170
Views
4
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Article

Trophic interaction between striped marlin and swordfish using different timescales in waters around Baja California Sur, Mexico

&
Pages 97-112 | Received 19 Mar 2018, Accepted 25 Jan 2019, Published online: 11 Mar 2019
 

ABSTRACT

Isotopic niche and resource partitioning were examined between striped marlin (Kajikia audax) and swordfish (Xiphias gladius) using stable isotope ratios from spine bone and muscle samples. The δ13C (13C/12C) and δ15N (15N/14N) values were measured in annual growth bands from fin spines and muscle collected from striped marlin and swordfish off Baja California Sur to evaluate the trophic interaction between these two species, the relative contribution of the main prey and the isotopic niche within two different timescales. Mean trophic level (TL) values were different when tissues were compared with the highest value found in muscle samples from K. audax. When TL was analysed in all growth bands for both species, no changes were detected throughout time, suggesting only minor differences in feeding habits between these species. We determined that Dosidicus gigas, Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis, and Ancistrocheirus lesueurii were the most important prey for both species, but the relative contribution of each of them to the diet differed. There is likely no trophic overlap between K. audax and X. gladius off Baja California Sur, as K. audax occupied a larger isotopic niche with more diverse prey than X. gladius.

SUBJECT EDITOR:

Acknowledgements

T. A. Acosta-Pachón was supported by the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología and BEIFI-IPN (Beca de Estímulo Institucional de Formación de Investigadores) fellowship. S. Ortega-Garcia is a COFAA-IPN (Comisión de Operación y Fomento de Actividades Académicas) fellowship. Thanks to María Elena Sánchez-Salazar and Diana Fisher for editorial services in English.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Instituto Politecnico Nacional projects SIP20150861 and SIP20160587.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.