Stable Isotope Analysis of Antipatharian Diets from the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico

Authors

Keir J. Macartney, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Victoria Salinas, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Zachary Rivera, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
David Hicks, The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-2024

Abstract

Antipatharians, or black corals, form a key component of the benthic fauna found throughout the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). In the northwestern GOM, they are a common member of the communities found on the natural relic coral—algal banks known as the South Texas Banks as well as on artificial reefs. They are known to provide important habitat for many ecologically and economically important species in the area but are relatively understudied. Here we present a study on their trophic ecology using stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen from 2 species, Antipathes atlantica and Stichopathes luetkeni from a mesophotic artificial reef in close proximity to the South Texas Banks. We observed that a large proportion of the 2 coral’s diets was composed of detrital matter, likely driven by the continuous disturbance of the benthos by high velocity benthic currents common to the region that support a persistent nepheloid layer below 30 m. Both species also show a reliance on different members of the planktonic community, with A. atlantica consuming more micro and mesozooplankton compared to S. luetkeni. Comparative analysis between soft tissue and skeletal material also indicates that A. atlantica may change its diet on a seasonal basis, while S. luetkeni appears to rely on detrital matter consistently. This study represents the first assessment of the diets of these organisms and provides valuable insight on the trophic ecology of 2 common antipatharian corals in the GOM on natural and artificial reef ecosystems.

Comments

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Recommended Citation

Macartney, K. J., V. Salinas, Z. Rivera and D. Hicks. 2024. Stable Isotope Analysis of Antipatharian Diets from the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico. Gulf and Caribbean Research 35 (1): 57-64. https://doi.org/10.18785/gcr.3501.14

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Publication Title

Gulf and Caribbean Research

DOI

https://doi.org/10.18785/gcr.3501.14