Abstract
Most batoids are mesopredators and are often hypothesised to play important ecological roles. However, a comprehensive understanding into these roles remains limited given the paucity of information of their trophic habits. St. Joseph Atoll (\(5.43^{\circ }\hbox { S}\), \(53.35^{\circ }\hbox { E}\)) is a remote ecosystem that hosts a resident assemblage of dasyatids (Pastinachus ater, Urogymnus granulatus, and U. asperrimus). Both stomach contents (SC) and stable isotope samples (SI) (\(\delta ^{15}\hbox {N}\) and \(\delta ^{13}\hbox {C}\)) were collected in 2015 and used to investigate the trophic niches of this dasyatid assemblage and whether these niches differed inter- and intra-specifically. Dasyatid muscle samples as well as baseline samples of potential prey species and primary producers were collected for SI analyses. SC data highlighted significant inter-specific differences in diet, U. granulatus juveniles mostly consumed decapod crustaceans (Callianassidae and Portunidae) and P. ater juveniles mostly consumed bivalve molluscs. The mean species trophic positions for juveniles of all three species ranged from 2.9 to 3.6 when calculated using \(\delta ^{15}\hbox {N}\) and from 3.4 to 3.6 when calculated using stomach content data. Analysis of \(\delta ^{13}\hbox {C}\) showed that all juveniles were reliant upon the same carbon resources (primarily derived from seagrass beds) at the base of the food web. Diet appeared to change with size as larger individuals displayed lower \(\delta ^{13}\hbox {C}\) and higher \(\delta ^{15}\hbox {N}\) compared to smaller juveniles. Additionally, isotope values of the smallest individuals were similar to the largest individuals, suggesting maternal meddling. The identified patterns of inter- and intra-specific trophic niche differentiation may be indicative of competitive effects and contributes to the understanding of mesopredators in community trophic dynamics.
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Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge the Save Our Seas Foundation which provided the funds to carry out this study, as well as the National Research Foundation and South African Institute of Aquatic Biodiversity that provided additional funds. We also thank the staff and volunteers of the Save Our Seas Foundation - D’Arros Research Center (SOSF-DRC) for their assistance in the field and use of facilities and equipment, in particular, R. and C. Daly, K. Bullock, C. Boyes, R. Bennett and E. Moxham. Finally, we are grateful to the staff of the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, in particular A. Hussey, for their expertise and assistance with the stable isotope analyses. We would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers who improved the quality of this manuscript. These methods were approved by the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity Animal Ethics Committee (reference number 2014/12) and by the Ministry of Environment, Energy, and Climate Change, Seychelles.
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This research was supported by a grant obtained from the Save Our Seas Foundation Keystone Grant. The primary author also received a scholarship from the South African National Research Foundation. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. All applicable international, national, and institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. All procedures performed in studies involving animals were in accordance with the ethical standards of the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity Animal Ethics Committee (Reference No. 2014/12) and by the Ministry of Environment, Energy, and Climate Change, Seychelles.
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Elston, C., Cowley, P.D., von Brandis, R.G. et al. Dietary niche differentiation in a mesopredatory dasyatid assemblage. Mar Biol 167, 89 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-020-03695-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-020-03695-w