Expanded trophic complexity among large sharks

The authors' data confirm that large sharks, including several globally threatened species, feed at markedly higher trophic positions and across a broader trophic range than is currently assumed. This identifies a lower degree of functional equivalence among the assemblage. Such complex trophic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Food webs 2015-09, Vol.4, p.1-7
Main Authors: Hussey, Nigel E., MacNeil, M. Aaron, Siple, Margaret C., Popp, Brian N., Dudley, Sheldon F.J., Fisk, Aaron T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Elasmobranchii
Food webs
Marine
Marine fishes
Oceans
Trophic relationships
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Summary:The authors' data confirm that large sharks, including several globally threatened species, feed at markedly higher trophic positions and across a broader trophic range than is currently assumed. This identifies a lower degree of functional equivalence among the assemblage. Such complex trophic structure among large sharks suggests that cascading effects from species-specific removals in food webs may be weaker but more pervasive than currently assumed. Reassignment of the trophic structure of large marine predators has important consequences for any potential regulatory and stabilizing roles in marine food webs.
ISSN:2352-2496
2352-2496
DOI:10.1016/j.fooweb.2015.04.002