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South American sea lions Otaria byronia as biological samplers of local cephalopod fauna in the Patagonian shelf marine ecosystem

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 June 2019

R. L. Bustos ,
G. A. Daneri ,
E. A. Varela ,
A. Harrington ,
A. V. Volpedo ,
F. R. Ceia  and
J. C. Xavier
R. L. Bustos*
Affiliation:
Administración de Parques Nacionales, Payogasta, Provincia de Salta, Argentina
G. A. Daneri
Affiliation:
División Mastozoología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
E. A. Varela
Affiliation:
División Mastozoología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
A. Harrington
Affiliation:
División Mastozoología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
A. V. Volpedo
Affiliation:
Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción Animal – INPA-CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
F. R. Ceia
Affiliation:
Department of Life Sciences, Marine and Environmental Science Centre (MARE-UC), University of Coimbra, 3001-456 Coimbra, Portugal
J. C. Xavier
Affiliation:
Department of Life Sciences, Marine and Environmental Science Centre (MARE-UC), University of Coimbra, 3001-456 Coimbra, Portugal
*
Author for correspondence: R.L. Bustos, E-mail: rbustos@apn.gob.ar
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Abstract

Cephalopods are important prey in the diet of top predators, such as marine mammals and seabirds. However, detailed information on their trophic relationships in the Patagonian marine ecosystem is scarce, including those cephalopod species with commercial interest. The aims of this study were to evaluate the composition of the cephalopod component in the diet of Otaria byronia and determine the habitat use and trophic levels of their main cephalopod prey by measuring the stable isotopic signature of cephalopod beaks. Between May 2005 and February 2009, fresh faecal samples were collected from two sea lions rookeries in San Matias Gulf. Cephalopods occurred in 39.4% of the 1112 samples collected during the whole period of study. The dominant prey species was Octopus tehuelchus, which occurred in 45.8% of scats containing cephalopod remains, and represented 58.7% in terms of numerical abundance and 52.0% in mass of cephalopods consumed. The second species most consumed was the myopsid Doryteuthis gahi. The significant higher δ15N values of O. tehuelchus beaks in comparison with those of D. gahi showed that these two species have different trophic levels while occupying similar habitat (δ13C values) in neritic waters of the Patagonian shelf.

Keywords

OctopusPatagonian marine ecosystempreysquidsstable isotopes
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 99 , Issue 6 , September 2019 , pp. 1459 - 1463
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2019 

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