Resource Partitioning among “Ancillary” Pelagic Fishes (Scomber spp., Trachurus spp.) in the Adriatic Sea
Zaira Da Ros 1; Emanuela Fanelli 1; *; Sacha Cassatella 1; Ilaria Biagiotti 2; Giovanni Canduci 2; Samuele Menicucci 2; Andrea De Felice 2; Sara Malavolti 2; Iole Leonori 2;
The Mediterranean is one of the most overfished seas of the world where mesopredators are
severely threatened. The trophic strategies of four pelagic species that inhabit the Adriatic Sea (Scomber
spp. and Trachurus spp.) were investigated through an integrated approach of stomach contents and
stable isotopes analyses. Our study demonstrated that Scomber colias feeds mainly on strictly pelagic
prey, with fish larvae as a secondary prey in the Southern Adriatic Sea, while S. scombrus feeds on
prey belonging to higher trophic levels. Smaller specimens of Trachurus mediterraneus have a diet
mainly based on pelagic prey, while larger fishes rely on prey such as benthic decapods, showing an
ontogenetic shift in the diet of the species. Trachurus trachurus shows a preference for offshore and
deeper areas and a diet such as that of its congeneric, but no clear ontogenetic shift was observed.
This spatial segregation allows the co-existence of these two species of Trachurus. Scomber colias
mainly inhabits southern areas and S. scombrus shows a preference for the northern sectors. This
latitudinal gradient avoids the overlap of their trophic niches. Bayesian mixing models confirmed
that the trophic niches of these species only partially overlap in the middle of the trophic web.
2023 - Articolo in rivista
Biology (Basel) 12 (2023). doi:10.3390/biology12020272
Keywords: pelagic food web, stable isotopes, Stomach contents, Atlantic mackerel, Atlantic chub mackerel, Mediterranean horse mackerel, Atlantic horse mackerel, MEDIAS, Mediterranean Sea