Title:

Fish Feeding Guild Dynamics in the Changing Western Atlantic Ocean

The western Atlantic is a productive environment with great social, ecological, and commercial value, but which is experiencing community-wide changes due to climate change. As ocean temperatures rise, most especially in the Gulf of Maine, many species are relocating to cooler waters by shifting poleward and/or offshore. Due to multi-directional responses and species-specific rates of movement, there is a high potential for inter-specific interactions to change. Using the historical diet data collected by the National Marine Fisheries Service dating back to 1973, we characterized feeding behaviors and identified changes in diet for a selection of focal, benthic predators. We calculated traditional dietary metrics—breadth, frequency of emptiness, and relative consumption—across spatio-temporal gradients to observe when and where changes occur for species. Species were seen to exhibit inter-specific differences in diet type consistently across geographic regions and between decades. Trade-offs were identified within characteristics, such as a direct relationship between prey size and frequency of emptiness. Species-specific dietary niches show reliance upon distinct elements of ecosystem productivity resulting in species-specific sensitivities to perturbation. In distinguishing the sensitivities of different predators to prey availability, we hope to inform the management and conservation of these ecologically and economically valuable benthic fish predators.

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