William G Jenkins

Stable isotope dynamics of herbivorous reef fishes and their ectoparasites: 2012, 2013, 2018

Acanthurid surgeonfishes are an abundant and diverse group of herbivorous fishes on coral reefs. While their contribution to trophic linkages and dynamics in coral reef systems has received considerable attention, the role of linkages involving their parasites has not. As both consumers of fish tissue and prey to microcarnivores, external parasites can play a significant role in trophic transfer between the primarily algae-based food source and the broader coral reef community. Stable isotope analysis is a common tool for studying trophic linkages, which can be used for studies involving parasites. These data were collected to examine the stable isotope ecology (13C and 15N) of copepod (Caligus atromaculatus) and...

Categories: Data; Tags: Aquatic Biology, Ecology, Ecology, USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), Virgin Islands of the United States, All tags... Wildlife Biology, Wildlife Biology, Wildlife Disease, Wildlife Disease, coral reefs, farming, herbivores, oceans, parasites, Fewer tags

Host feeding ecology and trophic position significantly influence isotopic discrimination between a generalist ectoparasite and its hosts: implications for parasite-host trophic studies

Despite being one of the most prevalent forms of consumerism in ecological communities, parasitism has largely been excluded from food-web models. Stable isotope analysis of consumers and their diets has been widely used in the study of food-webs for decades. However, the amount of information regarding parasite stable isotope ecology is limited, restricting the ability of ecologists to use stable isotope analysis to study parasites in food-webs. This study took advantage of distinct differences in the feeding ecology and trophic position of different species of fish known to host the same common micropredatory gnathiid isopod, to study the effects of host stable isotope ecology on that of the associated micropredator....

Categories: Data; Tags: Eastern Caribbean, Ecology, Shallow/Mesophotic Coral Reef Biota, St John, United States Virgin Islands, Stable Isotopes, All tags... USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), Virgin Islands of the United States, biota, coral reefs, food web, parasites, stable isotope analysis, symbiosis, Fewer tags