Manta birostris, predator of the deep? Insight into the diet of the giant manta ray through stable isotope analysis.

ABSTRACT: The characterization of diet for the giant manta ray Manta birostris has been problematic given their large-scale movement patterns and the difficulty in obtaining stomach contents from this species. The large majority of existing information is based on observational data limited to feeding events at the sea surface during daylight. Recently discovered aggregation sites for the giant manta ray off mainland Ecuador are some of the most accessible to date and provide a unique opportunity for researchers to gather much needed information on this elusive species. To assess how important surface zooplankton is to giant manta ray diet, we conducted stable isotope analysis (¹⁵N and ¹³C) on M. birostris muscle and surface zooplankton. Trophic position estimates

SUBMITTER: Burgess KB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5180158 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature