文章基本信息

标题：Mouth gape determines the response of marine top predators to long-term fishery-induced changes in food web structure
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作者：Massimiliano Drago ; Valentina Franco-Trecu ; Angel M. Segura 等
期刊名称：Scientific Reports
电子版ISSN：2045-2322
出版年度：2018
卷号：8
期号：1
页码：15759
DOI：10.1038/s41598-018-34100-8
语种：English
出版社：Springer Nature
摘要：Here, we analyse changes throughout time in the isotopic niche of the Franciscana dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei), the South American fur seal (Arctocephalus australis) and the South American sea lion (Otaria flavescens) from the Río de la Plata estuary and adjacent Atlantic Ocean to test the hypothesis that fishing may modify the diet of small-gape predators by reducing the average size of prey. The overall evidence, from stable isotope and stomach contents analyses, reveals major changes in resource partitioning between the three predators considered, mainly because of an increased access of Franciscana dolphins to juvenile demersal fishes. These results are consistent with the changes in the length distribution of demersal fish species resulting from fishing and suggest that Franciscana dolphin has been the most benefited species of the three marine mammal species considered because of its intermediate mouth gape. In conclusion, the impact of fishing on marine mammals goes beyond the simple reduction in prey biomass and is highly dependent on the mouth gape of the species involved.