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dc.contributor.authorSanchez-Hernandez, Javier
dc.contributor.authorEloranta, Antti
dc.contributor.authorFinstad, Anders Gravbrøt
dc.contributor.authorAmundsen, Per-Arne
dc.date.accessioned2017-12-09T12:20:01Z
dc.date.available2017-12-09T12:20:01Z
dc.date.issued2016-12-20
dc.description.abstractWhile most studies have focused on the timing and nature of ontogenetic niche shifts, information is scarce about the effects of community structure on trophic ontogeny of top predators. We investigated how community structure affects ontogenetic niche shifts (i.e., relationships between body length, trophic position, and individual dietary specialization) of a predatory fish, brown trout (Salmo trutta). We used stable isotope and stomach content analyses to test how functional characteristics of lake fish community compositions (competition and prey availability) modulate niche shifts in terms of (i) piscivorous behavior, (ii) trophic position, and (iii) individual dietary specialization. Northern Scandinavian freshwater fish communities were used as a study system, including nine subarctic lakes with contrasting fish community configurations: (i) trout-only systems, (ii) two-species systems (brown trout and Arctic charr [Salvelinus alpinus] coexisting), and (iii) three-species systems (brown trout, Arctic charr, and three-spined sticklebacks [Gasterosteus aculeatus] coexisting). We expected that the presence of profitable small prey (stickleback) and mixed competitor–prey fish species (charr) supports early piscivory and high individual dietary specialization among trout in multispecies communities, whereas minor ontogenetic shifts were expected in trout-only systems. From logistic regression models, the presence of a suitable prey fish species (stickleback) emerged as the principal variable determining the size at ontogenetic niche shifts. Generalized additive mixed models indicated that fish community structure shaped ontogenetic niche shifts in trout, with the strongest positive relationships between body length, trophic position, and individual dietary specialization being observed in three-species communities. Our findings revealed that the presence of a small-sized prey fish species (stickleback) rather than a mixed competitor–prey fish species (charr) was an important factor affecting the ontogenetic niche-shift processes of trout. The study demonstrates that community structure may modulate the ontogenetic diet trajectories of and individual niche specialization within a top predator.en_US
dc.descriptionSource at <a href=http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.2600> http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.2600 </a>en_US
dc.identifier.citationSanchez-Hernandez J, Eloranta A, Finstad AG, Amundsen P-A. Community structure affects trophic ontogeny in a predatory fish. Ecology and Evolution. 2017;7(1):358-367en_US
dc.identifier.cristinIDFRIDAID 1420123
dc.identifier.doi10.1002/ece3.2600
dc.identifier.issn2045-7758
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10037/11840
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherWileyen_US
dc.relation.journalEcology and Evolution
dc.relation.projectIDinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/RCN/FRIMEDBIO/213610/Norway/The role of parasites in food-web topology and dynamics of subarctic lakes//en_US
dc.relation.projectIDinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/RCN/ENERGIX/228714/Norway/ CEDREN HydroBalance - Large-scale balancing and energy storage from Norwegian hydropower//en_US
dc.rights.accessRightsopenAccessen_US
dc.subjectVDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480::Marinbiologi: 497en_US
dc.subjectVDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Zoology and botany: 480::Marine biology: 497en_US
dc.titleCommunity structure affects trophic ontogeny in a predatory fishen_US
dc.typeJournal articleen_US
dc.typeTidsskriftartikkelen_US
dc.typePeer revieweden_US


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