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DiBattista JD, Liu SYV, De Brauwer M, Wilkinson SP, West K, Koziol A, Bunce M. Gut content metabarcoding of specialized feeders is not a replacement for environmental DNA assays of seawater in reef environments. PeerJ 2023; 11:e16075. [PMID: 37790632 PMCID: PMC10542274 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023] Open
Abstract
In tropical marine ecosystems, the coral-based diet of benthic-feeding reef fishes provides a window into the composition and health of coral reefs. In this study, for the first time, we compare multi-assay metabarcoding sequences of environmental DNA (eDNA) isolated from seawater and partially digested gut items from an obligate corallivore butterflyfish (Chaetodon lunulatus) resident to coral reef sites in the South China Sea. We specifically tested the proportional and statistical overlap of the different approaches (seawater vs gut content metabarcoding) in characterizing eukaryotic community composition on coral reefs. Based on 18S and ITS2 sequence data, which differed in their taxonomic sensitivity, we found that gut content detections were only partially representative of the eukaryotic communities detected in the seawater based on low levels of taxonomic overlap (3 to 21%) and significant differences between the sampling approaches. Overall, our results indicate that dietary metabarcoding of specialized feeders can be complimentary to, but is no replacement for, more comprehensive environmental DNA assays of reef environments that might include the processing of different substrates (seawater, sediment, plankton) or traditional observational surveys. These molecular assays, in tandem, might be best suited to highly productive but cryptic oceanic environments (kelp forests, seagrass meadows) that contain an abundance of organisms that are often small, epiphytic, symbiotic, or cryptic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph D. DiBattista
- School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Shang Yin Vanson Liu
- Department of Marine Biotechnology and Resources, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | | | - Shaun P. Wilkinson
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Katrina West
- CSIRO Australian National Fish Collection, CSIRO, Hobart, TAS, Australia
| | - Adam Koziol
- School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Michael Bunce
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research, Kenepuru, Porirua, New Zealand
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2
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Kavazos CRJ, Ricci F, Leggat W, Casey JM, Choat JH, Ainsworth TD. Intestinal Microbiome Richness of Coral Reef Damselfishes ( Actinopterygii: Pomacentridae). Integr Org Biol 2022; 4:obac026. [PMID: 36136736 PMCID: PMC9486986 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obac026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Fish gastro-intestinal system harbors diverse microbiomes that affect the host's
digestion, nutrition, and immunity. Despite the great taxonomic diversity of fish, little
is understood about fish microbiome and the factors that determine its structure and
composition. Damselfish are important coral reef species that play pivotal roles in
determining algae and coral population structures of reefs. Broadly, damselfish belong to
either of two trophic guilds based on whether they are planktivorous or algae-farming. In
this study, we used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to investigate the intestinal microbiome of 5
planktivorous and 5 algae-farming damselfish species (Pomacentridae) from
the Great Barrier Reef. We detected Gammaproteobacteria ASVs belonging to
the genus Actinobacillus in 80% of sampled individuals across the 2
trophic guilds, thus, bacteria in this genus can be considered possible core members of
pomacentrid microbiomes. Algae-farming damselfish had greater bacterial alpha-diversity, a
more diverse core microbiome and shared 35 ± 22 ASVs, whereas planktivorous species shared
7 ± 3 ASVs. Our data also highlight differences in microbiomes associated with both
trophic guilds. For instance, algae-farming damselfish were enriched in
Pasteurellaceae, whilst planktivorous damselfish in
Vibrionaceae. Finally, we show shifts in bacterial community
composition along the intestines. ASVs associated with the classes Bacteroidia,
Clostridia, and Mollicutes bacteria were predominant in the
anterior intestinal regions while Gammaproteobacteria abundance was
higher in the stomach. Our results suggest that the richness of the intestinal bacterial
communities of damselfish reflects host species diet and trophic guild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher R J Kavazos
- Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of New South Wales , Kensington, NSW 2052 , Australia
| | - Francesco Ricci
- Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of New South Wales , Kensington, NSW 2052 , Australia
- Centre of Marine Bio-Innovation, The University of New South Wales , Kensington, NSW 2052 , Australia
| | - William Leggat
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, The University of Newcastle , 10 Chittaway Dr, Ourimbah, NSW 2258 , Australia
| | - Jordan M Casey
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University , Townsville, QLD 4811 , Australia
- PSL Université Paris: EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, Université de Perpignan , Perpignan 66100 , France
- Laboratoire d'Excellence “CORAIL,” Université de Perpignan , Perpignan 66100 , France
| | - J Howard Choat
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University , Townsville QLD 4814 , Australia
| | - Tracy D Ainsworth
- Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of New South Wales , Kensington, NSW 2052 , Australia
- Centre of Marine Bio-Innovation, The University of New South Wales , Kensington, NSW 2052 , Australia
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3
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Hardy AR, Hale ME. Extraoral Taste Buds on the Paired Fins of Damselfishes. Integr Org Biol 2022; 4:obac035. [PMID: 36060866 PMCID: PMC9428928 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obac035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Some fish species have taste buds on the surface of their bodies and fins, as well as in the oral cavity. The extraoral taste system of fish has traditionally been studied in species that inhabit environments and/or employ feeding strategies where vision is limited. Here we examined taste sensation in a new ecological context by investigating the paired fins of damselfish (Pomacentridae), a group of diurnal midwater fishes that inhabit the light-rich waters of coral reefs. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated the presence of taste buds on the paired fins of Chromis viridis, including on the distal tips of elongate leading-edge pelvic fin rays, where they are particularly densely packed, suggesting specialization for chemosensation. Similar anatomical results were also recorded from two other species, Pomacentrus amboinensis and Pomacentrus coelestis. We found that afferent pectoral fin nerves of C. viridis responded to a food-derived stimulus. By investigating the extraoral taste system in a new phylogenetic and ecological context, these results show that taste buds on fins are more widespread amongst fish than previously known and are present even in highly visual environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam R Hardy
