1
|
Landaeta MF, Pareja M, Hüne M, Zenteno-Devaud L, Vera-Duarte J, Bernal-Durán V, Castillo MI, La Mesa M. Morphology and diet are decoupled in nearshore notothenoids from King George Island, West Antarctica. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2024; 104:957-968. [PMID: 38032136 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Antarctic notothenioid fishes show wide adaptive morphological radiation, linked to habitat preferences and food composition. However, direct comparisons of phenotypic variability and feeding habits are still lacking, particularly in stages inhabiting nearshore areas. To assess these relationships, we collected juveniles and adults of the most common benthic species inhabiting shallow waters off the South Shetland Islands within a similar size range, the plunderfish Harpagifer antarcticus, the black rockcod Notothenia coriiceps, and the marbled rockcod Notothenia rossii. Individual size ranges varied from 44.0 to 98.9 mm standard length (LS) (H. antarcticus), from 95.8 to 109.3 mm LS (N. coriiceps), and from 63.0 to 113.0 mm LS (N. rossii). Notothenioid fish showed different morphospace variability, being larger for H. antarcticus than the other Notothenia species and associated with the position of the posterior end of the operculum, along with the location and relative size of the eye. The evolutionary allometry was low, but the static allometry was much higher, especially for H. antarcticus and N. rossii. The diet was mainly carnivorous, consisting of amphipods and euphausiids. Macroalgae were scarce or totally absent in the gut contents of all species. Only H. antarcticus showed an increase in the prey number and ingested prey volume with fish size. Finally, there was a significant covariation between shape changes and LS in all species (allometric effects), however, not with prey composition, probably due to the small size range or ontogenetic stage and the relative similarity (or lack of contrast) in the benthic environment that they utilized.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mauricio F Landaeta
- Laboratorio de Ictiología e Interacciones Biofísicas (LABITI), Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
- Centro de Observación Marino para Estudios de Riesgos del Ambiente Costero (COSTA-R), Universidad de Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Chile
- Millennium Nucleus for the Ecology and Conservation of Temperate Mesophotic Reef Ecosystem (NUTME), Las Cruces, Chile
| | - Matías Pareja
- Laboratorio de Ictiología e Interacciones Biofísicas (LABITI), Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Mathias Hüne
- Centro de Investigación para la Conservación de los Ecosistemas Australes (ICEA), Punta Arenas, Chile
- Rewilding Chile, Puerto Varas, Chile
| | - Lisette Zenteno-Devaud
- Centro de Estudios del Cuaternario Fuego-Patagonia y Antártica, Avenida España 184, Punta Arenas, Chile
| | - Javier Vera-Duarte
- Laboratorio de Ictiología e Interacciones Biofísicas (LABITI), Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
- Programa de Magíster en Ecología Marina, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Valentina Bernal-Durán
- Laboratorio de Ictiología e Interacciones Biofísicas (LABITI), Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
- Millenium Institute Biodiversity of Antarctic and Subantarctic Ecosystems (BASE), Santiago, Chile
| | - Manuel I Castillo
- Centro de Observación Marino para Estudios de Riesgos del Ambiente Costero (COSTA-R), Universidad de Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Chile
- Laboratorio de Oceanografía Física y Satelital (LOFISAT), Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y de Recursos Naturales, Universidad de Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Chile
| | - Mario La Mesa
- CNR, Istituto di Scienze Polari (ISP), c/o Area di Ricerca di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| |
Collapse
|