New insight into trophic niche partitioning and diet of mackerel ( Scomber scombrus ) and herring ( Clupea harengus ) in Icelandic waters

Abstract Understanding the competitive interactions of ecological similar species is essential to determine their role and niche in the ecosystem. Using both conventional dietary methods and stable isotope analysis, we examined the feeding ecology, trophic position and possible niche partitioning of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:ICES Journal of Marine Science
Main Authors: Kvaavik, Cecilia, Óskarsson, Gudmundur J, Pétursdóttir, Hildur, Marteinsdóttir, Gudrun, Daníelsdóttir, Anna Kristín
Other Authors: Dolgov, Andrey, Icelandic Centre for Research, Marine and Freshwater Research Institute (MFRI), Matís ohf, and the University of Iceland
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Oxford University Press (OUP) 2021
Subjects:
Ecology
Aquatic Science
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Oceanography
Northeast Atlantic
Copepods
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsaa100
http://academic.oup.com/icesjms/article-pdf/78/4/1485/39829663/fsaa100.pdf
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Summary:Abstract Understanding the competitive interactions of ecological similar species is essential to determine their role and niche in the ecosystem. Using both conventional dietary methods and stable isotope analysis, we examined the feeding ecology, trophic position and possible niche partitioning of Northeast Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus), Icelandic summer spawning (ISS) herring (Clupea harengus), and Norwegian spring spawning (NSS) herring from Icelandic waters during the spring and summer 2012 and 2014. The stomach analysis showed differences in prey preferences among the species during summer, where mackerel diets were almost exclusively calanoid copepods, while herring ate larger zooplankton, i.e. euphausiids and amphipods. Analysis of isotopic diet contribution of mackerel and herring using Bayesian mixing models, representing mainly the spring consumption, revealed that euphausiids were the main dietary contributor of both mackerel and herring. Fish prey were also an important dietary source for ISS herring, and amphipods were important to the diet of NSS herring. In addition, mackerel encompassed a broad isotopic niche, whereas the two herring stocks had narrower and separated niches from each other. The results from this analysis reveal new and holistic information into the diet of these species, which have various ecological implications.

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