Trophic ecology of fishes associated with artificial reefs assessed using multiple biomarkers

Understanding trophic relationships within artificial reef communities, especially those of the most numerically abundant fish, provides value to ecologists and managers looking to prioritize healthy food webs. Here we elucidate the trophic interactions of three common fish species on high relief (&...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Hydrobiologia Vol. 848; no. 18; pp. 4347 - 4362
Main Authors: Plumlee, Jeffrey D., Hala, David N., Rooker, Jay R., Shipley, J. Brooke, Wells, R. J. David
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.10.2021
Springer
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:
Analysis
Artificial reefs
Biological markers
Biomarkers
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Congeners
Ecologists
Ecology
Fatty acids
Fish
Fishes
Food chains
Food webs
forage
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Gulf of Mexico
Haemulon
Haemulon aurolineatum
healthy diet
Isotopes
Life Sciences
Liver
Lutjanus campechanus
Marine fishes
muscle tissues
Muscles
Orthopristis chrysoptera
Primary Research Paper
Species
Stable isotopes
Tissue
Trophic levels
Trophic relationships
Zoology
Gulf of Mexico
Food webs
Artificial reefs
Essential fatty acids
Red snapper
Stable isotopes
ISSN:0018-8158, 1573-5117
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Summary:Understanding trophic relationships within artificial reef communities, especially those of the most numerically abundant fish, provides value to ecologists and managers looking to prioritize healthy food webs. Here we elucidate the trophic interactions of three common fish species on high relief (> 5 m) and low relief (< 5 m) artificial reefs in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. Biomarkers including stable isotopes, (δ 13 C, δ 15 N, and δ 34 S), and essential fatty acids (18:2n-6, 18:3n-3, 18:4n-3, 20:4n-6, 20:5n-3, 22:5n3, and 22:6n-3) were analyzed within muscle and liver tissue. Species-specific comparisons among tomtate ( Haemulon aurolineatum ), pigfish ( Orthopristis chrysoptera ), and red snapper ( Lutjanus campechanus ), revealed differences in biomarkers within muscle tissue (long-term) namely δ 13 C, δ 15 N, δ 34 S, EPA (20:5n-3), and DHA (22:6n-3). However, using liver tissue (short-term) significant differences existed among a fewer number of biomarkers (δ 15 N, δ 34 S, and EPA) among the three species, indicating increasing trophic similarity. Red snapper collected from low relief reefs had higher δ 15 N values than those on high relief reefs which may be due to higher forage trophic level due to the lack of co-occurring congeners. This study highlights the importance of inter-specific food web observations that aid in the interpretation of the complex trophic relationships occurring on artificial reefs.
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ISSN:0018-8158
1573-5117
DOI:10.1007/s10750-021-04647-1