Niiranen, Susa and Orio, Alessandro and Bartolino, Valerio and Bergström, Ulf and Kallasvuo, Meri and Neuenfeldt, Stefan and Ustups, Didzis and Casini, Michele
(2019).
Predator-prey size relationships of cod in a low diversity marine system.
Marine Ecology Progress Series. 627
, 201-206
[Research article]
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Abstract
How predators select their prey largely defines ecosystem trophic structure, function and dynamics. In aquatic systems, organism body size is an important trait explaining predator− prey interactions. Here, we used a unique Atlantic cod Gadus morhua stomach content dataset with diet information from over 100 000 individuals collected from the Baltic Sea in 1963−2014, to explore prey size distribution and predator−prey mass ratios in the diet of Eastern Baltic cod. Maximum and average prey sizes increased with predator size, as for cod in other systems. However, the prey size spectra found in Eastern Baltic cod stomachs reflect the low species diversity in the Baltic Sea. In general, Eastern Baltic cod feed on smaller prey in relation to their body size than other cod populations. Due to the truncated prey size distribution in the Baltic Sea, cod cannibalism functions as a compensatory mechanism that allows Baltic cod to reach their prey size potential. On the other hand, small- and intermediate-sized cod prey mainly on a few invertebrate prey species, potentially making them vulnerable to changes in these prey populations. Our results encourage further studies disentangling the relative effects of prey preference and prey availability on cod trophodynamics in species-poor systems such as the Baltic Sea.
Authors/Creators: | Niiranen, Susa and Orio, Alessandro and Bartolino, Valerio and Bergström, Ulf and Kallasvuo, Meri and Neuenfeldt, Stefan and Ustups, Didzis and Casini, Michele | ||||
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Title: | Predator-prey size relationships of cod in a low diversity marine system | ||||
Series Name/Journal: | Marine Ecology Progress Series | ||||
Year of publishing : | 2019 | ||||
Volume: | 627 | ||||
Page range: | 201-206 | ||||
Number of Pages: | 6 | ||||
Publisher: | Inter-Research | ||||
Associated Programs and Other Stakeholders: | SLU - Environmental assessment > Programme Biodiversity SLU - Environmental assessment > Programme Coastal and sea areas | ||||
ISSN: | 0171-8630 | ||||
Language: | English | ||||
Publication Type: | Research article | ||||
Refereed: | Yes | ||||
Article category: | Scientific peer reviewed | ||||
Version: | Published version | ||||
Copyright: | Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 | ||||
Full Text Status: | Public | ||||
Subjects: | (A) Swedish standard research categories 2011 > 1 Natural sciences > 106 Biological Sciences (Medical to be 3 and Agricultural to be 4) > Ecology (A) Swedish standard research categories 2011 > 4 Agricultural Sciences > 401 Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries > Fish and Aquacultural Science | ||||
Keywords: | Diet, Body size, Predator−prey mass ratio, Gadus morhua, Baltic Sea, Stomach content data | ||||
URN:NBN: | urn:nbn:se:slu:epsilon-p-103277 | ||||
Permanent URL: | http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:slu:epsilon-p-103277 | ||||
Additional ID: |
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ID Code: | 16536 | ||||
Faculty: | NJ - Fakulteten för naturresurser och jordbruksvetenskap | ||||
Department: | (NL, NJ) > Department of Aquatic Resources | ||||
Deposited By: | SLUpub Connector | ||||
Deposited On: | 06 Feb 2020 09:20 | ||||
Metadata Last Modified: | 06 Feb 2020 09:20 |
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