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Effects of fish predation on Posidonia oceanica amphipod assemblages

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Abstract

Amphipod assemblages that inhabit Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows are potentially relevant trophic resources for ichthyofauna. However, the effects of fish predation on amphipod assemblages in this system have received little attention. To address this gap in knowledge, experimental manipulations of predation intensity (exclusion and inclusion cages) were conducted at two sites in a Mediterranean marine protected area, where different levels of fish predation were expected to occur. We found that in the absence of predatory fishes (exclusion cages), total amphipod density and biomass were higher than in uncaged areas and partially controlled cages. At the species level, Caprella acanthifera and Iphimedia minuta responded to caging with increased abundance, while in most cases different species did not exhibit differences in density or biomass between treatments. The presence of one enclosed labrid fish predator (inclusion cages) resulted in a lower density and biomass of Aora spinicornis and a lower biomass of Phtisica marina, although total amphipod density and biomass were unchanged. In the inclusion cages, a size-frequency analysis revealed that predators mainly targeted large A. spinicornis and Apherusa chiereghinii individuals. Our results suggest that predation by fish may be an important factor in controlling amphipod abundances and biomasses in P. oceanica meadows. Overall, amphipod community composition was not affected by exclusion or inclusion of fish predators. However, some significant effects at the species level point to more complex interactions between some amphipods and fish.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank R. Biondo for technical assistance in the development of the caging devices (Laboratoire d’Océanologie, Université de Liège, Belgium), S. Vitale for technical assistance during field work (Consorzio di Gestione Area Marina Protetta Tavolara-Punta Coda Cavallo, Olbia, Italy) and all volunteers for field and laboratory assistance. We would like to thank P. Guidetti, S. Vermeulen and anonymous referees for their critical comments which greatly improved the manuscript. This study was supported by the Belgian Fund for Research for the Industry and Agriculture (FRIA, grant nr. FC77010), by a Special Research Fund of the University of Liege (FSR) and by the Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS). This paper is MARE publication number 321.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Oceanology, MARE Centre, University of Liege, B6C, 4000, Liege, Sart Tilman, Belgium

    N. Sturaro, S. Gobert, A. Pérez-Perera & G. Lepoint

  2. Department of Ethology and Biodiversity Conservation, Estacion Biologica Donana (CSIC), 41092, Seville, Spain

    S. Caut

  3. Marine Protected Area of Tavolara-Punta Coda Cavallo, Via Dante 1, 07026, Olbia, Italy

    P. Panzalis & A. Navone

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  1. N. Sturaro
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Sturaro, N., Gobert, S., Pérez-Perera, A. et al. Effects of fish predation on Posidonia oceanica amphipod assemblages. Mar Biol 163, 58 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-016-2830-1

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