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Food resource partitioning between three sympatric fish species in Porsangerfjord, Norway

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Abstract

Understanding predator–prey relationships and resource overlap between sympatric species is fundamental for enhanced scientific knowledge and management. This study compared the trophic ecology of three small demersal fishes (Artediellus atlanticus, Myoxocephalus scorpius, and Leptagonus decagonus) using stomach data and stable isotope analyses. All fish were sampled during 2009–2011 from the inner basin of Porsangerfjord (70°N, 25°E) in northern Norway. The dominant prey found in A. atlanticus was polychaetes, while M. scorpius had fed on juvenile fishes and decapods, and L. decagonus had mainly consumed copepods. The trophic positions of the fishes overlapped extensively (A. atlanticus: trophic level (TL) 3.4–4.2; M. scorpius: TL 3.6–4.3; L. decagonus: TL 3.7–4.6). Although the nutritional origin (δ13C) of the prey varied among the fishes, A. atlanticus and M. scorpius were associated with benthic prey (δ13C −18.64 to −17.28 and δ13C −18.67 to −17.04, respectively), whereas L. decagonus was associated with pelagic prey (δ13C −19.95 to −18.74). The combined results of the stomach data and stable isotope analyses further suggested that M. scorpius had a dietary preference for benthic–pelagic prey. Thus, the fish diets were considered to be species specific, and the study indicated that the three species utilize different prey groups within the food web of the Porsangerfjord ecosystem.

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Notes

  1. All northern seas of the former USSR, including Barents Sea, Bering Sea (including the Bering Strait from Anadyr to Norton Sound southward), Chukchi Sea (including Beaufort Sea), Laptev Sea, Kara Sea, White Sea, and Central Arctic Ocean (from south of the Faroes to Iceland).

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Acknowledgments

This project received financial support from the EPIGRAPH program (The Research Council of Norway, project no. 188955). We wish to extend our gratitude to the crew of the R/V Johan Ruud for their great expertise and company while out in the field.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Arctic Marine Biology, UiT, The Arctic University of Norway, Postboks 6050 Langnes, 9037, Tromsø, Norway

    Emma K. Källgren, Torstein Pedersen & Einar M. Nilssen

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  1. Emma K. Källgren
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  2. Torstein Pedersen
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  3. Einar M. Nilssen
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Correspondence to Emma K. Källgren.

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Källgren, E.K., Pedersen, T. & Nilssen, E.M. Food resource partitioning between three sympatric fish species in Porsangerfjord, Norway. Polar Biol 38, 583–589 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-014-1611-x

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