Document of bibliographic reference 325244
BibliographicReference record
- Type
- Bibliographic resource
- Type of document
- Journal article
- BibLvlCode
- AS
- Title
- Trophic ecology of albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga) in the western tropical Indian Ocean and adjacent waters
- Abstract
- In this study we investigated the trophic ecology of albacore tuna in the western Indian Ocean and adjacent Atlantic waters based on stomach content analysis using a reconstituted length and weight of prey approach. From 686 non-empty stomachs collected between 2001 and 2015 across three biogeographic provinces, we describe the diet composition of albacore tuna, analyse its feeding habits and investigate the structure and diversity of mid-trophic-level communities. Epipelagic fish were found to be the principal prey by number and reconstituted weight; cephalopods were the second important prey group. Small organisms prevailed in the diet of albacore tuna, with predation on juvenile fish commonplace. Albacore tuna exhibits a flexible, opportunistic feeding strategy, from ram filter feeding on abundant schooling prey to visual predation on large individuals. Prey species richness varied highly across the region. Oligotrophic conditions within the subtropical gyre of the Indian Ocean generated the most diverse mid-trophic-level communities, with less diverse communities occurring in productive areas. Albacore tuna occupies a similar trophic niche throughout the global ocean, foraging on the same prey families and even species. This study indicates overall temporal stability of the Indian Ocean and south-east Atlantic ecosystems where principal prey species remain unchanged over decades.
- Abstract in other language
- diet, reconstituted weight, south-east Atlantic Ocean, stomach contents, western Indian Ocean
- WebOfScience code
- https://www.webofscience.com/wos/woscc/full-record/WOS:000582546200007
- Bibliographic citation
- Romanov, E.V.; Nikolic, N.; Dhurmeea, Z.; Bodin, N.; Puech, A.; Norman, S.; Hollanda, S.; Bourjea, J.; West, W.; Potier, M. (2020). Trophic ecology of albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga) in the western tropical Indian Ocean and adjacent waters. Mar. Freshw. Res. 71(11): 1517-1542. https://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf19332
- Is peer reviewed
- true
Authors
- author
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- Name
- Evgeny Romanov
- author
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- Name
- Natacha Nikolic
- author
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- Name
- Zahirah Dhurmeea
- author
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- Name
- Nathalie Bodin
- author
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- Name
- Alexis Puech
- author
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- Name
- Stewart Norman
- author
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- Name
- Stéphanie Hollanda
- author
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- Name
- Jerome Bourjea
- author
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- Name
- Wendy West
- author
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- Name
- Michel Potier
thesaurus terms
- term
- Habitat (term code: 3851 - defined in term set: ASFA Thesaurus List)
- Prey (term code: 6534 - defined in term set: ASFA Thesaurus List)
geographic terms
- geographic terms associated with this publication
- South Africa