RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Assessing diets of marine fauna associated with emerging zoantharian habitats in the Canary Islands
A1 S. Moreno‑Borges
A1 V. Arranz
A1 S. Fernández‑Martín
A1 Clemente Martín, María Sabrina
A1 R. Xavier
A1 R. Vasconcelos
A2 Biología Animal y Edafología y Geología
A2 BiodiversidadEcología Marina y Conservación (BIOECOMAC)
K1 Canary Islands
K1 Palythoa caribaeorum
K1 Zoanthus pulchellus 
K1 Gut content 
K1 Intertidal
K1 Subtidal
K1 DNAmetabarcoding
AB Population outbreaks of zoantharians in shallow water reefs have been observed globally, including intertidal and subtidal sites in the Canary Islands. This study investigated how zoantharians might be integrating into the local trophic network. For that purpose, we assessed the feeding patterns of common species in zoantharian-dominated habitats, focusing on finding consumers of Zoanthus pulchellus and Palythoa caribaeorum. Through DNA-barcoding and metabarcoding, the gut contents of 11 predatory species were analysed, aiming to characterize their diets and explore local species feeding on zoantharians. Analyses of diet revealed a diverse range of food items and trophic positions of some of the most common and frequent marine species in the archipelago. Furthermore, based on previous observations on the different impacts of Z. pulchellus and P. caribaeorum on shallow benthic ecosystems of the Canary Islands, a preliminary approach to identify their potential influence on feeding patterns of associated species was made. Even though DNA-metabarcoding did not detect zoantharians in the gut contents of any studied species, Sanger sequencing with zoantharian-specific primers indicated their consumption by subject species may be limited to only the crab Platypodiella picta. In addition, by focusing on some of the most common species, this study enhances our understanding of the local trophic network and provides an insight into trophic dynamics in zoantharian-dominated habitats.
YR 2023
FD 2023
LK http://riull.ull.es/xmlui/handle/915/40748
UL http://riull.ull.es/xmlui/handle/915/40748
LA Inglés
NO Marine Biology (2024) 171:109
DS Repositorio institucional de la Universidad de La Laguna
RD 24-abr-2025