Varela José Luis, Carrera Irene, Medina Antonio
Departamento de Biología. Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Ambientales, Campus de Excelencia Internacional del Mar (CEI·MAR), 11510 Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain.
Departamento de Biología. Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Ambientales, Campus de Excelencia Internacional del Mar (CEI·MAR), 11510 Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain.
Mar Environ Res. 2020 Jan;153:104811. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2019.104811. Epub 2019 Oct 4.
The Strait of Gibraltar (SoG) houses a large diversity of marine species including large pelagic animals that use this area as permanent or temporary habitat. In particular, the SoG is home to a population of adult and sub-adult Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) that occurs there for most of the year. To gain further insight into the life history of this ABFT population, seasonal feeding patterns were investigated combining stomach content analysis (SCA) and stable isotopes analysis (SIA) of muscle and liver tissues. Our results reveal seasonal variations in feeding patterns, which are evidenced by a significant shift in the diet composition and the highest food consumption rates that take place in spring, prior to the spawning season. These changes in feeding habits are consistent with the varying energetic needs along the species' annual biological cycle. The present observations confirm the SoG as an important foraging ground for ABFT resident populations and may have further implications for the management of the resource.
直布罗陀海峡（SoG）栖息着种类繁多的海洋物种，包括将该区域作为永久或临时栖息地的大型远洋动物。特别是，直布罗陀海峡是成年和亚成年大西洋蓝鳍金枪鱼（Thunnus thynnus）的栖息地，它们一年中的大部分时间都生活在那里。为了更深入地了解这一蓝鳍金枪鱼种群的生活史，结合胃内容物分析（SCA）以及肌肉和肝脏组织的稳定同位素分析（SIA）对季节性摄食模式进行了研究。我们的研究结果揭示了摄食模式的季节性变化，这体现在饮食组成的显著变化以及产卵季节前春季出现的最高食物消耗率上。这些摄食习惯的变化与该物种年度生物周期中不断变化的能量需求相一致。目前的观察结果证实直布罗陀海峡是蓝鳍金枪鱼定居种群的重要觅食地，可能对该资源的管理产生进一步影响。