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, The University of Chicago , 1027 E. 57th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Melina E Hale
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, The University of Chicago , 1027 E. 57th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
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4
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Detmer AR, Cunning R, Pfab F, Brown AL, Stier AC, Nisbet RM, Moeller HV. Fertilization by coral-dwelling fish promotes coral growth but can exacerbate bleaching response. J Theor Biol 2022; 541:111087. [PMID: 35276225 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2022.111087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Many corals form close associations with a diverse assortment of coral-dwelling fishes and other fauna. As coral reefs around the world are increasingly threatened by mass bleaching events, it is important to understand how these biotic interactions influence corals' susceptibility to bleaching. We used dynamic energy budget modeling to explore how nitrogen excreted by coral-dwelling fish affects the physiological performance of host corals. In our model, fish presence influenced the functioning of the coral-Symbiodiniaceae symbiosis by altering nitrogen availability, and the magnitude and sign of these effects depended on environmental conditions. Although our model predicted that fish-derived nitrogen can promote coral growth, the relationship between fish presence and coral tolerance of photo-oxidative stress was non-linear. Fish excretions supported denser symbiont populations that provided protection from incident light through self-shading. However, these symbionts also used more of their photosynthetic products for their own growth, rather than sharing with the coral host, putting the coral holobiont at a higher risk of becoming carbon-limited and bleaching. The balance between the benefits of increased symbiont shading and costs of reduced carbon sharing depended on environmental conditions. Thus, while there were some scenarios under which fish presence increased corals' tolerance of light stress, fish could also exacerbate bleaching and slow or prevent subsequent recovery. We discuss how the contrast between the potentially harmful effects of fish predicted by our model and results of empirical studies may relate to key model assumptions that warrant further investigation. Overall, this study provides a foundation for future work on how coral-associated fauna influence the bioenergetics of their host corals, which in turn has implications for how these corals respond to bleaching-inducing stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Raine Detmer
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA.
| | - Ross Cunning
- Daniel P. Haerther Center for Conservation and Research, John G. Shedd Aquarium Chicago, IL 60605, USA
| | - Ferdinand Pfab
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Alexandra L Brown
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Adrian C Stier
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Roger M Nisbet
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Holly V Moeller
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
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5
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Ji F, Ma X, Qiu L, Kang Z, Shen J. Quantifying the effects of introduced Bighead Carp (Cyprinidae; Aristichthys nobilis) stocking on dominant fish species in the Ulungur Lake, China. Biol Invasions 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-021-02715-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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6
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Dinh KV, Doan KLU, Doan NX, Pham HQ, Le THO, Le MH, Vu MTT, Dahms HU, Truong KN. Parental exposures increase the vulnerability of copepod offspring to copper and a simulated marine heatwave. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 287:117603. [PMID: 34147778 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Revised: 05/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/13/2021] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Extreme temperatures from marine heatwaves (MHWs) and pollution are dominant stressors in tropical marine ecosystems. However, we know little about the role of transgenerational effects of metals and MHWs in shaping the offspring's vulnerability to these stressors. We addressed this fundamental knowledge gap by exposing the planktonic copepod Pseudodiaptomus incisus to copper (Cu: control, 15 and 60 μg L-1) under 2 temperatures (30 and a simulated marine heatwave at 34 °C) in the first generation (F1) and 16 treatments in F2: offspring from each of 4 F1 conditions (control or 15 μg Cu L-1 × 30 or 34 °C) was reared in 4 F2 conditions (control or 15 μg Cu L-1 × 30 or 34 °C). We assessed changes in copepod performance, particularly survival, adult size, grazing, and reproduction. In F1, Cu or marine heatwave (MHW) exposures reduced all fitness traits of F1; the effects were particularly strong when both stressors were present. Transgenerational effects of Cu or MHW also strongly reduced F2 performance. Direct Cu and MHW effects on the offspring were further strengthened by transgenerational effects, resulting in more substantial reductions in F2 performance when both generations were exposed to these stressors. As copepods are major food resources for corals, shrimps, or fish larvae and juveniles, strong transgenerational and direct effects of Cu and MHW can have a cascading effect on entire coastal food webs. These results highlight the importance of considering the interaction of transgenerational and direct effects of multiple stressors, particularly relevant for short-lived organisms in tropical marine ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khuong V Dinh
- Cam Ranh Centre for Tropical Marine Research and Aquaculture, Institute of Aquaculture, Nha Trang University, No 2 Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, Nha Trang City, Viet Nam.
