FN Archimer Export Format
PT J
TI Manta birostris, predator of the deep? Insight into the diet of the giant manta ray through stable isotope analysis
BT 
AF BURGESS, Katherine B.
   COUTURIER, Lydie I. E.
   MARSHALL, Andrea D.
   RICHARDSON, Anthony J.
   WEEKS, Scarla J.
   BENNETT, Michael B.
AS 1:1,4,5;2:6;3:;4:2,5;5:3;6:1;
FF 1:;2:;3:;4:;5:;6:;
C1 Univ Queensland, Sch Biomed Sci, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia.
   Univ Queensland, Ctr Applicat Nat Resource Math, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia.
   Univ Queensland, Sch Geog Planning & Environm Management, Biophys Oceanog Grp, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia.
   Marine Megafauna Fdn, Truckee, CA 96161 USA.
   EcoSci Precinct, CSIRO Oceans & Atmosphere, GPO Box 2583, Dutton Pk, Qld 4001, Australia.
   Univ Bretagne Occidentale, IUEM, Lab Sci Environm Marin, UMR LEMAR 6539,IRD UBO CNRS Ifremer, F-29280 Plouzane, France.
C2 UNIV QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA
   UNIV QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA
   UNIV QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA
   MARINE MEGAFAUNA FDN, USA
   ECOSCI PRECINCT, AUSTRALIA
   UBO, FRANCE
UM LEMAR
IN DOAJ
IF 2.243
TC 36
UR https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00363/47463/47486.pdf
LA English
DT Article
DE ;diet;eastern tropical Pacific Ocean;mesopelagic;trophic ecology;elasmobranch;planktivore
AB The characterization of diet for the giant manta ray Manta birostris has been problematic given their large-scale movement patterns and the difficulty in obtaining stomach contents from this species. The large majority of existing information is based on observational data limited to feeding events at the sea surface during daylight. Recently discovered aggregation sites for the giant manta ray off mainland Ecuador are some of the most accessible to date and provide a unique opportunity for researchers to gather much needed information on this elusive species. To assess how important surface zooplankton is to giant manta ray diet, we conducted stable isotope analysis (N-15 and C-13) on M. birostris muscle and surface zooplankton. Trophic position estimates placed M. birostris overall at a secondary consumer level of approximately 3.4 but there was large variation in delta N-15 and delta C-13 values among individuals. Manta birostris muscle tissue delta C-13 values were also not consistent with this species feeding predominantly on surface zooplankton and suggest that the majority of dietary intake is of mesopelagic origin. Given the conservative life history and fisheries pressure on large planktivores, knowledge of their trophic role and foraging strategies is essential to better understand their ecology and develop effective conservation measures.
PY 2016
PD NOV
SO Royal Society Open Science
SN 2054-5703
PU Royal Soc
VL 3
IS 11
UT 000389244400052
DI 10.1098/rsos.160717
ID 47463
ER

EF