18S rRNA metabarcoding of gut contents of Red Sea Pseudochromidae

Dottybacks (Pseudochromidae) are a diverse group of mesopredators that feed on cryptic macroinvertebrates and small fishes. Despite their high diversity and endemism in the Red Sea, very little is known regarding the role of dottybacks on coral reef trophodynamics. Understanding how mesopredators partition their diet and the functional role provided by consumed prey within reefs can assist in understanding the ecological role these predators contribute in coral reef trophodynamics. Here, we assessed the diet of Pseudochromis flavivertex, Pseudochromis fridmani, and Pseudochromis olivaceus, and two distinct color morphs of P. flavivertex in the Red Sea using a combination of: i) visual stomach content analysis, ii) stomach DNA metabarcoding (18S rRNA gene), and iii) stable isotope analysis (d15N, d13C). These techniques revealed partitioning in the dietary composition and resource use among the three species.

Identifier
Source https://data.blue-cloud.org/search-details?step=~012CC5BFB0E270D739AF1EA397B9F24E095D32CA487
Metadata Access https://data.blue-cloud.org/api/collections/CC5BFB0E270D739AF1EA397B9F24E095D32CA487
Provenance
Instrument Illumina MiSeq; ILLUMINA
Publisher Blue-Cloud Data Discovery & Access service; ELIXIR-ENA
Publication Year 2024
OpenAccess true
Contact blue-cloud-support(at)maris.nl
Representation
Discipline Marine Science
Temporal Coverage Begin 2021-08-29T00:00:00Z
Temporal Coverage End 2021-09-19T00:00:00Z