Abstract
We describe the diet, feeding strategy, and trophic interactions between the 11 most abundant demersal fish species on the Pacific coast of central Mexico during both the warm and cold seasons. A total of 4,547 stomachs were collected, with 1,921 empty stomachs being discarded. According to the stomach content analysis, 95 prey items were identified and grouped into 70 food categories belonging to crustaceans, mollusks, fish, polychaetes, and echinoderms. The Smith index value and high prey diversity indicated that the 11 fish species exhibited a generalist opportunistic feeding strategy in both survey seasons. Low values of dietary overlap were recorded, and only a few significant cases of dietary overlap were found in the interaction between some rays (Urotrygonidae) and flatfish species (Pleuronectiformes). The availability and abundance of prey resources in the environment and the generalization of niche breadth allows the demersal predator community of the soft shallow bottoms to coexist without any evident competition for trophic resources.
Highlights
We describe the diet, feeding strategy, and trophic interactions between the 11 most abundant demersal fish species on the Pacific coast of central Mexico during both the warm and cold seasons
On the Pacific coast of central Mexico (PCCM), studies on the trophic interactions between demersal fish species are scarce (Pérez-España et al 2005; Aguilar-Palomino and González-Sansón 2010; Flores-Ortega et al 2011, 2013) because research has focused on describing the diet composition of, almost always, one species at a time
The present study is the first to analyze the trophic interactions in a group of 11 species comprising the bulk of abundance and biomass in the community of soft-bottom demersal fish in the PCCM; the study determines trophic niche breadth, the degree of dietary overlap, and the patterns of similarity in the associations of prey making up the diet of the fishes and the seasonal variation of these interactions
Summary
2003), and anthropogenic impacts (e.g., from pollution, changes to and development over the seafloor, and fishing) (Dell et al 2013, Ruiz-Rodríguez et al 2013). Changes in prey availability and abundance and in oceanographic conditions are some of the top factors affecting ecological and trophic interactions between species in marine environments (Rau et al 2019). The evolution of species has been key for adapting to drastic changes in the availability and abundance of trophic resources (Lucena et al 2000, Carrassón and Cartes 2002), the emergence of strategies that prevent species from competing for resources (habitat and food) with other organisms, and these strategies are important in understanding the shared use of resources in soft-bottom habitats (Lucena et al 2000, Moura et al 2008). On the Pacific coast of central Mexico (PCCM), studies on the trophic interactions between demersal fish species are scarce (Pérez-España et al 2005; Aguilar-Palomino and González-Sansón 2010; Flores-Ortega et al 2011, 2013) because research has focused on describing the diet composition of, almost always, one species at a time. The present study is the first to analyze the trophic interactions in a group of 11 species comprising the bulk of abundance and biomass in the community of soft-bottom demersal fish in the PCCM; the study determines trophic niche breadth, the degree of dietary overlap, and the patterns of similarity in the associations of prey making up the diet of the fishes and the seasonal variation of these interactions
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
