首页 | 本学科首页   官方微博 | 高级检索  
相似文献
 共查询到20条相似文献，搜索用时 15 毫秒
1.
By creating novel habitats, habitat‐modifying species can alter patterns of diversity and abundance in marine communities. Many sea urchins are important habitat modifiers in tropical and temperate systems. By eroding rocky substrata, urchins can create a mosaic of urchin‐sized cavities or pits separated by exposed, often flat surfaces. These microhabitats appear to harbor distinct assemblages of species. We investigated how a temperate rocky intertidal community uses three small‐scale (<100 cm2) microhabitats created by or adjacent to populations of the purple sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus): pits occupied by urchins, unoccupied pits, and adjacent flat spaces. In tidepools, flat spaces harbored the highest percent cover of algae and sessile fauna, followed by empty pits and then occupied pits. The Shannon diversity and richness of these sessile taxa were significantly higher in flat spaces and empty pits than in occupied pits. The composition of these primary space holders in the microhabitats also varied. Unlike primary space holders, mobile fauna exhibited higher diversity and richness in empty pits than in flat spaces and occupied pits, although results were not significant. The protective empty pit microhabitat harbored the highest densities of most trophic functional groups. Herbivores, however, were densest in flat spaces, concordant with high algal coverage. These results suggest the habitats created by S. purpuratus in addition to its biological activities alter community structure at spatial scales finer than those typically considered for sea urchins.  相似文献   

2.
Abstract. The population densities, spatial distributions, size frequencies, growth rates, longevity and reproductive activities of sub‐populations of the sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus were investigated over a two‐year period. Sea urchins were examined in three habitats in Saint Joseph Bay, Florida, which is within the northern limits of their distribution. Densities of sea urchins, which ranged as high as 35 individuals ·?2, fluctuated seasonally at all sites and were higher in seagrass beds comprised of Thalassia testudinum than Syringodium filiforme or on a sand flat. A cold front caused large‐scale, catastrophic mortality among adult, and especially juvenile, sea urchins in nearshore habitats of the Bay in the spring of 1993, leading to a dramatic decline in sea urchin densities at the Thalassia seagrass site. The population recovered over 6 months at this site and was attributable to immigration of new adults. Juvenile recruitment displayed both interannual and site‐specific variability, with recruitment being highest in seagrass habitats in fall and spring. The most pronounced recruitment event occurred in fall 1993 at the Thalassia site. Spatial distributions of adult individuals ascertained monthly never varied from random in the seagrass beds (T. testudinum and S. filiforme) or during spring, summer or fall months on the sand flat. Nonetheless, aggregations of adult sea urchins were observed on the sand flat in the winter months and were associated with patchy distributions of plant food resources. Juvenile sea urchins (< 25 mm test diameter) exhibited aggregations at all sites and 67 % of all juveniles under 10 mm test diameter (91 of 165 individuals observed) were found under the spine canopies of adults. Measurements of the inducibility of spawning indicated peak gametic maturity in all three sub‐populations in spring and summer. Gonad indices varied between habitats and years, but distinct maxima were detected, particularly in spring 1993 and late summer 1994. The mean gonad index of individuals at the Syringodium seagrass site was 2‐ to 4‐fold higher than the other sites in spring 1993 and gonad indices were much higher at all sites in spring of 1993 than 1994. Estimates of growth based on changes in size frequency cohorts coupled with measurements of growth bands on lantern demipyramids indicated that L. variegatus in three habitats of Saint Joseph Bay have similar growth rates and attain a mean test diameter of approximately 35 mm in one year. In contrast to populations within the central biogeographical range of the species, which may attain test diameters up to 90 mm, the largest individuals recorded in Saint Joseph Bay were 60 mm in test diameter, and almost all individuals were no more than 45 mm in test diameter or two years of age. The demographics of L. variegatus in the northern limits of their distribution appear to be strongly influenced by latitudinally driven, low‐temperature events and secondarily by local abiotic factors, especially springtime low salinities, which may negatively impact larval development and recruitment.  相似文献   

3.
Recent settlers of many marine benthic invertebrates are cryptic, which exposes them to a suite of animals that differs from those they may experience as adults, potentially resulting in interactions causing mortality and/or reducing growth. Previous field experiments have indicated that such is the case with small juvenile green sea urchins Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis but which taxa are responsible for the mortality and reduced growth was not determined. A laboratory study was conducted to examine the effects of small macro‐benthic invertebrates, specifically chitons, scaleworms and larger juvenile conspecifics, as well as the full suite of cobble‐dwelling organisms, on the mortality, growth and behaviour of small (<3 mm) juvenile sea urchins. The likelihood of survival of small juvenile sea urchins was lower in the presence of larger juvenile sea urchins or with the full suite of cobble‐dwelling organisms than in the absence of animals. The small juvenile sea urchins survived and grew the best when they were with chitons and scaleworms. The behaviour of small sea urchins with the full suite of cobble‐dwelling organisms was more cryptic than the behaviour of urchins with scaleworms. This study indicates that interactions with the suite of small organisms living amongst cobbles can affect survival, growth and behaviour of small juvenile sea urchins, and that larger juvenile sea urchins can be a source of mortality for smaller conspecifics.  相似文献   

4.
To clarify the differences in the growth and gonad size of the sea urchin Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus among algal sere, the study was conducted in June and July, and September 1998 at three fucoid beds in Oga and at three algal turfs in Hachimori, Akita Prefecture in northern Japan. The most rapid growth was observed in a large perennial fucoid bed at the climax stage. Growth in a small perennial Chondrus ocellatus‐dominated bed in algal turfs in the seral stage was then high. The slowest growth was observed in the small perennial Dictyopteris divaricata‐ and Laurencia spp.‐dominated beds which are known to possess chemicals which act as feeding deterrents against the sea urchins. The gonad index (gonad wet weight × 100/body wet weight) at a fucoid bed was high where standing crops exceeded 3 kg·m?2. The gonad index in the Laurencia bed was lower than those at fucoid beds. These results suggest that growth and gonad production are affected by algal sere and differ among species of small perennial algae in the seral stage with or without chemical defense.  相似文献   

5.
The detection of light intensity and subsequent phototaxis are essential for the fitness of sea urchins in intertidal and shallow subtidal waters, where light intensity varies in accordance with the depth and other hydrographic conditions. The molecular basis of photoresponse, however, remains largely unknown. We compared the expression of SiOpsin4, SiPax6, and SiOpsin5 among tube feet, coelomocytes, gonads, and gut of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius. All three genes showed the significantly highest expression in tube feet. To test whether r-opsin genes (for example, Opsin4) and Pax6 in tube feet, rather than chaopsin genes (for example, Opsin5), are involved in the molecular responses to light intensity, we investigated the expression of Opsin4, Pax6, and Opsin5 among four light intensities. Both Opsin4 and Pax6 expressions were significantly higher in the sea urchins at 1,500 lx than at 100, 300, and 700 lx, indicating a co-upregulation of Opsin4 and Pax6 expressions in sea urchins exposed to the high light intensity (for example, 1,500 lx). However, there was no significant difference of SiOpsin5 expression among the four light intensity groups. Consistent with our hypothesis, there was no significant difference in either Opsin4 or Pax6 expression between the two light intensity environments (low light intensity environment: 50–100 lx; high light intensity environment: 330–1400 lx). This indicates that positive phototaxis and negative phototaxis probably regulate the expression of Opsin4 and Pax6 to a similar level when sea urchins are exposed to the high and low light intensities, respectively. The present study provides new insights into the molecular basis of light intensity detection and subsequent phototaxis of eyeless species.  相似文献   

6.
We evaluated the effectiveness of chemical tagging with the fluorescent marker calcein for two key species of herbivorous sea urchins, Diadema africanum and Paracentrotus lividus, to facilitate medium‐ and long‐term ecological experiments. In total, 98 juveniles of D. africanum and 98 P. lividus were tagged with this fluorescent marker, with 12 combinations of different tagging techniques (chemical bath or injection), concentrations of calcein (2, 10 and 20 mg · l?1), and soaking times (2, 4 and 24 h). Respective control treatments were conducted by means of seawater injection and bathing. The success of tagging was assessed after a month of feeding individuals ad libitum with the algae Dictyota sp. Sea urchins were dissected and their Aristotle's lanterns cleaned with 10% sodium hypochlorite to examine these structures under UV light using a binocular microscope. Each species was evaluated in terms of survival, percentage of tagged individuals and intensity of the resulting tag. The results showed that the method of soaking individuals of both species for 24 h in concentrations of calcein of 10 and 20 mg · l?1 gave the highest percentage survival (100%) and the resulting tags were clearly visible.  相似文献   

