Trophic ecology of three stingrays (Myliobatoidei: Dasyatidae) off the Brazilian north‐eastern coast: Habitat use and resource partitioning

Understanding the ecological role of species with overlapping distributions is central to inform ecosystem management. Here we describe the diet, trophic level and habitat use of three sympatric stingrays, Hypanus guttatus, H. marianae and H. berthalutzae, through combined stomach content and stable...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of fish biology 2023-01, Vol.102 (1), p.27-43
Main Authors: Queiroz, Aristóteles Philippe Nunes, Araújo, Maria Lúcia Góes, Hussey, Nigel E., Lessa, Rosângela P. T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Benthos
Brackishwater environment
Brackishwater organisms
Brazil
Cephalopods
Coexistence
Constraining
Crustacea
Dasyatidae
Decapoda
Diet
Ecology
Ecosystem
Ecosystem management
elasmobranchs
Estuaries
Estuarine environments
Estuarine organisms
feeding ecology
Fishes
Food Chain
Habitat selection
Habitat utilization
Habitats
Hyla berthalutzae
Marine crustaceans
Marine environment
Marine fishes
Mollusks
Niche breadth
Niche overlap
Niches
Nutritional Status
Prey
Redundancy
Resource partitioning
Shellfish
Shrimps
Skates, Fish
Stable isotopes
stingray stomach contents
Stomach content
Sympatric populations
Trophic levels
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Summary:Understanding the ecological role of species with overlapping distributions is central to inform ecosystem management. Here we describe the diet, trophic level and habitat use of three sympatric stingrays, Hypanus guttatus, H. marianae and H. berthalutzae, through combined stomach content and stable isotope (δ13C and δ15N) analyses. Our integrated approach revealed that H. guttatus is a mesopredator that feeds on a diverse diet of benthic and epibenthic marine and estuarine organisms, principally bivalve molluscs, Alpheus shrimp and teleost fishes. Isotopic data supported movement of this species between marine and estuarine environments. H. berthalutzae is also a marine generalist feeder, but feeds primarily on teleost fishes and cephalopods, and consequently occupies a higher trophic level. In contrast, H. marianae is a mesopredator specialized on shrimps and polychaetas occurring only in the marine environment and occupying a low niche breadth. While niche overlap occurred, the three stingrays utilized the same prey resources at different rates and occupied distinct trophic niches, potentially limiting competition for resources and promoting coexistence. These combined data demonstrate that these three mesopredators perform different ecological roles in the ecosystems they occupy, limiting functional redundancy.
ISSN:0022-1112
1095-8649
DOI:10.1111/jfb.15226