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Food web structure of a subtropical coastal lagoon

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Abstract

The food webs of a coastal lagoon ecosystem in the southeastern Gulf of California were investigated through the use of stomach contents analyses and carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotopes of fish and macroinvertebrates. Food sources and species representative of primary producers and primary-to-tertiary consumers were examined. Macroinvertebrates (47.5%) and fish (45%) assemblages represented over 90% of the total biomass. The most representative groups were fish (45%), crustaceans (24%), mollusks (16%), and echinoderms (8.5%). Based on the results from stomach content analysis, stable isotope analysis, and mixing models using Bayesian statistics, the estuarine food web was reconstructed from food chain bases to tertiary consumers, including the most representative species in the ecosystem. Four food webs were identified according to the primary producers, and five trophic levels were identified. However, in the higher trophic levels, these food webs are indistinguishable due to the high degree of omnivory and the complexity of the system which allows the predation in different environments.

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Acknowledgements

A.N. Rojas prepared the samples for isotopic analysis. Financial support was provided by the projects PAPIIT-UNAM IN217408 and IN215206. V. M. Muro-Torres and J. Quintero thank CONACYT for the Ph.D. grant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Conacyt-Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, La Paz, BCS, Mexico

    V. M. Muro-Torres

  2. Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Joel Montes Camarena s/n, 82040, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico

    M. F. Soto-Jiménez & F. Amezcua

  3. International Master in Marine Biological Resources, Ghent University, Campus De Sterre, S8, Krijgslaan 281, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    L. Green

  4. Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Posgrado en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Circuito Exterior s/n Ciudad Universitaria, C.P. 04510, México D.F., Mexico

    J. Quintero

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  1. V. M. Muro-Torres
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  5. F. Amezcua
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Correspondence to F. Amezcua.

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Muro-Torres, V.M., Soto-Jiménez, M.F., Green, L. et al. Food web structure of a subtropical coastal lagoon. Aquat Ecol 53, 407–430 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10452-019-09698-0

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