Increase in predation risk and trophic level induced by nocturnal visits of piscivorous fishes in a temperate seagrass bed

Abstract

The majority of surveys on food webs of aquatic ecosystems have been conducted during the day owning to difficulties in sampling animals at night. In this study, to examine diurnal changes in predator-prey interactions in a temperate seagrass Zostera marina bed, a quantitative day/night survey of fish, the dominant animal community, coupled with acoustic telemetry of their predators, was conducted. The number of species, abundance, and biomass of piscivorous predators and mean trophic level during the night were significantly higher than those in the day in all seasons. Analysis of the stomach contents of 182 piscivorous predators showed that no fish predation occurred during the day whereas predation occurred during the night in winter, spring, and summer. Acoustic telemetry demonstrated nocturnal visits by dominant piscivorous fish species (rockfishes and conger eel) to the seagrass bed. We conclude that the nocturnal visits by piscivorous fishes increased the predation risk and trophic level in the fish nursery. The ecological functions of seagrass beds should be reevaluated accounting for day/night changes in food webs; these areas serve as nurseries for juvenile and small-sized fishes during the day and as foraging grounds for predators during the night.