We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Trophic niche partitioning of Mekong giant catfish Pangasianodon gigas in a tropical reservoir: evidence from stable isotope and fatty acid analyses.
- Authors
Medo, Ayano; Ohte, Nobuhito; Koba, Keisuke; Arai, Nobuaki; Mitsunaga, Yasushi; Nishizawa, Hideaki; Kume, Manabu; Viputhanumas, Thavee; Kamdee, Kiattipong; Saengkorakot, Chakrit; Ikeya, Koki; Yamada, Iroha; Sugawara, Tatsuya; Manabe, Yuki; Goto, Akiko S.; Yokoyama, Ayako; Yamane, Hiroyuki; Kajitani, Hiroki; Kojima, Daichi; Nose, Takashi
- Abstract
Large-bodied animals, such as the Mekong giant catfish (Pangasianodon gigas), may modify prey communities and affect their potential competitors for food resources by consuming large quantities of prey. The Mekong giant catfish is a key representative of freshwater megafauna and is stocked in reservoirs in Thailand for species conservation and fishery stock enhancement. However, their biological interactions with other sympatric animals remain unclear. Here, we aimed to investigate the trophic niche of the Mekong giant catfish in a Thai reservoir by comparing stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios (δ13C and δ15N, respectively) and fatty acid (FA) composition with those of five other sympatric fish species. The δ13C value of the Mekong giant catfish was –24.4 ± 1.0‰ (mean ± SD), the second highest among the sympatric fish species, suggesting relatively weak reliance on phytoplankton-based food chains. The δ15N value of the Mekong giant catfish was 10.7 ± 0.4‰, intermediate between those of herbivorous and carnivorous fishes, indicating that it is not a primary consumer. The FA composition of the Mekong giant catfish significantly differed from those of the other fish species and was characterized by a large proportion of long-chain FA, including 22:6n-3, 20:5n-3, and 20:1n-9. The δ13C, δ15N, and FA signatures suggest that the Mekong giant catfish occupy distinct trophic niches in food webs. Our results highlight that it is necessary to monitor the ecological impacts of released Mekong giant catfish on lower-level consumers through their foraging in receiving reservoirs.
- Subjects
THAILAND; FATTY acid analysis; STABLE isotopes; WILDLIFE conservation; CATFISHES; FISH conservation; NITROGEN isotopes
- Publication
Limnology, 2024, Vol 25, Issue 2, p199
- ISSN
1439-8621
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s10201-024-00741-0