ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Marine Biology
Manta Munchies: Plankton dynamics and feeding behaviour of reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) around D'Arros Island in the Seychelles
Provisionally accepted
- 1University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
- 2Save Our Seas Foundation D'Arros Research Centre, Amirantes, Seychelles
- 3University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom
- 4The Manta Trust, Dorchester, United Kingdom
- 5James Cook University, Townsville City, Australia
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The reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi) is a threatened filter-feeding elasmobranch that requires immediate management and protection across large parts of its range. Despite being well-studied, a detailed understanding of their feeding ecology, which shapes their residency, movement patterns, and behaviour, remains underexplored. Both global and site-specific research is required to fill significant knowledge gaps essential for designing effective conservation strategies for this species and their habitats. This study investigated M. alfredi feeding behaviour in relation to plankton biomass dynamics at D'Arros Island in the Seychelles, the largest known M. alfredi aggregation site in the country and a gazetted marine protected area. Plankton samples were collected, along with corresponding environmental data, during M. alfredi feeding and non-feeding behaviour. Statistical modelling revealed that surface feeding occurred predominantly during periods of higher plankton biomass, with a critical prey density threshold of 26.9 mg/m³, which had a significant relationship with tidal phase. Additionally, there were no significant differences in feeding behaviour and plankton biomass across seasons, which demonstrates the year-round value of D'Arros Island to this species. These findings provide new insights into the feeding ecology of M. alfredi in the Seychelles and support future conservation and management initiatives for this threatened species.
Keywords: conservation6, elasmobranch7, foraging ecology1, manta ray3, marine protected area4, planktivores2, threatenedspecies5, zooplankton8
Received: 11 Jun 2025; Accepted: 15 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Pouponeau, Harris, Grimmel, Moulinié and Bullock. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Dillys K Pouponeau
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