Stomach content and parasite characteristics of M. scorpius from Frobisher Bay, Baffin Island ...

• Main Authors: Dick, Terry A, Chambers, Carl, Gallagher, Colin P
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2009
• Subjects: International Polar Year 2007-2008 IPY; Baffin Island; Baffin; Frobisher Bay; International Polar Year; IPY
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.808279; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.808279

Shorthorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus scorpius) from Frobisher Bay, Baffin Island, is a slow growing long-lived species. A wide range of diet items were present in the stomachs of the shorthorn sculpins sampled but 2-3 diet items (amphipod species) comprised 99.5 % of total food consumed. These amphipods were present in the stomachs in similar proportions among all age classes of shorthorn sculpin. Several new host records for parasites were reported and mean numbers of parasite species increased with shorthorn sculpin age. The increased diversity of parasite species and higher d15N values in older/larger individuals suggest that their diets were more diverse and the prey items consumed had higher d15N values. By contrast, the value of d13C in dominant diet items masked the d13C values of minor diet items. We conclude that parasites and stable isotope values provide complementary data on feeding patterns of the shorthorn sculpin. The ubiquitous marine acanthocephalan, Echinorhynchus gadi, was found at high ... : Data extracted in the frame of a joint ICSTI/PANGAEA IPY effort, see http://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.150150 ...