Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) foraging habitat and trophic position in the Gulf of Mexico based on intrinsic isotope tracers.

ABSTRACT: Yellowfin tuna (YFT, Thunnus albacares) is a commercially important species targeted by fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico (GM). Previous studies suggest a high degree of residency in the northern GM, although part of the population performs movements to southern Mexican waters. Whether YFT caught in southern waters also exhibit residency or migrate to the northern gulf is currently uncertain, and little is known regarding their trophic ecology. The isotopic composition (bulk & amino acids) of YFT muscle and liver tissues were compared to a zooplankton-based synoptic isoscape from the entire GM to infer feeding areas and estimate Trophic Position (TP). The spatial distribution of δ15Nbulk and δ15NPhe values of zooplankton indicated two distinct isotopic baselines: one with higher values in th

SUBMITTER: Le-Alvarado M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7904200 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature