Harnessing a Mesopelagic Predator as a Biological Sampler Reveals Taxonomic and Vertical Resource Partitioning Among Three Poorly Known Deep-Sea Fishes
September 26, 2023
We examined specimens sampled from the stomachs of longnose lancetfish, to describe the diets and foraging behaviors of three common, but poorly known deep-sea fishes.
Pelagic predators are effective biological samplers when classifying their position on the food chain, and are especially useful in deep-sea habitats where relatively mobile examples frequently avoid observation with conventional methods.
We describe the foraging ecologies of three midtrophic fish competitors and demonstrate the potential for biological samplers to improve our understanding of deep-sea food webs.
Portner EJ,Mowatt-Larssen T, Carretero ACL, Contreras EA, Woodworth-Jefcoats PA, Frable BW, Choy CA 2023. Harnessing a mesopelagic predator as a biological sampler reveals taxonomic and vertical resource partitioning among three poorly known deep-sea fishes Scientific Reports 13, 16078.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-41298-9