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Feeding ecology of three species of Astropecten (Asteroidea) coexisting on shallow sandy bottoms of the northwestern Mediterranean Sea

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Abstract

Predation and competition are important biotic interactions influencing populations and communities in marine soft sediments. Sea stars are ubiquitous predators with diverse diets that play functionally important roles in the benthos. In this study, we examined the diet and the ecological roles of three sympatric species of the genus Astropecten (A. aranciacus, A. irregularis pentacanthus and A. platyacanthus). The study was performed between March 2010 and February 2011 on the Maresme coast (northwestern Mediterranean Sea). Results showed that their main diet consisted on gastropods and bivalves, such as Glycymeris glycymeris, Callista chione, Gibbula guttadauri and Cyclope neritea. Food competition between species was avoided by partition of prey resources. Intraspecific differences in the dietary compositions between seasons were found, but not between size classes. Ontogenetic patterns of prey size consumption were recognized in the three species. A large diet overlap was detected between A. aranciacus and A. platyacanthus in winter, due to changes in prey availability. Nevertheless, the analysis of the infaunal community composition and stomach contents indicated that food selection was not associated with prey availability.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the fisherman Mauricio Pulido for allowing us to board his boat Nautes. We thank Anselmo Peñas and Josep Almera for helping to identify some species of micromolluscs that were found in the stomachs of the sea stars. We also thank Dr. Francesc Maynou for his statistical advice and Carlota Curriu and Dr. Eva Galimany for their constructive comments. Finally, we greatly appreciate the helpful comments of the three anonymous referees that evaluated the present work.

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  1. Institut de Ciències del Mar (CSIC), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta, 37-49, 08003, Barcelona, Spain

    Marc Baeta & Montserrat Ramón

  2. IEO-Centre Oceanogràfic de les Balears, Moll de Ponent s/n, 07015, Palma, Spain

    Montserrat Ramón

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  1. Marc Baeta
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Correspondence to Montserrat Ramón.

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Communicated by F. Bulleri.

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Baeta, M., Ramón, M. Feeding ecology of three species of Astropecten (Asteroidea) coexisting on shallow sandy bottoms of the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. Mar Biol 160, 2781–2795 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-013-2270-0

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