7.
Sea urchins are important ecosystem engineers in subtidal ecosystems worldwide, providing biogenic structure and altering nutrient dynamics through intensive grazing and drift algal capture. The current work evaluates red urchin (Strongylocentrotus franciscanus) density on fixed transects through time, individual displacement, and urchin‐associated benthic community composition using a field‐based approach at multiple depths (in and outside of the macroalgal zone) and replicated across sites in the San Juan Archipelago, Washington. Urchins exhibited no large‐scale, temporal or directional changes in density among depths. Furthermore, 87% of individual urchins observed in repeated small‐scale surveys over 3 weeks exhibited no change in position. Individual displacement was negatively correlated to drift algal capture. Evidence of sedentary behavior from the displacement surveys was supported by the sessile and mobile community composition in areas directly under versus adjacent to (control) urchins. The benthos under urchins had a higher percentage of bare space, crustose coralline algae, and increased density of snails, crabs and shrimp relative to associated control plots. Abundance of mobile organisms associating with urchins increased relative to control plots at the deepest survey depth (30 m), indicating a greater strength of interaction with distance from macroalgal production. This work presents evidence of food availability‐related behavior in red urchins and indicates that even when sedentary, urchins have a strong influence on ecosystem structure through increasing availability of shelter and macroalgal detritus to the benthos.  相似文献   

8.
A mass mortality episode involving three marine dyctioceratid sponges, Ircina variabilis, Sarcotragus spinosulus and Spongia officinalis, was observed on ‘Scoglio del Trave’ (Conero Promontory, North Adriatic Sea) in late summer 2009. In this area, calm sea and high temperatures throughout summer created unfavorable environmental conditions, leading to the outbreak of the disease. Affected specimens showed evident necrotic areas and portions with bare skeleton, and many specimens of S. spinosulus were covered with a white mat of cyanobacteria. In September 2009, about 22% of these demosponges suffered from this disease. The mortality event ceased when sea temperature dropped below 20 °C. Small specimens turned out to be more sensitive to the diseases, whereas the damaged tissues of large specimens were able to recover. In October, the damaged specimens were detached by the rough sea and more than 900 beached sponges were found along the 1‐km‐long beach, showing the seriousness of the phenomenon, which probably involved not only the area studied but also areas adjacent to it.  相似文献   

9.
Ocean acidification results from an increase in the concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) impacts on marine calcifying species, which is predicted to become more pronounced in the future. By the end of this century, atmospheric pCO2 levels will have doubled relative to the pre‐industrial levels of 280 ppm. However, the effects of pre‐industrial pCO2 levels on marine organisms remain largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of pre‐industrial pCO2 conditions on the size of the pluteus larvae of sea urchins, which are known to be vulnerable to ocean acidification. The larval size of Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus significantly increased when reared at pre‐industrial pCO2 level relative to the present one, and the size of Anthocidaris crassispina larvae decreased as the pCO2 levels increased from the pre‐industrial level to the near future ones after 3 days' exposure. In this study, it is suggested that echinoid larvae responded to pre‐industrial pCO2 levels. Ocean acidification may be affecting some sensitive marine calcifiers even at the present pCO2 level.  相似文献   

10.
Xueying Han 《Marine Ecology》2016,37(6):1179-1189
Alternate attractors have been shown to exist in a variety of terrestrial and aquatic systems, e.g. temperate forests, savannas, shallow lakes, wetlands, coral reefs, kelp forests. The shift from one attractor to another, also referred to as a regime shift, is thought to occur when a system passes some critical threshold such that the trajectory of the system changes direction. Alternate attractors in population dynamics can also exist, leading to alternate stable states in the population abundance of a species. This study explored alternate attractors in the population dynamics of the Indo‐Pacific sea urchin Diadema savignyi and the potential underlying mechanisms that promote its bi‐stability. In Moorea, French Polynesia, the local abundance of D. savignyi, a functionally important herbivore in lagoon habitats, occurs in two states: (i) solitary individuals that occupy crevices in low densities and (ii) aggregations of tens to hundreds of individuals. These different states are temporally stable and are not explained by spatial differences in recruitment rates of juveniles. A field experiment revealed that the per capita mortality rate of adult D. savignyi was substantially lower at sites where urchins occurred in aggregations compared with sites at which they were solitary individuals. An additional experiment showed that per capita mortality decreased with increasing aggregation size. Individuals in high‐density aggregations, however, had significantly smaller test diameters than solitary individuals, indicating that individuals in aggregations may be food limited. Collectively, the evidence suggests that the two different local abundance states of D. savignyi result from negative feedback loops where high local density can be maintained by aggregative behavior that greatly reduces per capita risk of predation when the local number of adult sea urchins is sufficiently large; sites with few sea urchins remain at low density because individuals are more susceptible to predation when crevices are occupied but there are not enough individuals to form large aggregations. Thus, there may be alternate attractors in the population dynamics of D. savignyi that can produce either persistently low or high local population densities.  相似文献   

