2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH
5/21/2019 | 9:30 AM - 9:45 AM | DOES ECOMORPHOLOGICAL VARIATION EXPLAIN TROPHIC RESOURCE PARTITIONING BETWEEN SYMPATRIC LINEAGES OF AFROMONTANE STREAM CATFISHES? | 250 CF
DOES ECOMORPHOLOGICAL VARIATION EXPLAIN TROPHIC RESOURCE PARTITIONING BETWEEN SYMPATRIC LINEAGES OF AFROMONTANE STREAM CATFISHES?
Afromontane streams harbour cryptic ichthyological diversity whose ecology is poorly studied. This study evaluated the role of ecomorphology in the trophic resource partitioning of two newly discovered lineages, Chiloglanis sp. and Amphilius sp. that occur in sympatry within Afromontane streams. It was hypothesized that ecomorphology-driven differential diet utilization would be the key factor that facilitates coexistence of these taxa.
Three ecomorphological characters, namely RLDT (Relative Length of Digestive Tract), RDCP (Relative Depth of Caudal Peduncle) and DME (Distance from mouth to eye), were found to be important in distinguishing these two lineages. The RLDT, RDCP, and DME indicated that the Amphilius sp. was potentially a carnivorous and rover predator. In contrast, for Chiloglanis sp., the characters indicated it was potentially a lie-in-wait predator with an omnivorous diet.
Bayesian analysis revealed that there was a high probability of dietary overlap for the two lineages. This suggests that there was little evidence of ecomorphology-driven trophic niche partitioning. This study suggests that alternative mechanisms were likely to facilitate the co-existence of these lineages, such as the stochasticity of these mountain streams, which may prevent the establishment of competitive advantage for either lineage.
- Diet
- Functional Ecology
- Invertebrate
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Presenters/Authors
Nonjabulo Matomela
(), rhodes university , enjaymatomela3@gmail.com;
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