Taxonomy-based differences in feeding guilds of fish

作     者：Javier SANCHEZ-HERNANDEZ Javier S(A)NCHEZ-HERN(A)NDEZ

作者机构：Departamento de ZooloxlaXenetica e Antropoloxfa FlsicaFacultade de BioloxfaUniversidade de Santiago de CompostelaCampus Vida s/nSantiago de CompostelaEspana 

出 版 物：《Current Zoology》 (动物学报（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2020年第66卷第1期

页      面：51-56页

核心收录：

学科分类：0710[理学-生物学] 07[理学] 0905[农学-畜牧学] 0906[农学-兽医学] 071002[理学-动物学] 

基　　金：J.S.-H.was supported by a postdoctoral grant from the Galician Plan for Research Innovation and Growth(Plan I2C Xunta de Galicia). 

主　　题：aquatic systems clades FishBase global datasets taxonomic sufficiency trophic ecology 

摘      要：It has been taken for granted that feeding guilds and behavior in animals are linked to the taxonomic relatedness of species,but empirical evidence supporting such relationship is virtually missing.To examine the importance of taxonomy on trophic ecology,I here present the first well-resolved dietary taxonomy analysis based on feeding guilds(predation,herbivory,and filtering)among families and genera within the fish order Perciformes.Taxonomic relatedness in feeding did not vary with ecosystem dimension(marine vs.freshwater).Although predation dominates among Perciformes fishes,this study shows that in most cases taxonomic units(family or genus)are composed by species with several feeding guilds.Related species are more similar in feeding compared with species that are taxonomically more distant demonstrating that there is a greater variation of feeding guilds within families than genera.Thus,there is no consistency in feeding guilds between family-and genus-level taxonomy.This study provides empirical support for the notion that genera are more informative than families,underlining that family-level taxonomy should be avoided to infer feeding habits of fish species at finer taxonomic resolution.Thus,the choice of taxonomic resolution(family or genus level)in ecological studies is key to avoid information loss and misleading results.I conclude that high-rank taxonomic units(i.e.,above the generic level)are not appropriate to test research hypotheses about the feeding of fish.