| | - Kha L U Doan
- Cam Ranh Centre for Tropical Marine Research and Aquaculture, Institute of Aquaculture, Nha Trang University, No 2 Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, Nha Trang City, Viet Nam; Department of Environmental Technology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, 334 Nguyen Trai, Thanh Xuan, Ha Noi, Viet Nam
| | - Nam X Doan
- Cam Ranh Centre for Tropical Marine Research and Aquaculture, Institute of Aquaculture, Nha Trang University, No 2 Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, Nha Trang City, Viet Nam
| | - Hung Q Pham
- Cam Ranh Centre for Tropical Marine Research and Aquaculture, Institute of Aquaculture, Nha Trang University, No 2 Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, Nha Trang City, Viet Nam
| | - Thi Hoang Oanh Le
- Department of Environmental Technology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, 334 Nguyen Trai, Thanh Xuan, Ha Noi, Viet Nam
| | - Minh-Hoang Le
- Cam Ranh Centre for Tropical Marine Research and Aquaculture, Institute of Aquaculture, Nha Trang University, No 2 Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, Nha Trang City, Viet Nam
| | - Minh T T Vu
- Cam Ranh Centre for Tropical Marine Research and Aquaculture, Institute of Aquaculture, Nha Trang University, No 2 Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, Nha Trang City, Viet Nam
| | - Hans-Uwe Dahms
- Department of Biomedical Science and Environmental Biology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 80708, Taiwan; Research Center for Environmental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Department of Marine Biotechnology and Resources, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, 80424, Taiwan
| | - Kiem N Truong
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Science, Vietnam National University, VNU Hanoi, 334 Nguyen Trai, Thanh Xuan, Ha Noi, Viet Nam
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7
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Pozas-Schacre C, Casey JM, Brandl SJ, Kulbicki M, Harmelin-Vivien M, Strona G, Parravicini V. Congruent trophic pathways underpin global coral reef food webs. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2100966118. [PMID: 34544855 PMCID: PMC8488628 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2100966118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecological interactions uphold ecosystem structure and functioning. However, as species richness increases, the number of possible interactions rises exponentially. More than 6,000 species of coral reef fishes exist across the world's tropical oceans, resulting in an almost innumerable array of possible trophic interactions. Distilling general patterns in these interactions across different bioregions stands to improve our understanding of the processes that govern coral reef functioning. Here, we show that across bioregions, tropical coral reef food webs exhibit a remarkable congruence in their trophic interactions. Specifically, by compiling and investigating the structure of six coral reef food webs across distinct bioregions, we show that when accounting for consumer size and resource availability, these food webs share more trophic interactions than expected by chance. In addition, coral reef food webs are dominated by dietary specialists, which makes trophic pathways vulnerable to biodiversity loss. Prey partitioning among these specialists is geographically consistent, and this pattern intensifies when weak interactions are disregarded. Our results suggest that energy flows through coral reef communities along broadly comparable trophic pathways. Yet, these critical pathways are maintained by species with narrow, specialized diets, which threatens the existence of coral reef functioning in the face of biodiversity loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloé Pozas-Schacre
- Paris Sciences et Lettres Université Paris: Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes-Université de Perpignan Via Domitia-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité de Service et de Recherche 3278 Centre de Recherches Insulaires et Observatoire de l'Environnement, Université de Perpignan, 66860 Perpignan, France;
- Laboratoire d'Excellence "CORAIL," 66860 Perpignan, France
| | - Jordan M Casey
- Paris Sciences et Lettres Université Paris: Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes-Université de Perpignan Via Domitia-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité de Service et de Recherche 3278 Centre de Recherches Insulaires et Observatoire de l'Environnement, Université de Perpignan, 66860 Perpignan, France
- Laboratoire d'Excellence "CORAIL," 66860 Perpignan, France
- Department of Marine Science, Marine Science Institute, University of Texas at Austin, Port Aransas, TX 78373
| | - Simon J Brandl
- Paris Sciences et Lettres Université Paris: Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes-Université de Perpignan Via Domitia-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité de Service et de Recherche 3278 Centre de Recherches Insulaires et Observatoire de l'Environnement, Université de Perpignan, 66860 Perpignan, France
- Laboratoire d'Excellence "CORAIL," 66860 Perpignan, France
- Department of Marine Science, Marine Science Institute, University of Texas at Austin, Port Aransas, TX 78373
- Fondation pour la Recherche sur la Biodiversité, Centre for the Synthesis and Analysis of Biodiversity, 34000 Montpellier, France
| | - Michel Kulbicki
- Unité Mixte de Recherche Entropie, Labex Corail, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Université de Perpignan, 66860 Perpignan, France
| | - Mireille Harmelin-Vivien
- Instititut Méditerranéen d'Océanologie, Unité Mixte 110 Aix-Marseille Université, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/Institut National des Sciences de l'Univers, Institut pour la Recherche et le Développement, 13288 Marseille, France
