Approaching the Ecological Role of the Squat Lobster ( Munida gregaria ) and the Fuegian Sprat ( Sprattus fuegensis ) in the Francisco Coloane Marine Area (Magellan Strait, Chile) Using a Pelagic Food Web Model

• Published in: Animals (Basel) Vol. 13; no. 1; p. 3
• Main Authors: Haro, Daniela, Neira, Sergio, Hernández-Padilla, Juan Carlos, Arreguín-Sánchez, Francisco, Sabat, Pablo, Vargas, Cristian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 20.12.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Aquatic birds; Aquatic mammals; Biomass; Birds; Cetacea; Coloane, Francisco; Crustaceans; ecosystem model; Ecosystems; Energy; Energy flow; Energy transfer; Food; Food chains; Food webs; Fuegian sprat; Functional groups; Indicators; Magellan Strait; Marine ecosystems; Marine environment; Marine mammals; Marine protected areas; Munida gregaria; Offshore structures; Plankton; Predation; Predator-prey simulation; Predators; Prey; Primary production; Productivity; Protected areas; Pseudophycis bachus; Shellfish; Sprattus fuegensis; Sprattus sprattus; squat lobster; structure and functioning; Trophic levels; trophic role; Whales; Chile; structure and functioning; ecosystem model; Magellan Strait; squat lobster; trophic role; Fuegian sprat
• ISSN: 2076-2615; 2076-2615
• DOI: 10.3390/ani13010003

The structure and functioning of the food web of the Francisco Coloane Marine Area in the Magellan Strait, Chile, was quantified, with an emphasis on identifying the ecological role of the squat lobster ( ) and the Fuegian sprat ( ). Food web indicators, the trophic level, and centrality indices were estimated using Ecopath with Ecosim. Dynamic simulations were carried out to evaluate the ecosystem impacts of biomass changes in squat lobster and Fuegian sprat. The model calculated a total ecosystem biomass of 71.7 t km and a total primary production of 2450.9 t km year . Squat lobster and Fuegian sprat were located in specific trophic levels of 2.3 and 2.7, respectively. Squat lobster reduction produced a decrease in the biomass of red cod (42-56%) and humpback whales (25-28%) and Fuegian sprat reduction a decrease in penguins (15-37%) and seabirds (11-34%). The Francisco Coloane Area is an immature ecosystem with productivity and energy flows values within those reported for productive ecosystems; the role of the squat lobster seems to be related to the structure of the food web, and the role of the Fuegian sprat seems to be related to the functioning of the ecosystem and to the energy transfer to top predators.