Marine Science Faculty Publications
Partitioning of Food Resources in Bathypelagic Micronekton in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-28-2010
Keywords
Bathypelagic zone, Micronekton, Diet, Niche, Resource partitioning
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08365
Abstract
A mid-water trawl survey conducted between depths of 1000 and 3000 m in the eastern Gulf of Mexico found 54% of the organisms collected were gonostomatid fishes. Lophogastrids within the family Eucopiidae were also common (17.3%), as were decapod shrimps within the families Oplophoridae and Benthesicymidae (9.9 and 7.1% respectively). We examined the gut contents of 14 prominent species from this assemblage to determine if available food resources were partitioned. Cluster analysis of stomach contents resulted in 4 clusters based on taxonomic composition and 3 based on prey size. Bristlemouth fishes (Gonostomatidae) of the genus Cyclothone and lophogastrids of the genus Eucopia were planktivorous, consuming smaller prey items such as copepods and ostracods. Decapods within the family Oplophoridae tended to be piscivorous and consumed relatively large prey. Dendrobranchiate shrimps appeared to regularly consume detrital material, although the contribution of such material to the overall diet could not be quantified. The hatchetfish Sternoptyx pseudobscura had a large proportion of shallow-living taxa in its diet despite being non-migratory. Many of the bathypelagic species were found to be more piscivorous than mesopelagic counterparts within the same family or genus. Dietary overlap in both prey size and taxonomic composition was rare, occurring only 16.5% of the time. The most prevalent pattern (similar to 50% of species pairings) was overlap in neither diet category, suggesting the species partitioned food resources.
Was this content written or created while at USF?
Yes
Citation / Publisher Attribution
Marine Ecology Progress Series, v. 399, p. 131-140
Scholar Commons Citation
Burghart, Scott E.; Hopkins, Thomas L.; and Torres, Joseph J., "Partitioning of Food Resources in Bathypelagic Micronekton in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico" (2010). Marine Science Faculty Publications. 169.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/169
