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Slimani D, Abdellaoui S, El Ouamari N, Kaddouri N, Kasmi K, Mouedden R, Layachi M, Settih J, Chaabane K. Trophic Interactions of European Hake Merluccius merluccius (Linnaeus, 1758) in Benthic Communities off the Moroccan Mediterranean Coastline: Seasonal and Ontogenetic Shifts. SCIENTIFICA 2023; 2023:8865128. [PMID: 38179147 PMCID: PMC10764652 DOI: 10.1155/2023/8865128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 12/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
The European hake, Merluccius merluccius (Linnaeus, 1758), is one of the most important resources for Mediterranean fisheries. Due to its pivotal role in energy transfer from lower to higher trophic levels, this species is a crucial component of the ecosystem's functioning. The ecological role of Merluccius merluccius, off the Moroccan Mediterranean Sea (southern Alboran Sea), was investigated, exploring seasonal and ontogenetic shifts, geographical variations in prey composition, and feeding strategy. Between November 2020 and July 2022, a total of 402 hake specimens were collected by oceanographic bottom trawl surveys (MEDITS) that were carried out during warm and cold seasons to assess their diet and feeding habits. The sample was analyzed according to fish sizes and seasons, and qualitative/quantitative feeding indices were calculated. The trophic spectrum of Merluccius merluccius included 24 prey items in total, mainly belonging to Osteichthyes (12), Crustacea (10), Cephalopoda (1), and Polychaeta (1), suggesting a generalist behavior of this predator as in numerous regions of the Mediterranean Sea, with several species that occasionally occurs in its diet. In the Moroccan Mediterranean Sea, Osteichthyes proved to be the most important prey item (%IRI = 78.56) among the different zoological groups, followed by Crustacea (%IRI = 16.22). The other food items were occasionally and randomly consumed, and cannibalism was low (0.8%). Hierarchical cluster analysis and nonmetric multidimensional scaling (nMDS) showed different feeding habits of two main groups separated at 60% similarity: small specimens <10 cm TL, primarily feed on zooplanktonic prey, while medium and large specimens hold a diet based on Osteichthyes with crustaceans. Furthermore, a significant positive relationship between hake and fish prey size was confirmed. Seasonally, mesopelagic Osteichthyes were the main food prey in the summer season, while pelagic species were predominant during the autumn. SIMPER analysis revealed that the prey items contributing the most to the differences between seasons and length classes were Engraulis encrasicolus, Micromesistius poutassou, Boops boops, Macroramphosus scolopax, gobids, Gadiculus argenteus, and most of Crustacea. The diet does not appear to be influenced by sex (>0.05). A trophic level (TROPH) of 4.1 was calculated, indicating that the species is a top predator (quaternary consumers). The TROPH values ranged between 2.58 and 4.38 from juveniles to adults, increasing asymptotically with the size of specimens. In contrast to what has previously been found in other Mediterranean regions, where ichthyophagous hake feed mostly on pelagic Osteichthyes, such as Engraulis encrasicolus, Sardina pilchardus, and Micromesistius poutassou, the study points up the vital role played by Atlantic horse mackerel Trachurus trachurus for hake diet in the Moroccan Mediterranean Sea. Information on the feeding ecology of fish species as provided in this study is essential to improve ecosystem conservation in accordance with multispecies approach to fishery management, leading to a better understanding of the role of hake in the Moroccan Mediterranean Sea demersal communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douaa Slimani
- Laboratory for the Improvement of Agricultural Production, Biotechnology and the Environment, FSO, Mohammed First University, Oujda, Morocco
| | - Souad Abdellaoui
- Laboratory for the Improvement of Agricultural Production, Biotechnology and the Environment, FSO, Mohammed First University, Oujda, Morocco
- Regional Center of the National Institute of Fisheries Research, Fishing Laboratory, Casablanca, Morocco
| | - Najib El Ouamari
- Regional Center of the National Institute of Fisheries Research, Fishing Laboratory, Nador, Morocco
| | - Nassir Kaddouri
- Regional Center of the National Institute of Fisheries Research, Fishing Laboratory, Nador, Morocco
- Department of Biology, Biodiversity, Ecology and Genomics Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Khaoula Kasmi
- Laboratory for the Improvement of Agricultural Production, Biotechnology and the Environment, FSO, Mohammed First University, Oujda, Morocco
| | - Rajae Mouedden
- Laboratory for the Improvement of Agricultural Production, Biotechnology and the Environment, FSO, Mohammed First University, Oujda, Morocco
| | - Mostafa Layachi
- Regional Center of the National Institute of Fisheries Research, Fishing Laboratory, Nador, Morocco
| | - Jamal Settih
- Regional Center of the National Institute of Fisheries Research, Fishing Laboratory, Nador, Morocco
| | - Khalid Chaabane
- Laboratory for the Improvement of Agricultural Production, Biotechnology and the Environment, FSO, Mohammed First University, Oujda, Morocco
