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Trophic effects of fishing southern rock lobster Jasus edwardsii shown by combined fatty acid and stable isotope analyses
Citation
Guest, MA and Frusher, SD and Nichols, PD and Johnson, CR and Wheatley, KE, Trophic effects of fishing southern rock lobster Jasus edwardsii shown by combined fatty acid and stable isotope analyses, Marine Ecology Progress Series, 388, (August) pp. 169-184. ISSN 0171-8630 (2009) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
Copyright © Inter-Research 2009
Official URL: http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v388/p169-18...
Abstract
The southern rock lobster Jasus edwardsii is a commercial species that has benefited from the complete protection offered by no-take reserves, with higher abundances and larger animals recorded in reserves than in adjacent fished areas. What remains unclear is whether there is any change in the diet of lobsters in reserves, for example, as a result of increased intraspecific competition for food. We used combined chemical tracers to examine the diet of lobsters in fished and reserve areas in 2 bioregions in eastern Tasmania. ä15N values of lobsters were richer in fished than in reserve areas, indicating that lobsters eat a greater proportion of food items from higher trophic levels in fished areas. Mixing models suggest that ascidians, sea urchins and the turbinid gastropod were all important food sources for lobsters, but the importance of these food items differed between bioregions. This spatial variability may suggest that the small size of the reserve in one bioregion is inadequate at ensuring the diet of lobsters is protected from fishing pressure. Fatty acid profiles of lobsters supported the importance of these food sources to lobsters. Differences between bioregions, or inside and outside of reserves, were not apparent using fatty acids. The present study highlights that lobster fishing has the capacity to alter the trophic status of prey for generalist predators and suggests that fatty acid analyses may be limited in detecting changes in the dietary composition of such generalist feeders
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | effects of fishing, food webs, marine protected areas, stable isotopes, fatty acids |
| Research Division: | Agricultural, Veterinary and Food Sciences |
| Research Group: | Animal production |
| Research Field: | Animal management |
| Objective Division: | Animal Production and Animal Primary Products |
| Objective Group: | Fisheries - aquaculture |
| Objective Field: | Aquaculture rock lobster |
| UTAS Author: | Guest, MA (Dr Michaela Guest) |
| UTAS Author: | Frusher, SD (Professor Stewart Frusher) |
| UTAS Author: | Nichols, PD (Dr Peter Nichols) |
| UTAS Author: | Johnson, CR (Professor Craig Johnson) |
| UTAS Author: | Wheatley, KE (Dr Kathryn Wheatley) |
| ID Code: | 58640 |
| Year Published: | 2009 |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 29 |
| Deposited By: | Zoology |
| Deposited On: | 2009-10-16 |
| Last Modified: | 2013-01-02 |
| Downloads: | 1,182 View Download Statistics |
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