Gastropod relevance in predator–prey interactions on a benthic shallow sandy ecosystem at Mar del Plata, Argentina (38°S)

ARRIGHETTI, F.; PENCHASZADEH, P.E.; BREY, T.; BREY, T.; TESO, V.; TESO, V.; ARRIGHETTI, F.; PENCHASZADEH, P.E.

JOURNAL OF THE MARINE BIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED KINGDOM

CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS

Año: 2018 vol. 99 p. 403 - 409

0025-3154

The shallow sandy marine subtidal ecosystem off Mar del Plata, Argentina, is the scene of multiple fisheries activities, in particularthe prawn?shrimp Artemesia longinaris and Pleoticus muelleri grounds. We examined the d13C vs d15N isotope signaturesof 22 species commonly found in the area in order to understand how this ecosystem supports the fishery, with specialemphasis on imposex-affected gastropod populations. Our results indicate that the main food source for Olivancillaria urceusand Buccinanops monilifer were bivalves and crustaceans. Buccinanops duartei and Olivancillaria carcellesi feed on bivalvesand also on macroalgae. These findings indicate, for the first time, a slight selectivity of some of the gastropods studied for localdrifted algal sources and how gastropods may scavenge available food from by-catch returned to the sea. The fishes Urophysisbrasiliensis and Callorhynchus callorhynchus appeared to be the top predators of this area with B. duartei and O. carcellesiconstituting important components of their diet.