Trophic ecology, habitat, and migratory behaviour of the viperfish Chauliodus sloani reveal a key mesopelagic player

Type Article
Date 2020-12
Language English
Author(s) Eduardo Leandro Nolé1, 2, Lucena-Frédou Flávia1, Mincarone Michael Maia3, Soares Andrey1, Le Loch Francois4, Fredou Thierry1, Menard Frédéric5, Bertrand Arnaud1, 2, 6
Affiliation(s) 1 : Departamento de Pesca e Aquicultura, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil
2 : Institut de Recherche Pour le Développement (IRD), MARBEC, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, Sète, France
3 : Instituto de Biodiversidade e Sustentabilidade, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Caixa Postal 119331, Macaé, RJ, 27910-970, Brazil
4 : IRD, Univ. Brest, CNRS, Ifremer, LEMAR, IUEM, 29280, Plouzane, France
5 : Aix Marseille Univ., Université de Toulon, CNRS, UM110, Marseille, IRD, MIO, France
6 : Departamento de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil
Source Scientific Reports (2045-2322) (Springer Science and Business Media LLC), 2020-12 , Vol. 10 , N. 1 , P. 20996 (13p.)
DOI 10.1038/s41598-020-77222-8
WOS© Times Cited 30
Abstract

Mesopelagic fishes are numerically the most important vertebrate group of all world’s oceans. While these species are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic activities, basic biological knowledge is still lacking. For instance, major uncertainties remain on the behaviour, ecology, and thus functional roles of mesopelagic micronektivores, particularly regarding their interactions with physicochemical features. Here, we examine the trophic ecology, habitat, and migratory behaviour of the viperfish (Chauliodus sloani)—a poorly known and abundant deep-sea species—to further understand the ecology and thus functional role of mesopelagic micronektivores. Moreover, we explore how physical drivers may affect these features and how these relationships are likely to change over large oceanic areas. The viperfish heavily preys on epipelagic migrant species, especially myctophids, and presents spatial and trophic ontogenetic shifts. Temperature restricts its vertical distribution. Therefore, its trophodynamics, migratory behaviour, and functional roles are expected to be modulated by the latitudinal change in temperature. For instance, in most tropical regions the viperfish stay full-time feeding, excreting, and serving as prey (e.g. for bathypelagic predators) at deep layers. On the contrary, in temperate regions, the viperfish ascend to superficial waters where they trophically interact with epipelagic predators and may release carbon where its remineralization is the greatest.

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Eduardo Leandro Nolé, Lucena-Frédou Flávia, Mincarone Michael Maia, Soares Andrey, Le Loch Francois, Fredou Thierry, Menard Frédéric, Bertrand Arnaud (2020). Trophic ecology, habitat, and migratory behaviour of the viperfish Chauliodus sloani reveal a key mesopelagic player. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 20996 (13p.). Publisher's official version : https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-77222-8 , Open Access version : https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00662/77417/