Plasticity of trophic interactions in fish assemblages results in temporal stability of benthic-pelagic couplings

Type Article
Date 2021-08
Language English
Author(s) Timmerman Charles-AndreORCID1, Giraldo CarolinaORCID1, Cresson PierreORCID1, Ernande BrunoORCID2, 3, Travers-Trolet MorganeORCID4, Rouquette Manuel5, Denamiel Margaux1, Lefebvre Sebastien6
Affiliation(s) 1 : Ifremer, HMMN, Centre Manche - Mer du Nord, BP 669, F-62 321, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France
2 : MARBEC, Univ. Montpellier, IFREMER, CNRS, IRD, F-34 090, Montpellier, France
3 : IIASA, Evolution and Ecology Program, Schloßplatz 1, A-2361, Laxenburg, Austria
4 : Ifremer, EMH, Centre Atlantique, BP 21105, F-44 300, Nantes, France
5 : Ifremer, LERBN, Station Ifremer de Dinard, BP 70134, F-35 801, Dinard, France
6 : Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d’Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d’Océanologie et de Géosciences, station marine de Wimereux, F-59000, Lille, France
Source Marine Environmental Research (0141-1136) (Elsevier BV), 2021-08 , Vol. 170 , P. 105412 (13p.)
DOI 10.1016/j.marenvres.2021.105412
WOS© Times Cited 11
Keyword(s) Food webs, Stable isotopes, Biomass, Isotopic functional indices, Flux
Abstract

This study addresses the temporal variability of couplings between pelagic and benthic habitats for fish assemblages at five periods in a shallow epicontinental sea, the Eastern English Channel (EEC). Organic matter fluxes fueling fish assemblages and the relative contribution of their different sources were assessed using stable isotope analysis and associated isotopic functional metrics. Couplings between benthic and pelagic realms appeared to be a permanent feature in the EEC, potentially favored by shallow depth and driven by the combination of two trophic processes. First, trophic interactions exhibited plasticity and revealed resource partitioning. Second, changes in the composition of fish assemblages did not impact benthic-pelagic couplings, as most dominant species were generalists during at least one time period, allowing complete use of available resources. Examining both unweighted and biomass-weighted indices was complementary and permitted a better understanding of trophic interactions and energy fluxes.

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Timmerman Charles-Andre, Giraldo Carolina, Cresson Pierre, Ernande Bruno, Travers-Trolet Morgane, Rouquette Manuel, Denamiel Margaux, Lefebvre Sebastien (2021). Plasticity of trophic interactions in fish assemblages results in temporal stability of benthic-pelagic couplings. Marine Environmental Research, 170, 105412 (13p.). Publisher's official version : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2021.105412 , Open Access version : https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00705/81730/