11.
To elucidate which environmental factors affect lagoonal‐scale sea cucumber distributions in Ishigaki Island, Okinawa, Japan, intertidal and subtidal areas of three coral reef lagoons were classified into several ground divisions by bottom characteristics, and sea cucumber densities therein were compared with the composition of sediment cover, grain size and organic content, and coverage of macroalgae, seagrass, and massive corals. Holothuria atra, Holothuria leucospilota, Stichopus chloronotus, and Synapta maculata had highest densities in the nearshore areas but were rare in reef flats, probably because of wave disturbance and low areal cover of sand sediment as potential feeding environments. No relationship was observed between sea cucumber densities and sediment organic content or grain size. Thus, even if these sea cucumbers have selectivity for habitats with a high sediment organic content, the effect of such selectivity on the distribution seems to be limited to relatively small areas. The sea cucumber distributions can be classified by bottom sediment/biota composition into bedrock (H. leucospilota), sand (H. atra), and lagoonal types (St. chloronotus and Sy. maculata). These habitat selections were possibly related to various aspects of sea cucumber ecology such as refuge from predators or turbulence, or settlement and nursery place, which have implications for importance of the complexity of lagoonal‐scale topography and sediment/biota conditions for the coexistence of various holothurian species.  相似文献   

12.
This study investigates the effect of different Mediterranean habitats on spine and gonad colouring and gonadal index in the purple sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea). Specimens were collected in winter 2012 in Posidonia oceanica meadows and rocky bottom areas at two sites in Southern Sardinia (Italy, Tyrrhenian Sea). Colorimetric analyses of spines and gonads were conducted with a digital colorimeter using CIELAB colour spaces, which defines the colour in terms of three coordinate values: lightness (L*), redness (a*) and yellowness (b*). Lightness and redness of the spines differed significantly between habitats, whereas colour spaces of the gonads did not. A careful analysis of the gonad index showed it to be significantly affected by habitat, registering higher values in rocky bottom locations. In conclusion, it seems that habitat does affect spine colour but not gonad colour. Spine colour seems to be site‐dependent, whereas the gonad index depends solely on the habitat.  相似文献   

13.
The Western Antarctic Peninsula (wAP) is globally one of the systems most heavily impacted by climate change, notably steep declines in sea ice extent. In forage species, reproductive resilience to change is particularly important because population fluctuations are rapidly communicated through the system via trophic interactions. The reproductive traits of the ice‐dependent forage species Antarctic silverfish (Pleuragramma antarctica) from different areas along the wAP and at the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula were investigated through macroscopic and histological analyses of gonads, with the aim to assess its reproductive potential and to test for spatial differences in fecundity and spawning season. Fish samples were collected in late summer off Charcot Island, in Marguerite Bay and off Joinville Island; no fish were caught in the central wAP. Samples from Charcot Island and Marguerite Bay consisted of adults in developing gonad stage, whereas those from Joinville consisted almost exclusively of juveniles. Mean GSI was relatively low (2–3%) and similar in both sexes, as specimens were still far from being actively reproducing. Developing females exhibited two discrete, though partially overlapping modes of oocytes of different size, with vitellogenic oocytes measuring 0.5–1.0 mm. Absolute and relative fecundity ranged between 3000 and 12,000 eggs per female and between 80 and 190 eggs·g?1, with a strong relationship between absolute fecundity and body size. These results were consistent with a single population at Charcot Island and Marguerite Bay and indicated substantial reproductive potential, which may mitigate population isolation and reductions in habitat availability but cannot ultimately offset catastrophic loss of spawning habitat linked to sea‐ice retreat.  相似文献   

14.
Development, settlement, and subsequent metamorphosis on several substrata were observed in cultures of Evechinus chloroticus larvae. The period from fertilisation to metamorphosis ranged between 30 and 63 days for larvae collected from spawnings induced at 3 different times. Newly settled sea urchins collected from the field grew about 1 mm per month in aquaria. Correlation of the larval life span with the growth rate of newly settled sea urchins suggested that the earliest spawning could occur was mid‐November. This finding corroborates the results of previous histo‐logical studies of the gonads of adult sea urchins in the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand.  相似文献   

