Trophic complexity of small fish in nearshore food webs |
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Authors: | Wellard Kelly Holly A. Kovalenko Katya E. Ahrenstorff Tyler D. Bethke Bethany J. Brady Valerie J. Dumke Joshua D. Hansen Gretchen J. A. Rantala Heidi M. |
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Affiliation: | 1.Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota Duluth, 5013 Miller Trunk Highway, Duluth, MN, 55811, USA ;2.Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish and Wildlife, 500 Lafayette Rd, St. Paul, MN, 55155, USA ;3.Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, 135 Skok Hall, 2003 Upper Buford Cr, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA ; |
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Abstract: | Small nearshore fishes are an important part of lacustrine and functional diversity and link pelagic and benthic habitats by serving as prey for larger nearshore and offshore fishes. However, the trophic complexity of these small nearshore fishes is often unrecognized and detailed studies of their role in food webs are lacking. Here, we examined niche space patterns of small nearshore fish species using Bayesian analyses of carbon and nitrogen stable isotope data in nine freshwater lakes that are among the largest lakes in Minnesota. We found considerable variability in niche areas within species and high variability in niche overlap across species. At the assemblage level, niche overlap (average diet overlap of all species pairs at a lake) decreased as whole-lake species richness increased, possibly indicating a greater degree of resource specialization in more speciose lakes. Overall fish niche space was weakly but significantly related to niche space of their invertebrate prey. Although nearshore benthic resources contributed to fish diets in all lakes, all fish species also had non-negligible and variable contributions from pelagic zooplankton. This inter- and intraspecific variability in trophic niche space likely contributes to the multi-level trophic complexity, functional diversity, and potentially food web resilience to ecosystem changes. |
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