| | - Giovanni Strona
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Valeriano Parravicini
- Paris Sciences et Lettres Université Paris: Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes-Université de Perpignan Via Domitia-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité de Service et de Recherche 3278 Centre de Recherches Insulaires et Observatoire de l'Environnement, Université de Perpignan, 66860 Perpignan, France;
- Laboratoire d'Excellence "CORAIL," 66860 Perpignan, France
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8
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Côté IM, Brandl SJ. Functional niches of cleanerfish species are mediated by habitat use, cleaning intensity and client selectivity. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:2834-2847. [PMID: 34478567 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2020] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
An animal's functional niche is a complex, multidimensional construct, mediated by an individual's morphology, physiology and behaviour. Behavioural aspects of the niche can be difficult to quantify, as their expression is often subtle and tailored to an infinite number of different situations that involve sophisticated mechanisms such as mutualisms, species dominance or fear effects. The extreme diversity of tropical fish assemblages has led to extensive debate over the extent to which species differ in their resource use and functional role. Ectoparasite removal by cleanerfish species is considered a behaviourally complex interspecific interaction in vertebrates, but differences in the services rendered by various species of cleanerfish, and potential consequences for the range of clients (i.e. resources) they attract, have rarely been examined. Here, we quantify differences among three coexisting species of morphologically similar cleaner wrasses (Labroides bicolor, L. dimidiatus and L. pectoralis) in the global centre of marine biodiversity, the Coral Triangle. We found no clear taxonomic partitioning of clients among cleanerfishes. However, the three cleanerfish species exhibited distinct habitat preferences, and differed in their cleaning intensity: L. bicolor serviced the fewest species and clients, while L. pectoralis serviced the most clients and spent the most time cleaning. Accordingly, L. pectoralis showed no preference for clients based on client size or abundance, while both L. bicolor and L. dimidiatus had a higher likelihood of interacting with clients based on their size (larger client species in L. bicolor, smaller client species in L. dimidiatus) and abundance (more abundant client species for both). Our results suggest that the services rendered by the three species of cleanerfishes differ in their spatial availability, quality and selectivity, thus permitting the coexistence of these species despite their ecological similarity. This, in turn, creates a complex seascape of species-specific cleaning services that underpins crucial biotic interactions in the ocean's most diverse ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle M Côté
- Earth to Ocean Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Simon J Brandl
- Department of Marine Science, University of Texas at Austin, Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas, Texas, USA
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Hou J, Li L, Wang Y, Wang W, Zhan H, Dai N, Lu P. Influences of submerged plant collapse on diet composition, breadth, and overlap among four crane species at Poyang Lake, China. Front Zool 2021; 18:24. [PMID: 34001190 PMCID: PMC8130136 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-021-00411-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Interannual variation in resource abundance has become more unpredictable, and food shortages have increasingly occurred in the recent decades. However, compared to seasonal fluctuations in resource abundance, the influences of interannual variation in resource abundance on the dietary niches of consumers remain poorly understood. Poyang Lake, China, is a very important wintering ground for the globally endangered Siberian Crane (Leucogeranus leucogeranus), White-naped Crane (Grus vipio), and Hooded Crane (G. monacha), as well as the non-endangered Eurasian Crane (G. grus). Tubers of Vallisneria spp., the dominant submerged macrophytes at Poyang Lake, is an important food for cranes. Nevertheless, submerged macrophytes have experienced serious degradation recently. In this study, we used metabarcoding technology to explore the consequences of Vallisneria tuber collapse on the diet compositions, breadths, and overlaps of the four crane species based on fecal samples collected in winter 2017 (a year with tuber collapse) and winter 2018 (a year with high tuber abundance). Results Compared to previous studies, our study elucidates crane diets in an unprecedented level of detail. Vallisneria tubers was confirmed as an important food source of cranes. Surprisingly, the grassland plant Polygonum criopolitanum was also found to be an important food source in the feces of cranes. Agricultural fields were important foraging sites for Siberian Cranes, White-naped Cranes, and Hooded Cranes, providing foods that allowed them to survive in winters with natural food shortages. However, the three crane species preferred natural wetlands to agricultural fields when the abundance of natural foods was high. The abundance of Vallisneria tubers, and probably P. criopolitanum, greatly influenced the dietary compositions, breadths and overlap of cranes. During periods of preferred resource shortage, White-naped Cranes and Hooded Cranes widened their dietary niches, while Siberian Cranes maintained a stable niche width. The dietary niche overlap among crane species increased substantially under conditions of plentiful preferred food resources. Conclusions Our study emphasizes the superior quality of natural wetlands compared to agricultural fields as foraging habitats for cranes. To provide safer and better foraging areas for cranes, it is urgent to restore the submerged plants at Poyang Lake. While high dietary niche overlap is often interpreted as intense interspecific competition, our study highlights the importance of taking food abundance into account. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12983-021-00411-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinjin Hou
- Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecosystem Change and Biodiversity, Center for Watershed Ecology, Institute of Life Science and School of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China
| | - Lei Li
- Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecosystem Change and Biodiversity, Center for Watershed Ecology, Institute of Life Science and School of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China.,Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Environment and Resource Utilization, Ministry of Education, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China.,Jiangxi Poyang Lake Wetland Conservation and Restoration National Permanent Scientific Research Base, National Ecosystem Research Station of Jiangxi Poyang Lake Wetland, Nanchang, 330031, China
| | - Yafang Wang
- Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecosystem Change and Biodiversity, Center for Watershed Ecology, Institute of Life Science and School of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China
| | - Wenjuan Wang
- Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecosystem Change and Biodiversity, Center for Watershed Ecology, Institute of Life Science and School of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China. .,Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Environment and Resource Utilization, Ministry of Education, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China. .,Jiangxi Poyang Lake Wetland Conservation and Restoration National Permanent Scientific Research Base, National Ecosystem Research Station of Jiangxi Poyang Lake Wetland, Nanchang, 330031, China.
| | - Huiying Zhan
- Jiangxi Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve Authority, Nanchang, 330038, China
| | - Nianhua Dai
- The Institute of Biology and Resources, Jiangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanchang, 330096, China
| | - Ping Lu
- The Institute of Biology and Resources, Jiangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanchang, 330096, China
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10
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Camargo NF, Reis GG, Camargo ACL, Nardoto GB, Kneitel JM, Vieira EM. Seasonal isotopic niche of a rodent: High between‐individual variation but no changes in individual niche width during the rich‐resource period. Biotropica 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nícholas F. Camargo
- Departamento de Ecologia Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Universidade de Brasília Brasília DF Brazil
| | - Guilherme G. Reis
- Departamento de Ecologia Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Universidade de Brasília Brasília DF Brazil
| | - Anna Carla L. Camargo
- Departamento de Ecologia Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Universidade de Brasília Brasília DF Brazil
| | - Gabriela B. Nardoto
- Departamento de Ecologia Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Universidade de Brasília Brasília DF Brazil
| | - Jamie M. Kneitel
- Department of Biological Sciences California State University Sacramento CA USA
| | - Emerson M. Vieira
- Departamento de Ecologia Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Universidade de Brasília Brasília DF Brazil
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11
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Kliemann BCK, Galdioli EM, Bialetzki A, Delariva RL. Morphological divergences as drivers of diet segregation between two sympatric species of Serrapinnus (Characidae: Cheirodontinae) in macrophyte stands in a neotropical floodplain lake. NEOTROPICAL ICHTHYOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1590/1982-0224-2020-0139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Abstract Diet and morphology of Serrapinnus notomelas and Serrapinnus sp.1 were investigated across ontogeny, as a way to elucidate the key elements linked to the resource partitioning (a main driver for species coexistence). Fish sampling was conducted monthly between October 2010 and March 2012. Individuals were captured, identified, and classified into juvenile or adult. Our results show ontogenetic and interspecific differences in feeding abilities and morphological traits. Differences in body shape (relative area of the dorsal fin, length of head, height of the caudal peduncle, the aspect ratio of the pectoral and pelvic fin) favored divergent swimming performances (more maneuverability in S. notomelas and continuous swimming to Serrapinnus sp.1). We also observed divergences in trophic apparatus traits and correlations with different diets. In this context, it is highlighted that understanding the relationship between morphology and diet can assist in elucidating the processes that permeate the coexistence between sympatric species, and between ontogenetic periods. Besides, the relevant contribution of the measures of the trophic apparatus (gill raker length, the number of teeth cuspids, and intestinal coefficient) in trophic segregation seems to be a strong evidence in favor of the proposed discriminatory and predictive capacities of these traits.