15.
Sexual reproduction of zooxanthellate scleractinian corals in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) is influenced by the interactive effects of regional and local oceanographic conditions, as well as a variety of other environmental factors. Differences in spatial and temporal gamete development and reproductive patterns of three widespread scleractinian corals of this region—Pocillopora damicornis (branching colony morphology, characterized as hermaphrodite broadcaster), Pavona gigantea (massive colonies, characterized as gonochoric broadcaster/sequential co‐sexually hermaphroditic) and Porites panamensis (encrusting colonies, characterized as gonochoric brooder)—were evaluated at local and regional scales across the ETP. This area extended from the Gulf of California (24°N) to the southern coast of Ecuador (–1°S), including offshore islands, using existing data pooled from prior studies. Predictive models were employed based on environmental variables: sea surface temperature, daylight hours, diffuse attenuation co‐efficient at 490 nm and photosynthetically active radiation. Datasets were extracted from satellite images ( https://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov ) and analysed using WAM_STATIST ver. 6.33® software to obtain monthly average data from each site. The spatial (region, sub‐region and site) and seasonal (wet, dry) variation in reproductive activity (% colonies with gametes) differed among the three species; significant interactions were season × sub‐region for P. damicornis, season × site (sub‐region) for P. gigantea, and season × site for P. panamensis, for which sub‐region was not considered as a factor. The predictive models also suggest that gamete production/maturation of P. damicornis and P. gigantea is influenced by local differences in sea surface temperature and daylight hours. Porites panamensis was not correlated with any environmental variable examined. Variations in local and regional reproductive developmental patterns are likely an acclimatization response by each species imposed by the timing and duration of local stressor events. This analysis has provided insights into the diverse local and regional physical drivers that affect species responses and acclimatization in sexual reproduction across the ETP.  相似文献   

16.
Abstract Lytechinus variegatus and Arbacia punctulata have been studied primarily in inshore, shallow‐water areas. However, they are abundant in deeper waters on the Florida gulf‐coast shelf and seem important components of the benthic communities there. Lytechinus variegatus occurs alone on sand bottoms and A. punctulata occurs alone on rubble bottoms in these deeper waters. The species also co‐occur there on ­heterogeneous bottoms, each in a distinct microhabitat with A. punctulata on rubble and L. variegatus on surrounding sand. Characteristics of the sea urchins in these different deeper‐water habitat types and at one nearshore site with a heterogeneous rubble‐sand bottom were compared. Over the 2‐year study, offshore individuals of both species had low gut and gonad indices and the maximum size of individuals did not change. This suggests food limitation and low production. Offshore, A. punctulata had a higher Aristotle's lantern index and lower gut and gonad indices in populations where it ­co‐occurred with L. variegatus compared to populations where it occurred alone. The ­Aristotle's lantern index of L. variegatus did not differ among the offshore sites. Neither species seemed food limited at the nearshore site. Although productivity is lower at the offshore sites, both species extend their distribution and reproduction potential by existing there.  相似文献   

17.
Leaf mechanical traits are important to understand how aquatic plants fracture and deform when subjected to abiotic (currents or waves) or biotic (herbivory attack) mechanical forces. The likely occurrence of variation during leaf ontogeny in these traits may thus have implications for hydrodynamic performance and vulnerability to herbivory damage, and may be associated with changes in morphologic and chemical traits. Seagrasses, marine flowering plants, consist of shoot bundles holding several leaves with different developmental stages, in which outer older leaves protect inner younger leaves. In this study we examined the long‐lived seagrass Posidonia oceanica to determine ontogenic variation in mechanical traits across leaf position within a shoot, representing different developmental stages. Moreover, we investigated whether or not the collection procedure (classical uprooted shoot versus non‐destructive shoot method: cutting the shoot without a portion of rhizome) and time span after collection influence mechanical measurements. Neither collection procedure nor time elapsed within 48 h of collection affected measurements of leaf biomechanical traits when seagrass shoots were kept moist in dark cool conditions. Ontogenic variation in mechanical traits in P. oceanica leaves over intermediate and adult developmental stages was observed: leaves weakened and lost stiffness with aging, while mid‐aged leaves (the longest and thickest ones) were able to withstand higher breaking forces. In addition, younger leaves had higher nitrogen content and lower fiber content than older leaves. The observed patterns may explain fine‐scale within‐shoot ecological processes of leaves at different developmental stages, such as leaf shedding and herbivory consumption in P. oceanica.  相似文献   

