Trophic Ecology of Marine Predators

Marine predators occupy critical positions in oceanic food webs, mediating energy transfer from primary producers through multiple trophic levels and regulating the abundance and distribution of prey species. Trophic ecology examines feeding interactions, dietary composition and the drivers of predator foraging behaviour, drawing on methods such as stable isotope and fatty acid analyses to reconstruct diets and habitat use over time. Predictive models and biochemical tracers have elucidated how environmental variability, including temperature and nutrient regimes, shapes prey availability and predator condition. Studies of tissue turnover rates and trophic discrimination factors have refined interpretations of isotopic data, providing insight into temporal scales of feeding. Moreover, investigations into coastal–oceanic linkages reveal the importance of reef-derived prey for pelagic tuna and billfish, emphasising the interconnected nature of marine ecosystems. Integrating telemetry, ecological modelling and biogeochemical markers offers a comprehensive understanding of predator–prey networks, which is essential for informing ecosystem-based management, conserving biodiversity and sustaining fisheries under changing ocean conditions.

Research from Nature Portfolio

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Trophic Ecology of Marine Predators publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in trophic ecology of marine predators across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Trophic level: Position of an organism within a food chain, determined by its primary dietary sources.

Stable isotope analysis: Examination of naturally occurring isotopic ratios in consumer tissues to infer diet composition and habitat use.

Trophic discrimination factor: The isotopic offset between an animal’s tissue and its diet, reflecting metabolic processing of nutrients.

Isoscape: Spatially explicit map of isotopic variation in the environment, used to trace animal movements and foraging regions.

Trophic position: Quantitative estimate of an organism’s level in a food web, often derived from isotopic or dietary data.

References

1. Tissue Turnover Rates and Isotopic Trophic Discrimination Factors in the Endothermic Teleost, Pacific Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus orientalis). PLOS ONE (2012).
2. Interaction between Coastal and Oceanic Ecosystems of the Western and Central Pacific Ocean through Predator-Prey Relationship Studies. PLOS ONE (2012).
3. Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) foraging habitat and trophic position in the Gulf of Mexico based on intrinsic isotope tracers. PLOS ONE (2021).