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Parravicini V, Casey JM, Schiettekatte NMD, Brandl SJ, Pozas-Schacre C, Carlot J, Edgar GJ, Graham NAJ, Harmelin-Vivien M, Kulbicki M, Strona G, Stuart-Smith RD. Delineating reef fish trophic guilds with global gut content data synthesis and phylogeny. PLoS Biol 2020; 18:e3000702. [PMID: 33370276 PMCID: PMC7793298 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Revised: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding species' roles in food webs requires an accurate assessment of their trophic niche. However, it is challenging to delineate potential trophic interactions across an ecosystem, and a paucity of empirical information often leads to inconsistent definitions of trophic guilds based on expert opinion, especially when applied to hyperdiverse ecosystems. Using coral reef fishes as a model group, we show that experts disagree on the assignment of broad trophic guilds for more than 20% of species, which hampers comparability across studies. Here, we propose a quantitative, unbiased, and reproducible approach to define trophic guilds and apply recent advances in machine learning to predict probabilities of pairwise trophic interactions with high accuracy. We synthesize data from community-wide gut content analyses of tropical coral reef fishes worldwide, resulting in diet information from 13,961 individuals belonging to 615 reef fish. We then use network analysis to identify 8 trophic guilds and Bayesian phylogenetic modeling to show that trophic guilds can be predicted based on phylogeny and maximum body size. Finally, we use machine learning to test whether pairwise trophic interactions can be predicted with accuracy. Our models achieved a misclassification error of less than 5%, indicating that our approach results in a quantitative and reproducible trophic categorization scheme, as well as high-resolution probabilities of trophic interactions. By applying our framework to the most diverse vertebrate consumer group, we show that it can be applied to other organismal groups to advance reproducibility in trait-based ecology. Our work thus provides a viable approach to account for the complexity of predator-prey interactions in highly diverse ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeriano Parravicini
- PSL Université Paris: EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, Université de Perpignan, Perpignan, France
- Laboratoire d’Excellence “CORAIL,” Perpignan, France
| | - Jordan M. Casey
- PSL Université Paris: EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, Université de Perpignan, Perpignan, France
- Laboratoire d’Excellence “CORAIL,” Perpignan, France
- Department of Marine Science, University of Texas at Austin, Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Nina M. D. Schiettekatte
- PSL Université Paris: EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, Université de Perpignan, Perpignan, France
- Laboratoire d’Excellence “CORAIL,” Perpignan, France
| | - Simon J. Brandl
- PSL Université Paris: EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, Université de Perpignan, Perpignan, France
- Laboratoire d’Excellence “CORAIL,” Perpignan, France
- Department of Marine Science, University of Texas at Austin, Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas, Texas, United States of America
- Centre for the Synthesis and Analysis of Biodiversity (CESAB), Institut Bouisson Bertrand, Montpellier, France
| | - Chloé Pozas-Schacre
- PSL Université Paris: EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, Université de Perpignan, Perpignan, France
- Laboratoire d’Excellence “CORAIL,” Perpignan, France
| | - Jérémy Carlot
- PSL Université Paris: EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, Université de Perpignan, Perpignan, France
- Laboratoire d’Excellence “CORAIL,” Perpignan, France
| | - Graham J. Edgar
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | | | | | - Michel Kulbicki
- UMR Entropie, LabEx Corail, IRD, Université de Perpignan, Perpignan, France
| | - Giovanni Strona
- University of Helsinki, Department of Bioscience, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Rick D. Stuart-Smith
- Centre for the Synthesis and Analysis of Biodiversity (CESAB), Institut Bouisson Bertrand, Montpellier, France
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Coexistence of Two Closely Related Cyprinid Fishes (Hemiculter bleekeri and Hemiculter leucisculus) in the Upper Yangtze River, China. DIVERSITY 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/d12070284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Species coexistence is one of the most important concepts in ecology for understanding how biodiversity is shaped and changed. In this study, we investigated the mechanism by which two small cyprinid fishes (H. leucisculus and H. bleekeri) coexist by analyzing their niche segregation and morphological differences in the upper Yangtze River. Morphological analysis indicated that H. leucisculus has posteriorly located dorsal fins, whereas H. bleekeri has a more slender body, bigger eyes, longer anal fin base, and a higher head. Niche segregation analysis showed spatial and trophic niche segregation between these two species: on the spatial scale, H. leucisculus was more widely distributed than H. bleekeri, indicating that H. leucisculus is more of a generalist in the spatial dimension; on the trophic scale, H. bleekeri had a wider niche than H. leucisculus. Therefore, these two species adopt different adaptation mechanisms to coexist