18.
Tidal conditions differently influence inter‐tidal organisms in terms of general physiological and metabolic responses. In this study we investigated the morphological response in shells of Mytilus galloprovincialis native to different micro‐tidal coastal environments in the Northern Adriatic Sea. Our purpose was to highlight the ecophenotypic variability across tidal levels and to elucidate how tidal currents and waves produced by anthropogenic activities may play a part in modulating shell morphology. Three sampling sites were selected: an open‐sea area 15 km off‐shore and two sites within the lagoon of Venice, the first near one of its three inlets, and the other one in the proximity of Venice city centre. At each sampling site, organisms were seasonally collected at different depths within their vertical zonation, either in the inter‐tidal zone – i.e. at both the highest and lowest tide zonation limits, and subtidally. The mussel shells were analysed by investigation of their morphometric relationships (height/length and width/length ratios) and by elliptic Fourier analysis of the shell contours. Shell thickness and condition index were also evaluated for a better comprehension of energy allocation/partitioning. Estimates based on long‐term measurements, visual observation, wind statistics and wave growth laws allowed an evaluation of the forces acting on shells. At the open‐sea site, the observed phenotypic variability of both shell shape and thickness was clearly related to the tidal vertical zonation. At the two lagoon sites, the currents generated by tidal flow through the inlet and the waves caused by the frequent passage of boats influenced both shell shape and thickness. A trade‐off between protection and growth was apparent along the tide gradient, as emphasized by the differences in the partitioning and allocation of energy between shell and flesh production.  相似文献   

19.
Temperature is an important factor affecting the distributions and life‐history traits of marine animals. Deep‐sea hydrothermal vents are suitable environments to examine ecologic differences related to temperature, due to the steep temperature gradients around the vents. Rearing experiments under various temperature conditions (5–30 °C) at atmospheric pressure demonstrated a difference in thermal effects on egg hatching and larva in two co‐occurring, vent‐associated alvinocaridid shrimps – the peripherally distributed Alvinocaris longirostris and the centrally distributed Shinkaicaris leurokolos. The duration before hatching became shorter as temperature increased, while the maximum hatching rate occurred at higher temperatures in S. leurokolos (10–20 °C) than in A. longirostris (10 °C). Hatched larvae of both species were negatively buoyant, and larva with normal abdominal length could actively swim and stay suspended in the mid‐ or surface water layers of the culture plates under our experimental conditions. However, no larvae settled or metamorphosed into juveniles under the rearing conditions used in this study. Larvae with shortened abdomens occurred under most of the experimental conditions, although they were less frequent at 10 °C in A. longirostris and 20 °C in S. leurokolos. The maximum survival periods at these temperatures were 88 days in A. longirostris and 30 days in S. leurokolos. These characteristics may cause differences in the distributional ranges of the two species. The present results indicate that temperature is an important factor controlling life‐history traits of vent shrimps.  相似文献   

20.
Although the body size of consumers may be a determinant factor in structuring food webs, recent evidence indicates that body size may fail to fully explain differences in the resource use patterns of predators in some situations. Here we compared the trophic niche of three sympatric and sexually dimorphic air‐breathing marine predators (the South American sea lion, Otaria flavescens, the South American fur seal, Arctocephalus australis, and the Magellanic penguin, Spheniscus magellanicus) in three areas of the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean (Río de la Plata and adjoining areas, Northern Patagonia and Southern Patagonia), in order to assess the importance of body size and mouth diameter in determining resource partitioning. Body weight and palate/bill breadth were used to characterize the morphology of each sex and species, whereas the trophic niche was assessed through the use of stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen. The quantitative method Stable Isotope Bayesian Ellipses in R (SIBER) was used to compute the area of the Bayesian ellipses and the overlap of the isotopic niches. The results showed that morphological similarity was significantly correlated with isotopic distance between groups within the δ13C–δ15N bi‐plot space in the Río de la Plata area, but not in Northern and Southern Patagonia. Furthermore, resource partitioning between groups changed regionally, and some morphologically distinct groups exhibited a large trophic overlap in certain areas, such as the case of male penguins and male sea lions in Southern Patagonia. Conversely, female sea lions always overlapped with the much larger males of the same species, but never overlapped with the morphologically similar male fur seals. These results indicate that body size and mouth diameter are just two of the factors involved in resource partitioning within the guild of air‐breathing predators considered here, and for whom – under certain environmental conditions – other factors are more important than morphology.  相似文献   

设为首页 | 免责声明 | 关于勤云 | 加入收藏

Copyright©北京勤云科技发展有限公司  京ICP备09084417号