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Using fatty acid analysis to elucidate the feeding habits of Southern Ocean mesopelagic fish

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Abstract

Fatty acid biomarkers were used to investigate the feeding ecology of 17 mesopelagic fish species occurring in the Southern Ocean. Fatty acid signatures of species where little or no dietary information exists were compared to fatty acid signatures of species of known diets in order to elucidate their trophic position. Principal component analysis grouped species of known diets into two clusters with amphipods and copepods comprising the main prey species, respectively. Although the majority of species of unknown diet were grouped with either of these feeding guilds, a third cluster comprising only Gymnoscopelus bolini was identified suggesting a significantly different diet for this species. Electrona antarctica also exhibited significant changes in fatty acid signatures with size. Furthermore, discriminant analysis of the four most abundant species classified species with a 90% success rate thus validating the usefulness of fatty acid signatures when trying to resolve the trophic position of species where no or little dietary information exists.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the captain, crew and scientists on board RRS James Clark Ross during cruise JR 100 and on FPV Dorada during the South Georgia Groundfish Survey 2003 (funded by the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands). Thanks also to Peter Rothery for advice on statistical analysis and Dr. Claire Waluda for creating the map in Fig. 1. This is a contribution to the Discovery 2010 Programme at the British Antarctic Survey.

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  1. British Antarctic Survey, NERC, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB30ET, UK

    Gabriele Stowasser, David W. Pond & Martin A. Collins

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  1. Gabriele Stowasser
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  2. David W. Pond
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  3. Martin A. Collins
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Correspondence to Gabriele Stowasser.

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Communicated by M. A. Peck.

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Stowasser, G., Pond, D.W. & Collins, M.A. Using fatty acid analysis to elucidate the feeding habits of Southern Ocean mesopelagic fish. Mar Biol 156, 2289–2302 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-009-1256-4

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