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Palazzo Q, Stagioni M, Raaijmakers S, Belleman RG, Prada F, Hammel JU, Fermani S, Kaandorp J, Goffredo S, Falini G. Multiscale analysis on otolith structural features reveals differences in ontogenesis and sex in Merluccius merluccius in the western Adriatic Sea. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:211943. [PMID: 35620014 PMCID: PMC9114930 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Otolith biomineralization results from biochemical processes regulated by the interaction of internal (physiological) and external (environmental) factors which lead to morphological and ultrastructural variability at intra- and interspecific levels. The aim of this study was to conduct a multi-scale analysis of the sagittal otoliths of the Merlucius merlucius (European hake) from the western Adriatic Sea in order to correlate otolith features with fish ontogeny and sex. We show that otoliths of sexually undifferentiated (non-sexed) individuals having a fish body total length (TL) less than 15 cm had faster growth in length, width, area, perimeter, volume and weight and a higher amount of organic matrix compared with otoliths of sexually differentiated individuals (females and males) having a fish size range of 15-50 cm. Most importantly, with increasing fish TL, female saccular otoliths contained a higher number of protuberances and rougher surface compared with male specimens, which showed more uniform mean curvature density. The differences between females and males discovered in this study could be associated with fish hearing adaptation to reproductive behavioural strategies during the spawning season. The outcomes of this research provide insights on how size and sex-related variations in otolith features may be affected by fish ecological and behavioural patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quinzia Palazzo
- Department of Chemistry ‘Giacomo Ciamician’, University of Bologna, Via Selmi 2, 40126 Bologna, Italy
- Fano Marine Center, The Inter-Institute Center for Research on Marine Biodiversity, Resources and Biotechnologies, Viale Adriatico 1/N 61032 Fano, Italy
| | - Marco Stagioni
- Laboratory of Fisheries and Marine Biology at Fano, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale Adriatico 1/N, 61032, Fano, Italy
| | - Steven Raaijmakers
- Computational Science Lab, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098XH, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Robert G. Belleman
- Computational Science Lab, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098XH, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Fiorella Prada
- Marine Science Group, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Selmi 3, 40126 Bologna, Italy
- Fano Marine Center, The Inter-Institute Center for Research on Marine Biodiversity, Resources and Biotechnologies, Viale Adriatico 1/N 61032 Fano, Italy
| | - Jörg U. Hammel
- Institute of Materials Physics, Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Max-Planck-Straße 1, Geesthacht, D-21502, Germany
| | - Simona Fermani
- Department of Chemistry ‘Giacomo Ciamician’, University of Bologna, Via Selmi 2, 40126 Bologna, Italy
- CIRI Health Sciences and Technologies (HST), University of Bologna, I-40064 Bologna, Italy
| | - Jaap Kaandorp
- Computational Science Lab, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098XH, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Stefano Goffredo
- Marine Science Group, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Selmi 3, 40126 Bologna, Italy
- Fano Marine Center, The Inter-Institute Center for Research on Marine Biodiversity, Resources and Biotechnologies, Viale Adriatico 1/N 61032 Fano, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Falini
- Department of Chemistry ‘Giacomo Ciamician’, University of Bologna, Via Selmi 2, 40126 Bologna, Italy
- Fano Marine Center, The Inter-Institute Center for Research on Marine Biodiversity, Resources and Biotechnologies, Viale Adriatico 1/N 61032 Fano, Italy
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Rault J, Le Bris H, Robert M, Pawlowski L, Denamiel M, Kopp D. Diets and trophic niches of the main commercial fish species from the Celtic Sea. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2017; 91:1449-1474. [PMID: 29110303 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.13470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2016] [Accepted: 08/24/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The characterization and quantification of diets of nine commercially important Celtic Sea fish species (black-bellied angler Lophius budegassa, blue whiting Micromesistius poutassou, Atlantic cod Gadus morhua, haddock Melanogrammus aeglefinus, European hake Merluccius merluccius, megrim Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis, European plaice Pleuronectes platessa, common sole Solea solea and whiting Merlangius merlangus) was undertaken November 2014 and November 2015 to gain a better understanding of fish feeding strategies, prey preferences, competition for resources and, more generally, increases knowledge of marine ecosystem functioning. Prey were classified into 39 taxonomic groups. A feeding overlap index and multivariate analyses were used to classify the fishes into four main trophic groups where interspecific competition for resources may be important: piscivorous species, omnivorous species, planktivorous species and invertebrate benthic feeders. Ontogenetic changes in diet were also considered for L. budegassa, G. morhua, M. aeglefinus, M. merluccius and M. merlangus through partitioning into size classes. This revealed an important shift in the diet of M. merluccius from omnivory to piscivory, whereas M. aeglefinus exhibited no significant ontogenetic change in diet, remaining an invertebrate benthic feeder. Feeding strategies of these species were also investigated using the Shannon niche-breadth index and other descriptors, such as the total number of taxonomic groups of prey and the mean number of prey in gut contents.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Rault
- Ifremer, Unité de Sciences et Technologies halieutiques, Laboratoire de Technologie et Biologie Halieutique, 8 rue François Toullec, F-56325, Lorient Cedex, France
| | - H Le Bris
- ESE, Ecology and Ecosystem Health, Agrocampus Ouest, INRA, 35042, Rennes, France
| | - M Robert
- Ifremer, Unité de Sciences et Technologies halieutiques, Laboratoire de Technologie et Biologie Halieutique, 8 rue François Toullec, F-56325, Lorient Cedex, France
| | - L Pawlowski
- Ifremer, Unité de Sciences et Technologies halieutiques, Laboratoire de Technologie et Biologie Halieutique, 8 rue François Toullec, F-56325, Lorient Cedex, France
| | - M Denamiel
- Ifremer, Laboratoire Ressources Halieutiques, F-62321, Boulogne-Sur-Mer, France
| | - D Kopp
- Ifremer, Unité de Sciences et Technologies halieutiques, Laboratoire de Technologie et Biologie Halieutique, 8 rue François Toullec, F-56325, Lorient Cedex, France
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