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Takahashi M, DiBattista JD, Jarman S, Newman SJ, Wakefield CB, Harvey ES, Bunce M. Partitioning of diet between species and life history stages of sympatric and cryptic snappers (Lutjanidae) based on DNA metabarcoding. Sci Rep 2020; 10:4319. [PMID: 32152406 PMCID: PMC7062689 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-60779-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2019] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Lutjanus erythropterus and L. malabaricus are sympatric, sister taxa that are important to fisheries throughout the Indo-Pacific. Their juveniles are morphologically indistinguishable (i.e. cryptic). A DNA metabarcoding dietary study was undertaken to assess the diet composition and partitioning between the juvenile and adult life history stages of these two lutjanids. Major prey taxa were comprised of teleosts and crustaceans for all groups except adult L. erythropterus, which instead consumed soft bodied invertebrates (e.g. tunicates, comb jellies and medusae) as well as teleosts, with crustaceans being notably absent. Diet composition was significantly different among life history stages and species, which may be associated with niche habitat partitioning or differences in mouth morphology within adult life stages. This study provides the first evidence of diet partitioning between cryptic juveniles of overlapping lutjanid species, thus providing new insights into the ecological interactions, habitat associations, and the specialised adaptations required for the coexistence of closely related species. This study has improved our understanding of the differential contributions of the juvenile and adult diets of these sympatric species within food webs. The diet partitioning reported in this study was only revealed by the taxonomic resolution provided by the DNA metabarcoding approach and highlights the potential utility of this method to refine the dietary components of reef fishes more generally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miwa Takahashi
- School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, Perth, WA, 6102, Australia.
| | - Joseph D DiBattista
- School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, Perth, WA, 6102, Australia
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, 1 William Street, Sydney, NSW, 2010, Australia
| | - Simon Jarman
- School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, Perth, WA, 6102, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Stephen J Newman
- Western Australian Fisheries and Marine Research Laboratories, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Government of Western Australia, P.O. Box 20, North Beach, WA, 6920, Australia
| | - Corey B Wakefield
- Western Australian Fisheries and Marine Research Laboratories, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Government of Western Australia, P.O. Box 20, North Beach, WA, 6920, Australia
| | - Euan S Harvey
- School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, Perth, WA, 6102, Australia
| | - Michael Bunce
- School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, Perth, WA, 6102, Australia
- Environmental Protection Authority, 215 Lambton Quay, Wellington, 6011, New Zealand
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15
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Radice VZ, Brett MT, Fry B, Fox MD, Hoegh-Guldberg O, Dove SG. Evaluating coral trophic strategies using fatty acid composition and indices. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0222327. [PMID: 31509600 PMCID: PMC6739055 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0222327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2019] [Accepted: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The ecological success of shallow water reef-building corals has been linked to the symbiosis between the coral host and its dinoflagellate symbionts (herein ‘symbionts’). As mixotrophs, symbiotic corals depend on nutrients 1) transferred from their photosynthetic symbionts (autotrophy) and 2) acquired by host feeding on particulate organic resources (heterotrophy). However, coral species differ in the extent to which they depend on heterotrophy for nutrition and these differences are typically poorly defined. Here, a multi-tracer fatty acid approach was used to evaluate the trophic strategies of three species of common reef-building coral (Galaxea fascicularis, Pachyseris speciosa, and Pocillopora verrucosa) whose trophic strategies had previously been identified using carbon stable isotopes. The composition and various indices of fatty acids were compared to examine the relative contribution of symbiont autotrophy and host heterotrophy in coral energy acquisition. A linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was used to estimate the contribution of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) derived from various potential sources to the coral hosts. The total fatty acid composition and fatty acid indices revealed differences between the more heterotrophic (P. verrucosa) and more autotrophic (P. speciosa) coral hosts, with the coral host G. fascicularis showing overlap with the other two species and greater variability overall. For the more heterotrophic P. verrucosa, the fatty acid indices and LDA results both indicated a greater proportion of copepod-derived fatty acids compared to the other coral species. Overall, the LDA estimated that PUFA derived from particulate resources (e.g., copepods and diatoms) comprised a greater proportion of coral host PUFA in contrast to the lower proportion of symbiont-derived PUFA. These estimates provide insight into the importance of heterotrophy in coral nutrition, especially in productive reef systems. The study supports carbon stable isotope results and demonstrates the utility of fatty acid analyses for exploring the trophic strategies of reef-building corals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Z Radice
