carbon where its remineralization is the greatest.

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Population characteristics of benthopelagic Gymnoscopelus nicholsi (Pisces: Myctophidae) on the continental shelf of South Georgia (Southern Ocean) during austral summer

et al. 2022

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Southern Ocean myctophid fish (Family Myctophidae) are an important conduit of energy through foodwebs and between the surface layers and mesopelagic depths. Species that reside in both pelagic and near-bottom environments of continental shelves, such as Gymnoscopelus nicholsi and Gymnoscopelus bolini, may also be important in benthopelagic coupling, although their ecology and role in such processes remain unresolved. Here, we examined inter-annual variation in the depth of occurrence, biomass and population dynamics of benthopelagic G. nicholsi on the South Georgia shelf (100–350 m) using bottom trawl data collected between 1987 and 2019. Gymnoscopelus nicholsi was a regular component of the local benthopelagic community, particularly northwest of South Georgia, but was patchily distributed. It appeared to enter a benthopelagic phase at ~ 3 years, with annual growth and recruitment of year classes between ~ 3 and 5 years. However, transition of cohorts into the benthopelagic zone was not annual. There was clear inter-annual variation in G. nicholsi biomass and depth of occurrence. Shallower depth of occurrence was significantly (P < 0.05) correlated with years of warmer summer sea surface temperatures, suggesting that inter-annual variation in local environmental conditions has an important influence on its migration behaviour and ecology. Our data also suggest that Antarctic krill is an important dietary component of the older G. nicholsi cohorts (~ 5 years) in the benthopelagic zone. We note that Gymnoscopelus bolini is rare in bottom trawl catches between 100 and 350 m, although Antarctic krill appears to dominate its diet from the available data. Our study provides important information on understudied myctophid species in a poorly investigated region of the water column that is relevant for Southern Ocean ecosystem studies, particularly in relation to understanding trophic connectivity between the pelagic and near-bottom realms.

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Trophic Interactions of Mesopelagic Fishes in the South China Sea Illustrated by Stable Isotopes and Fatty Acids

Cited by 23 publications

References 70 publications

Trophic indices for micronektonic fishes reveal their dependence on the microbial system in the North Atlantic

Trophic indices for micronektonic fishes reveal their dependence on the microbial system in the North Atlantic

Trophic ecology, habitat, and migratory behaviour of the viperfish Chauliodus sloani reveal a key mesopelagic player

Population characteristics of benthopelagic Gymnoscopelus nicholsi (Pisces: Myctophidae) on the continental shelf of South Georgia (Southern Ocean) during austral summer

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