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Partitioning of food resources among three sympatric scorpionfish (Scorpaeniformes) in coastal waters of the northern Yellow Sea

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Abstract

The partitioning of food resources among three abundant co-occurring reef-associated scorpionfish, Hexagrammos agrammus, Hexagrammos otakii and Sebastes schlegelii, was determined on an artificial reef zone in nearshore and offshore coastal waters of northern China, using stomach content and stable isotope analyses (δ13C and δ15N). The three species consumed similar prey items, mainly a variety of crustaceans, teleosts, polychaetes and macroalgae, but the proportions of the items differed among species. The dietary composition of all three scorpionfish differed significantly in nearshore waters, but not between H. otakii and S. schlegelii in offshore waters, where both species fed predominantly on carideans, penaeids and brachyurans. The δ13C values varied significantly among the three scorpionfish in nearshore waters, and tended towards significance (P = 0.053) between H. otakii and S. schlegelii in offshore waters, suggesting that they partition food resources. Bayesian mixing models further confirmed that all scorpionfish were generalist carnivorous and that the main food sources were assimilated in different proportions. In the nearshore waters, resource partitioning occurs among the three scorpionfish, reducing the potential for competition and the feeding ecology implies that they have dietary plasticity, which facilitates their coexistence and maintains local benthic fish community stability.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the support of research grant provided by funds from the national program on key basic research project (973 Program) (2015CB453302) and the public science and technology research funds projects of ocean of China (201405010). We also thank Xiaoqi Zeng, Ying Xue and Dongyan Han for the generous and invaluable guidance in the identification of taxa in the stomach contents. We gratefully appreciate the advice and technique assistance provided by Xingliang He and Lilei Chen from Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology. Members from the lab of marine stock enhancement and conservation, Ocean University of China, are thanked for their help during the fieldwork. The China Scholarship Council provided financial support for ZW to study at Murdoch University to develop this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Key Laboratory of Mariculture, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, People’s Republic of China

    Zhongxin Wu & Xiumei Zhang

  2. Center for Marine Ranching Engineering Science Research of Liaoning, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, People’s Republic of China

    Zhongxin Wu

  3. School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, South Street, Murdoch, WA, 6150, Australia

    Zhongxin Wu, James R. Tweedley & Neil R. Loneragan

  4. Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266072, People’s Republic of China

    Xiumei Zhang

  5. UMR BOREA, CNRS 7208 – MNHN – UPMC – UCBN – IRD 207, Laboratoire d’Excellence « CORAIL » , DYNECAR, Université des Antilles, 97157, Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe

    Charlotte R. Dromard

  6. Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Resources, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, South Street, Murdoch, WA, 6150, Australia

    James R. Tweedley & Neil R. Loneragan

  7. Asia Research Centre, Murdoch University, South Street, Murdoch, WA, 6150, Australia

    Neil R. Loneragan

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  1. Zhongxin Wu
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Wu, Z., Zhang, X., Dromard, C.R. et al. Partitioning of food resources among three sympatric scorpionfish (Scorpaeniformes) in coastal waters of the northern Yellow Sea. Hydrobiologia 826, 331–351 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-018-3747-0

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