Use of morphological characteristics to define functional groups of predatory fishes in the Celtic Sea. Issue 2 (19th July 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Reecht, Y.; Rochet, M.‐J.; Trenkel, V. M.; Jennings, S.; Pinnegar, J. K.
• Is Part Of: Journal of fish biology. Volume 83:Issue 2(2013)
• Page Start: 355
• Page End: 377
• Publication Date: 2013-07-19
• Subjects: Fishes -- Periodicals; Fishes -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; 597
• DOI: 10.1111/jfb.12177
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-1112

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="jfb12177-abs-0001"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <p id="jfb12177-para-0001">An ecomorphological method was developed, with a focus on predation functions, to define functional groups in the Celtic Sea fish community. Eleven functional traits, measured for 930 individuals from 33 species, led to 11 functional groups. Membership of functional groups was linked to body size and taxonomy. For seven species, there were ontogenetic changes in group membership. When diet composition, expressed as the proportions of different prey types recorded in stomachs, was compared among functional groups, morphology‐based predictions accounted for 28–56% of the interindividual variance in prey type. This was larger than the 12–24% of variance that could be explained solely on the basis of body size.</p> </abstract>