Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Unidad de Posgrado, Edificio A, 1er piso, Circuito de Posgrados, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, C.P. 04510, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
Unidad Multidisciplinaria de Docencia e Investigación, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto de Abrigo S/N, C.P. 97355, Sisal, Yucatán, Mexico.
Sci Rep. 2020 Jul 30;10(1):12812. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-69562-2.
Cave shrimps of the Typhlatya genus are common and widespread in fresh, brackish and marine groundwater throughout the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico). These species are ideal models to test niche partitioning within sympatric species in oligotrophic systems. Nevertheless, their food sources remain unidentified, and despite their frequency and functional importance, distribution and abundance patterns of these species within caves have not been fully recognized. Here, we describe the abundance of three Typhlatya species in different temporal and spatial scales, investigate changes in water conditions, and potential sources of carbon as an indication of food origin. Species composition and abundance varied markedly in space and time revealing patterns that differed from one system to another and in relation to environmental parameters. Isotope analysis showed that each species reflects a particular δC and ΔC fingerprint, suggesting they feed in different proportions from the available carbon sources. Overall, our findings suggest a niche partitioning of habitat and feeding sources amongst the three Typhlatya species investigated, where environmental characteristics and physiological differences could play an important role governing their distribution patterns.
洞穴虾属 Typhlatya 的虾类在尤卡坦半岛（墨西哥）的淡水、半咸水和海水地下水环境中普遍存在。这些物种是在贫营养系统中测试同域物种生态位分化的理想模型。然而，它们的食物来源仍然未知，尽管它们的频率和功能重要性很高，但这些物种在洞穴内的分布和丰度模式尚未得到充分认识。在这里，我们描述了三种 Typhlatya 物种在不同时间和空间尺度上的丰度，研究了水条件的变化以及碳的潜在来源，以指示食物的起源。物种组成和丰度在空间和时间上有明显的变化，揭示了不同系统之间以及与环境参数相关的不同模式。同位素分析表明，每个物种都反映了特定的 δC 和 ΔC 特征指纹，表明它们从可用的碳源中以不同的比例进食。总的来说，我们的研究结果表明，在所研究的三种 Typhlatya 物种中存在栖息地和食物来源的生态位分化，其中环境特征和生理差异可能在控制它们的分布模式方面发挥重要作用。
