Title
Geographic and ontogenetic variation in the diet of two commonly exploited batoids (Chilean eagle ray and Pacific guitarfish) off Peru: evidence of trophic plasticity
Date Issued
01 December 2021
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Silva-Garay L.
Mayaute L.
Manrique M.
Segura-Cobeña E.
Moscoso V.
Mangel J.C.
Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción
Publisher(s)
Springer Science and Business Media B.V.
Abstract
This study provides information about the diet across geographic areas and throughout ontogeny and sex of two coastal and commercial batoid species in Peru (Chilean eagle ray Myliobatis chilensis and Pacific guitarfish Pseudobatos planiceps). Data was collected in the central coast (13°30′S to 14°30′S; Pisco district, Lima) and in the northern coast (13°12′S to 13°49′S; San Jose district, Lambayeque) off Peru during the second semester of the years 2015 and 2016 (i.e., winter and spring) in an El Niño event. A total of 357 stomach contents were analyzed in northern and central Peru with different oceanographic and ecological conditions. In the central coast, M. chilensis showed a high trophic position (tertiary consumer) due to its high consumption of Peruvian anchoveta (Engraulis ringens), while P. planiceps had a lower trophic position (secondary consumer) and a less specialized diet of benthic invertebrates (i.e., crustaceans and mollusks) and pelagic fish (e.g., E. ringens). In the northern coast, both species preyed mainly upon benthic invertebrates and to a lesser degree on fish; therefore, their trophic position was lower. Dietary variation was influenced by species, geographic location, and ontogeny. The diet variability between geographic locations shows insights of these batoids’ trophic plasticity and opportunistic feeding behavior in response to differences in the local prey availability, an effect that may be amplified during the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The spatial variation in this species diet may indicate that they play different ecological roles in distinct environments. This study contributes to the scarce literature about batoids’ ecology in the southeast Pacific Ocean and presents novel information on habitat-specific diet composition.
Start page
1525
End page
1540
Volume
104
Issue
12
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Biología marina, Biología de agua dulce, Limnología
Conservación de la Biodiversidad
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85119270720
Source
Environmental Biology of Fishes
ISSN of the container
03781909
Sponsor(s)
We thank the Pisco Coastal Laboratory of IMARPE and Universidad Cientifica del Sur for facilitating the laboratories to examine the collected samples. We extend our gratitude to the Pisco and San Jose fishermen for allowing access to their catches. We thank Fabian Brondi for the support in creating the maps, and Victor Moscoso for his contribution on identifying crustacean species.
The research leading to these results received funding from Fondo para la Innovación, la Ciencia y la Tecnologia under Grant Agreement No PIBA-369-2014.
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus