柘林湾海洋牧场不同功能区食物网结构

海洋牧场是由多个功能区组成的生态系统工程,不同功能区的生态环境和食物网结构各不相同,通过研究不同功能区食物网结构有助于了解功能区之间生态系统差异。实验通过对南澳柘林湾海洋牧场渔业资源环境调查,利用碳氮稳定同位素技术对海洋牧场不同功能区食物网结构进行比较,并借助SIBER对稳定同位素数据进行分析。结果显示,海洋牧场调查共采获生物种类78种,其中,消费者的δ~(13)C比值介于–19.94‰~–13.62‰,δ~(15)N比值介于8.78‰~15.29‰,营养级范围介于1.73~3.64。不同功能区同位素数据对比表明,人工鱼礁区生物资源相对丰富,食物网结构较为复杂;海藻增殖区中生物生态位分布最广,营养冗余程度较高;贝类增殖区生物生态位较窄,营养级分布较为集中。在不同功能区生态系统稳定性对比中,人工鱼礁区生态系统稳定性最佳,海藻增殖区生态系统稳定性较差。     

Generalist feeding strategies in Arctic freshwater fish: A mechanism for dealing with extreme environments

Generalist feeding strategies are favoured in stressful or variable environments where flexibility in ecological traits is beneficial. Species that feed across multiple habitat types and trophic levels may impart stability on food webs through the use of readily available, alternative energy pools. In lakes, generalist fish species may take advantage of spatially and temporally variable prey by consuming both benthic and pelagic prey to meet their energy demands. Using stomach content and stable isotope analyses, we examined the feeding habits of fish species in Alaska's Arctic Coastal Plain (ACP) lakes to determine the prevalence of generalist feeding strategies as a mechanism for persistence in extreme environments (e.g. low productivity, extreme cold and short growing season). Generalist and flexible feeding strategies were evident in five common fish species. Fish fed on benthic and pelagic (or nektonic) prey and across trophic levels. Three species were clearly omnivorous, feeding on fish and their shared invertebrate prey. Dietary differences based on stomach content analysis often exceeded 70%, and overlap in dietary niches based on shared isotopic space varied from zero to 40%. Metrics of community‐wide trophic structure varied with the number and identity of species involved and on the dietary overlap and niche size of individual fishes. Accumulation of energy from shared carbon sources by Arctic fishes creates redundancy in food webs, increasing likely resistance to perturbations or stochastic events. Therefore, the generalist and omnivorous feeding strategies employed by ACP fish may maintain energy flow and food web stability in extreme environments.