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Feeding Strategies and Trophic Niche Divergence of Three Groups of Dosidicus gigas off Peru: Based on Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopes and Morphology of Feeding Apparatuses

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Abstract

Dosidicus gigas (D. gigas) is a pelagic cephalopod of ecological and economic importance widely distributed in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Generally, small-, medium-, and large-sized groups of the squids have been respectively identified on the basis of the mantle length (ML) of adults. Intraspecific feeding variability maximizes the utilization of available food resources by D. gigas. However, the coexistence mechanism of three groups has not been fully understood yet. In our study, based on the analyses of beak morphology and stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes, the feeding strategies and coexistence patterns of large-, medium-, and small-sized groups of D. gigas were investigated. D. gigas had a wide range of 13C/12C (δ13C) and 15N/14N (δ15N) values in muscle tissue, variable feeding behaviors, and wide food sources. The δ13C or δ15N values showed no significant difference between the small- and medium-sized groups, which shared the same habitats and fed on preys with the similar trophic level. Compared to small- and medium-sized groups, the large-sized group had a smaller range of habitats and consumed more nearshore foods. Both isotopes and feeding apparatus morphology indicated a high degree of niche overlap between the small- and medium-sized groups, whereas the large-sized group differed significantly from other groups. In addition, the niche width of the female was larger than that of the male in all three groups. We inferred that the sex differences in body length and reproductive behavior led to the difference in niche width. The isotopic niche overlap between female and male samples was the most significant in large-sized group and the least significant in the small-sized group, indicating that different feeding strategies were adopted by the three groups. These findings proved that the three groups of D. gigas off Peruvian waters adopted a feeding strategy with inter- and intra-group regulation. This feeding strategy maximizes the use of food and habitat resources and ensures that different size groups can coexist in the same waters.

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Data Availability

The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program (2019YFD0901404), the Postdoctoral Innovative Talent Support Program (BX20200238), and the Shanghai Science and Technology Innovation Action Plan (10DZ1207500).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Marine Sciences, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China

    Zhenfang Zhao, Guanyu Hu, Zhou Fang, Jinhui Li, Bilin Liu & Xinjun Chen

  2. Key Laboratory of Sustainable Exploitation of Oceanic Fisheries Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China

    Guanyu Hu, Zhou Fang, Bilin Liu & Xinjun Chen

  3. National Engineering Research Center for Oceanic Fisheries, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China

    Guanyu Hu, Zhou Fang, Bilin Liu & Xinjun Chen

  4. Key Laboratory of Ocean Fisheries Exploitation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai, 201306, China

    Guanyu Hu, Zhou Fang, Bilin Liu & Xinjun Chen

  5. Scientific Observing and Experimental Station of Oceanic Fishery Resources, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai, 201306, China

    Guanyu Hu, Zhou Fang, Bilin Liu & Xinjun Chen

Authors
  1. Zhenfang Zhao
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  2. Guanyu Hu
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  3. Zhou Fang
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  4. Jinhui Li
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  5. Bilin Liu
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  6. Xinjun Chen
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Contributions

Zhenfang Zhao, Guanyu Hu, and Xinjun Chen conceived and designed the experiments. Xinjun Chen and Bilin Liu provided the tissue samples. Zhenfang Zhao performed the experiments and analyzed the data with the help of Guanyu Hu and Jinhui Li. Zhenfang Zhao wrote the manuscript with the advice of Guanyu Hu, Xinjun Chen, and Zhou Fang. All authors contributed to the manuscript revision and approved the submitted version.

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Correspondence to Guanyu Hu or Bilin Liu.

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The animal study was reviewed and approved by Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Shanghai Ocean University (approval code 2022031501, approved on 2022.3.15).

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Zhao, Z., Hu, G., Fang, Z. et al. Feeding Strategies and Trophic Niche Divergence of Three Groups of Dosidicus gigas off Peru: Based on Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopes and Morphology of Feeding Apparatuses. Mar Biotechnol 25, 328–339 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10126-023-10207-6

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