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The Trophic Relationships of Sympatric Fish Species of the Genera Opisthocentrus and Pholidapus (Perciformes: Opisthocentridae) in the Sea of Japan

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Abstract

Trophic relationships of four sympatric fish species of the family Opisthocentridae (Perciformes), that is, Opisthocentrus ocellatus, O. tenuis, O. zonope, and Pholidapus dybowskii, were studied by analyzing their stomach contents and signatures of stable nitrogen and carbon isotopes (δ15N and δ13C) in soft tissues. The mean carbon isotope signature values ranged from –20.04 ± 0.95 to –15.44 ± 0.98, which indicated a wide range of primary carbon sources. The highest nitrogen isotope signature values (10.71 ± 0.55) and the maximum isotope niche width were recorded for Ph. dybowskii. Amphipods are the major food item of all the fish species under study, which was confirmed by a significant overlap of their isotope niches. The partitioning of trophic niches is explained by the selective consumption of prey crustaceans that are specific to each of the fish species and also by the use of aquatic invertebrates from different taxonomic groups as an additional food supply. The Schoener’s similarity index, calculated on the basis of relative abundances of food items identified to species, showed no competitive relationships between all of the fish species under study. The values of the index between the most phylogenetically close species O. ocellatus and O. tenuis were at a minimum.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We are cordially grateful to E.N. Selivanova, O.A. Khlistun, M.A. Zenina, A.V. Chernyshev, T.V. Chernova, and O.A. Golovan’ for their help in identification of components of fish stomach contents. We also thank the anonymous reviewers for their useful comments made during our work on the manuscript. We gratefully commemorate Dr. V.A. Kudryashov who provided us with irreplaceable help in the past.

Funding

The study was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, project no. FZNS-2021-0011.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology of Aquatic Organisms, Institute of the World Ocean, Far Eastern Federal University, 690922, Vladivostok, Russia

    O. A. Rutenko

  2. Department of Biodiversity and Marine Bioresources, Institute of the World Ocean, Far Eastern Federal University, 690922, Vladivostok, Russia

    O. A. Rutenko, V. N. Ivankov & N. A. Nekrasova

  3. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 690041, Vladivostok, Russia

    O. A. Rutenko & S. I. Kiyashko

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  1. O. A. Rutenko
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Translated by E. Shvetsov

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Rutenko, O.A., Ivankov, V.N., Kiyashko, S.I. et al. The Trophic Relationships of Sympatric Fish Species of the Genera Opisthocentrus and Pholidapus (Perciformes: Opisthocentridae) in the Sea of Japan. Russ J Mar Biol 48, 149–157 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1063074022030075

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