Akademska digitalna zbirka SLovenije - logo
ALL libraries (COBIB.SI union bibliographic/catalogue database)
  • Feeding ecology and trophic segregation of two sympatric mesopredatory sharks in the heavily exploited coastal ecosystem of the Adriatic Sea
    Gračan, Romana ...
    The ecological roles and trophic interactions of two commercially important mesopredatory shark species, Squalus acanthias and Mustelus punctulatus that co-occur on the continental shelf of the ... north-central Adriatic Sea were investigated. Both shark species are dietary specialists, with a significant dietary overlap recorded only during the spring season. They showed different patterns of feeding as they grew: S. acanthias extended its trophic niche with an increase in size, while M. punctulatus developed a more specialized diet. These two sharks partition food resources and reduce niche overlap by foraging at different trophic levels. Mustelus punctulatus is a crustacean feeder, specialized in foraging on scavenging malacostracans frequently found along trawl tracks or on discards in the Adriatic fishing zone. Conversely, S. acanthias prefers small pelagic fishes, which are commercially exploited and in decline. The different foraging strategies adopted by these two species suggest that they should be managed separately. Dietary specialization, direct competition with humans for prey and their higher intrinsic vulnerability make S. acanthias particularly susceptible to the effects of anthropogenic perturbations.
    Source: Journal of fish biology. - ISSN 0022-1112 (Vol. 90, iss. 1, 2017, str. 167-184)
    Type of material - article, component part ; adult, serious
    Publish date - 2017
    Language - english
    COBISS.SI-ID - 17946457

source: Journal of fish biology. - ISSN 0022-1112 (Vol. 90, iss. 1, 2017, str. 167-184)
loading ...
loading ...
loading ...