Aquatic Versus Terrestrial Feeding Modes: Possible Impacts on the Trophic Ecology of Vertebrates

On the basis of experimental work, a clear dichotomy in designof the feeding mechanism between aquatic and terrestrial vertebrateshas been found. The aquatic medium combined with suction andthe hydrodynamic tongue offer an unparalleled array of preycapture opportunities for aquatic vertebrates. In the terrestrialfeeding model, prey capture and prey processing require a precisefunctional design to match the nature of the prey. It is proposedthat this dichotomy in basic design would result in fundamentaldifferences in the aquatic and terrestrial paradigms in vertebrateecology. Four hypotheses and their respective supporting evidenceare presented: (1) Increased opportunism, more extensive preyswitching and food overlap are prevalent in aquatic systems;(2) Convergent evolution which is so pervasive in terrestrialfeeding systems is uncommon among aquatic vertebrate feedingsystems; (3) Competition is relaxed and character displacementis absent in aquatic vertebrate feeding systems; and (4) Patternsof diversity in aquatic vertebrate feeding systems defy theterrestrial paradigm.