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia.,School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Michael T Brett
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Brian Fry
- Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia
| | - Michael D Fox
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Ove Hoegh-Guldberg
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia.,School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Sophie G Dove
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia.,School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
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16
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Casey JM, Meyer CP, Morat F, Brandl SJ, Planes S, Parravicini V. Reconstructing hyperdiverse food webs: Gut content metabarcoding as a tool to disentangle trophic interactions on coral reefs. Methods Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jordan M. Casey
- PSL Université Paris: EPHE‐UPVD‐CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE Université de Perpignan Perpignan France
- Laboratoire d'Excellence “CORAIL” Perpignan France
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution Washington District of Columbia USA
| | - Christopher P. Meyer
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution Washington District of Columbia USA
| | - Fabien Morat
- PSL Université Paris: EPHE‐UPVD‐CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE Université de Perpignan Perpignan France
- Laboratoire d'Excellence “CORAIL” Perpignan France
| | - Simon J. Brandl
- Department of Biological Sciences Simon Fraser University Burnaby BC Canada
| | - Serge Planes
- PSL Université Paris: EPHE‐UPVD‐CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE Université de Perpignan Perpignan France
- Laboratoire d'Excellence “CORAIL” Perpignan France
| | - Valeriano Parravicini
- PSL Université Paris: EPHE‐UPVD‐CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE Université de Perpignan Perpignan France
- Laboratoire d'Excellence “CORAIL” Perpignan France
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17
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Leray M, Alldredge AL, Yang JY, Meyer CP, Holbrook SJ, Schmitt RJ, Knowlton N, Brooks AJ. Dietary partitioning promotes the coexistence of planktivorous species on coral reefs. Mol Ecol 2019; 28:2694-2710. [PMID: 30933383 PMCID: PMC6852152 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2018] [Revised: 03/18/2019] [Accepted: 03/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Theories involving niche diversification to explain high levels of tropical diversity propose that species are more likely to co‐occur if they partition at least one dimension of their ecological niche space. Yet, numerous species appear to have widely overlapping niches based upon broad categorizations of resource use or functional traits. In particular, the extent to which food partitioning contributes to species coexistence in hyperdiverse tropical ecosystems remains unresolved. Here, we use a molecular approach to investigate inter‐ and intraspecific dietary partitioning between two species of damselfish (Dascyllus flavicaudus, Chromis viridis) that commonly co‐occur in branching corals. Species‐level identification of their diverse zooplankton prey revealed significant differences in diet composition between species despite their seemingly similar feeding strategies. Dascyllus exhibited a more diverse diet than Chromis, whereas Chromis tended to select larger prey items. A large calanoid copepod, Labidocera sp., found in low density and higher in the water column during the day, explained more than 19% of the variation in dietary composition between Dascyllus and Chromis. Dascyllus did not significantly shift its diet in the presence of Chromis, which suggests intrinsic differences in feeding behaviour. Finally, prey composition significantly shifted during the ontogeny of both fish species. Our findings show that levels of dietary specialization among coral reef associated species have likely been underestimated, and they underscore the importance of characterizing trophic webs in tropical ecosystems at higher levels of taxonomic resolution. They also suggest that niche redundancy may not be as common as previously thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthieu Leray
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Smithsonian Institution, Panama City, Balboa, Ancon, Panama
| | - Alice L Alldredge
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California
| | - Joy Y Yang
- Computational and Systems Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Christopher P Meyer
- National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Sally J Holbrook
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California.,Coastal Research Center, Marine Science Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California
| | - Russell J Schmitt
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California.,Coastal Research Center, Marine Science Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California
| | - Nancy Knowlton
- National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Andrew J Brooks
- Coastal Research Center, Marine Science Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California
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