TY - JOUR
T1 - Ecological niche partitioning within a large predator guild in a nutrient-limited estuary
AU - Matich, Philip
AU - Ault, Jerald S.
AU - Boucek, Ross E.
AU - Bryan, David R.
AU - Gastrich, Kirk R.
AU - Harvey, Christine L.
AU - Heithaus, Michael R.
AU - Kiszka, Jeremy J.
AU - Paz, Valeria
AU - Rehage, Jennifer S.
AU - Rosenblatt, Adam E.
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding for this project was provided by the National Science Foundation to the Florida Coastal Everglades LTER Program (DBI0620409, DEB9910514, DRL0959026), Tarpon and Bonefish Research Center, and Florida International University's Marine Sciences Program. National Science Foundation Grant No. EAR-1204752. We thank the many volunteers who assisted with all aspects of field work. Thanks to Andrew Fritz for developing software for managing movement data and providing analytical support. Thanks also to Joel Trexler for providing logistical and analytical support for this project. Thank you to Chris Schalk for reviewing the manuscript. Research was approved by and conducted under the protocols of Florida International University's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, and in accordance with sampling permits EVER-2014-SCI-0056, EVER-2013-SCI-0020, EVER-2013-SCI-0064, EVER-2012-SCI-0036, EVER-2011-SCI-0031, EVER-2011-SCI-0058, EVER-2010-SCI-0062, EVER-2009-SCI-0024, and EVER-2007-SCI-0025 granted by Everglades National Park, and NMFS GA LOC 15459, NMFS Permit 16314 granted by National Marine Fisheries Service. This is the second publication for the Coastal Marine Ecology Program, and contribution number 811 from the Southeast Environmental Research Center at Florida International University. And financial support from the REstoration, COordination and VERification (RECOVER) program of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography
Copyright:
Copyright 2017 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2017/5/1
Y1 - 2017/5/1
N2 - Within oligotrophic ecosystems, resource limitations coupled with interspecific variation in morphology, physiology, and life history traits may lead to niche partitioning among species. How generalist predators partition resources and their mechanisms, however, remain unclear across many ecosystems. We quantified niche partitioning among upper trophic level coastal and estuarine species: American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis), bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas), common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), common snook (Centropomus undecimalis), and Atlantic tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) in the Shark River Estuary of the Florida Coastal Everglades, USA using acoustic telemetry, stable isotope analysis, and visual surveys, combined with published diet and life history demographic information. Spatial and isotopic niche overlap occurred among most species, with variability in partitioning among interspecific interactions. However, seasonal variability in habitat use, movements patterns, and trophic interactions may promote coexistence within this resource-limited estuary. Beyond guild-level niche partitioning, predators within the Shark River Estuary also exhibit partitioning within species through individual specializations and divergent phenotypes, which may lead to intraspecific variability in niche overlap with other predators. Niche differentiation expressed across multiple organizational levels (i.e., populations and communities) coupled with behavioral plasticity among predators in oligotrophic ecosystems may promote high species diversity despite resource limitations, which may be important when species respond to natural and human-driven environmental change.
AB - Within oligotrophic ecosystems, resource limitations coupled with interspecific variation in morphology, physiology, and life history traits may lead to niche partitioning among species. How generalist predators partition resources and their mechanisms, however, remain unclear across many ecosystems. We quantified niche partitioning among upper trophic level coastal and estuarine species: American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis), bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas), common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), common snook (Centropomus undecimalis), and Atlantic tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) in the Shark River Estuary of the Florida Coastal Everglades, USA using acoustic telemetry, stable isotope analysis, and visual surveys, combined with published diet and life history demographic information. Spatial and isotopic niche overlap occurred among most species, with variability in partitioning among interspecific interactions. However, seasonal variability in habitat use, movements patterns, and trophic interactions may promote coexistence within this resource-limited estuary. Beyond guild-level niche partitioning, predators within the Shark River Estuary also exhibit partitioning within species through individual specializations and divergent phenotypes, which may lead to intraspecific variability in niche overlap with other predators. Niche differentiation expressed across multiple organizational levels (i.e., populations and communities) coupled with behavioral plasticity among predators in oligotrophic ecosystems may promote high species diversity despite resource limitations, which may be important when species respond to natural and human-driven environmental change.
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U2 - 10.1002/lno.10477
DO - 10.1002/lno.10477
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85013421493
VL - 62
SP - 934
EP - 953
JO - Limnology and Oceanography
JF - Limnology and Oceanography
SN - 0024-3590
IS - 3
ER -