Ecological Traits and Trophic Plasticity in The Greater Pipefish Syngnathus acus in the NW Iberian Peninsula.

ABSTRACT: The great pipefish Syngnathus acus is one of the most representative European syngnathids, being highly associated with seagrass and macroalgal beds. Surprisingly, the ecology of this large ovoviviparous marine fish has received scanty attention. The population inhabiting three sites on Cíes Archipelago (Atlantic Islands National Park, NW Spain) was monitored in 2017-2018 for spatial and temporal changes in abundances, reproduction traits, trophic niche occupancy, and dietary regimes across reproduction states, through an isotopic (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) approach. Abundances were highly variable across seasons and sites, decreasing significantly from mid-autumn. The population consisted almost exclusively of large adults that migrate by the end of the breeding season,

SUBMITTER: Planas M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9138823 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature