Utilizing DNA metabarcoding to characterize the diet of marine-phase Arctic lamprey (Lethenteron camtschaticum) in the eastern Bering Sea
To understand the marine feeding ecology of Arctic lamprey (Lethenteron camtschaticum) in the eastern Bering Sea, visual observations and DNA metabarcoding of gut contents (N = 250) were used to characterize Arctic lamprey diet composition in 2014 and 2015. Differences among individual diets were ev...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | unknown |
| Published: |
NRC Research Press (a division of Canadian Science Publishing)
2019
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1807/95730 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/cjfas-2018-0299 |
| Summary: | To understand the marine feeding ecology of Arctic lamprey (Lethenteron camtschaticum) in the eastern Bering Sea, visual observations and DNA metabarcoding of gut contents (N = 250) were used to characterize Arctic lamprey diet composition in 2014 and 2015. Differences among individual diets were evaluated by collection year, capture site, and fish size. Hard structures and tissues were observed during visual examinations of gut contents, and 10 ray-finned fish taxa were identified by DNA metabarcoding. The most frequent taxa included capelin (Mallotus villosus), Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii), Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus), and gadids. Six taxa were reported for the first time as prey for Arctic lamprey. Individual diets differed between collection years, among capture sites, and among size classes; however, both collection year and size explained only a small portion of diet variability (R2 = 0.01 and 0.04, respectively) relative to station site (R2 = 0.49). These study results indicate that Arctic lamprey are flesh-feeding species, and highlighted the value of DNA metabarcoding to characterize the diet of a poorly understood lamprey species. The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author. |
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