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Web End = Helgol Mar Res (2015) 69:385399 DOI 10.1007/s10152-015-0444-5
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Web End = Trophic niche partitioning of littoral sh species from the rocky intertidal of Helgoland, Germany
N. N. Hielscher1,2 A. M. Malzahn3 R. Diekmann4 N. Aberle1
Received: 30 January 2015 / Revised: 1 October 2015 / Accepted: 15 October 2015 / Published online: 27 October 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg and AWI 2015
Abstract During a 3-year eld study, interspecic and interannual differences in the trophic ecology of littoral sh species were investigated in the rocky intertidal of Helgoland island (North Sea). We investigated trophic niche partitioning of common coexisting littoral sh species based on a multi-tracer approach using stable isotope and fatty acids in order to show differences and similarities in resource use and feeding modes. The results of the dual-tracer approach showed clear trophic niche partitioning of the ve target sh species, the goldsinny wrasse Ctenolabrus rupestris, the sand goby Pomatoschistus minutus, the painted goby Pomatoschistus pictus, the short-spined sea scorpion Myoxocephalus scorpius and the long-spined sea scorpion Taurulus bubalis. Both stable isotopes and fatty acids showed distinct differences in the trophic ecology of the studied sh species. However, the combined use of the two techniques added an additional resolution on the interannual scale. The sand goby P. minutus showed the largest trophic plasticity with a pronounced variability between years. The present data analysis provides valuable information on trophic niche partitioning of sh species in
the littoral zones of Helgoland and on complex benthic food webs in general.
Keywords Fatty acids Stable isotopes Ctenolabrus
rupestris Pomatoschistus minutus Pomatoschistus
pictus Myoxocephalus scorpius Taurulus bubalis
Trophic ecology Feeding ecology
Introduction
Understanding the trophic interactions in complex and diverse marine ecosystems is a signicant challenge. In order to obtain a profound knowledge on complex ecosystems, it is important to address trophodynamic interactions and to account for trophic niche partitioning of coexisting species in individual systems.
While stable carbon isotopes (13C/12C) provide a measure of the carbon sources used by consumers, nitrogen isotopes (15N/14N) serve as an indicator of the relative...