Trophic ecology of small deepwater lanternsharks (Etmopterus spinax and Etmopterus pusillus) from the south Portuguese coast
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1
PhD Student, CCMAR—Centre of Marine Sciences, Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal, Portugal
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2
University of Southampton, Ocean and Earth Science, United Kingdom
In order to understand dynamics of marine food webs it is important to test relevant hypotheses on predator–prey interactions by studying basic biological data. The knowledge on functional ecology of top predators is crucial to perceive their ecological role, particularly in the context of changes in communities under human-induced pressures.
Lanternsharks are commonly caught as bycatch from crustacean bottom trawl fishing in the southern Portuguese coast; studying feeding habits of these species is essential to reach a better knowledge on their behaviour and trophic ecology.
Feeding habits of two small deepwater lanternsharks, Etmopterus spinax (Linnaeus, 1758) and Etmopterus pusillus (Lowe, 1839), was investigated.
The stomach contents of 173 E. spinax and 58 E. pusillus individuals were analysed. Results indicated some degree of trophic overlap in the diet of these two deepwater sharks, both showing low diversity, richness and evenness of prey species in their stomach contents. Etmopterus spinax has a preference for crustaceans (mainly decapods), followed by teleost fishes and cephalopods as accessory prey, while fish, crustaceans and cephalopods constituted the main food items of E. pusillus. No significant differences were found between sexes for both species, but our results suggest ontogenetic and seasonal changes in E. pusillus diet; both species shared the same trophic level (TL = 3.8 for E. spinax and TL = 4.1 for E. pusillus).
Our work is a valid contribution for the evaluation of the trophic relationships of two deepwater shark species from the Portuguese south coast and a common component of the crustacean trawl fishery in the region. Studying their biology and gathering information about their suitable habitats may be an important step towards the conservation of highly vulnerable species.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank to Isidoro Costa, Pedro Monteiro, Carlos Afonso, Luís Bentes and Frederico Oliveira for helping during lab work. R. P. Vieira is supported by the doctoral grant from the Portuguese Science Foundation (SFRH/BD/84030/2012).
Keywords:
Lanternshark,
trophic ecology,
Crustacean fisheries,
South Portugal,
deep sea
Conference:
IMMR | International Meeting on Marine Research 2016, Peniche, Portugal, 14 Jul - 15 Jul, 2016.
Presentation Type:
Poster presentation
Topic:
Fisheries and Management
Citation:
Nuño-Muñoz
L,
Vieira
RP,
Costa
ME and
Gonçalves
JM
(2016). Trophic ecology of small deepwater lanternsharks (Etmopterus spinax and Etmopterus pusillus) from the south Portuguese coast.
Front. Mar. Sci.
Conference Abstract:
IMMR | International Meeting on Marine Research 2016.
doi: 10.3389/conf.FMARS.2016.04.00023
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Received:
04 Jun 2016;
Published Online:
13 Jul 2016.
*
Correspondence:
Miss. Laura Nuño-Muñoz, PhD Student, CCMAR—Centre of Marine Sciences, Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal, Faro, Portugal, arualnm7@gmail.com
Mr. Rui P Vieira, PhD Student, CCMAR—Centre of Marine Sciences, Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal, Faro, Portugal, rui.vieira@cefas.co.uk
PhD. Maria E Costa, PhD Student, CCMAR—Centre of Marine Sciences, Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal, Faro, Portugal, esmeraldacosta@sapo.pt
Dr. Jorge M Gonçalves, PhD Student, CCMAR—Centre of Marine Sciences, Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal, Faro, Portugal, jgoncal@ualg.pt