Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Unravelling the ecological role and trophic relationships of uncommon and threatened elasmobranchs in the western Mediterranean Sea

2015; Inter-Research; Volume: 539; Linguagem: Inglês

10.3354/meps11494

1616-1599

Claudio Barría, Marta Coll, Joan Navarro,

Marine and fisheries research

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 539:225-240 (2015) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11494 Unravelling the ecological role and trophic relationships of uncommon and threatened elasmobranchs in the western Mediterranean Sea Claudio Barría1,*, Marta Coll1,2, Joan Navarro1,3 1Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta, 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain 2Institute de Recherche pour le Développent (IRD). UMR MARBEC, Avenue Jean Monnet BP171, 34203 Sète Cedex, France 3Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Avda. Américo Vespucio s/n, Sevilla 41092, Spain *Corresponding author: barria@icm.csic.es ABSTRACT: Deficiencies in basic ecological information on uncommon and endangered elasmobranch fishes impair the assessment of their ecological role in marine ecosystems. In this study, we examined the feeding ecology (diet composition and trophic level) and trophic relationships of 22 elasmobranchs (2 Carcharhiniformes, 1 Hexanchiformes, 1 Lamniformes, 3 Myliobatiformes, 6 Rajiformes, 6 Squaliformes and 3 Torpediniformes) present in the western Mediterranean Sea. To obtain a comprehensive view of the feeding ecology of these species, we combined different approaches: stable isotope analyses (δ13C and δ15N values), stomach content analyses and published sources. Our results revealed differences in feeding strategies among elasmobranch groups: skates (Rajiformes) mainly consume crustaceans; sharks (Carcharhiniformes, Hexanchiformes, Squaliformes and Lamniformes) prefer mixed diets composed of cephalopods, crustaceans and fishes; electric rays (Torpediniformes) feed mostly on fishes; and the diet of stingrays (Myliobatiformes) varies between species. Sharks and electric rays show higher trophic positions than skates, and the former occupy similar positions to other apex predators. Skates are more similar to other mesopredator fishes. These new findings offer essential information on the ecological role of several elasmobranchs in the western Mediterranean Sea and provide useful data for managers for future conservation strategies. KEY WORDS: Mediterranean Sea · Rays · Sharks · Skates · Species at risk · Stable isotopes · Trophic ecology · Trophic level Full text in pdf format Supplementary material PreviousNextCite this article as: Barría C, Coll M, Navarro J (2015) Unravelling the ecological role and trophic relationships of uncommon and threatened elasmobranchs in the western Mediterranean Sea. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 539:225-240. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11494 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 539. Online publication date: November 12, 2015 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2015 Inter-Research.