| Title: |
Seasonal Water-Column Structure Drives the Trophic Niche of Fish Communities on a Temperate Continental Shelf |
| Authors: |
Goutam Kumar Kundu; Changseong Kim; Jaebin Jang; Chung Il Lee; Dongyoung Kim; Weol-Ae Lim; Jung Hwa Choi; Chang-Keun Kang |
| Source: |
Biology ; Volume 13 ; Issue 12 ; Pages: 1041 |
| Publisher Information: |
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |
| Publication Year: |
2024 |
| Collection: |
MDPI Open Access Publishing |
| Subject Terms: |
fish food web; trophic niche; trophic position; benthic–pelagic coupling; Tsushima Warm Current; East China Sea |
| Subject Geographic: |
agris |
| Description: |
In seasonally stratified marine environments, the dynamics of benthic–pelagic coupling plays a crucial role in shaping food web structures and fisheries production. We examined fish food web structures across three distinct shelf areas in the Southern Sea of Korea (SSK) during both stratified (summer) and mixed (spring) water conditions using stable isotopes of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N). In spring, fish communities exhibited a broader range of δ13C values compared with summer, indicating more diverse feeding strategies. Seasonal variations in the proportion of benthic and pelagic prey in consumer diets highlighted shifts in benthic–pelagic coupling, illustrating how consumers adjust their reliance on benthic or pelagic resources. The relative importance of the benthic pathway varied among species groups throughout the year. During stratified conditions, reduced benthic–pelagic coupling led to increased reliance on benthic prey, particularly in the oligotrophic region influenced by the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC). The food web spanned five trophic levels, with a median of 3.6. Several species, notably benthic ones, declined in their trophic positions during the summer stratification. These results suggest that fish food webs in the SSK are shaped by temperature-driven seasonal bottom-up control. Our findings further offer insights into how increased water-column stratification could impact the trophic niches of shelf-food webs in the TWC region. |
| Document Type: |
text |
| File Description: |
application/pdf |
| Language: |
English |
| Relation: |
Ecology; https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/biology13121041 |
| DOI: |
10.3390/biology13121041 |
| Availability: |
https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13121041 |
| Rights: |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.F008D7A |
| Database: |
BASE |