Functional response shift and opportunistic predation of northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) by redfish (Sebastes sp.) under prey rarefaction and environmental change

Functional response shift and opportunistic predation of northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) by redfish (Sebastes sp.) under prey rarefaction and environmental change | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 6 August 2025 V3 Latest version Share on Functional response shift and opportunistic predation of northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) by redfish (Sebastes sp.) under prey rarefaction and environmental change Authors : Gregoire Boussens-Dumon 0000-0002-9230-5375 [email protected] , Eric Pedersen , Caroline Senay , Dominique Robert , and David Deslauriers Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.173621921.15248273/v3 363 views 183 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract The Gulf of St. Lawrence (GSL) is a semi-enclosed sea located in Atlantic Canada, which is warming rapidly. Redfish, a complex of two morphologically similar, demersal fish species ( Sebastes mentella and S. fasciatus ), have drastically increased in biomass after two decades of low biomass. Meanwhile, several cold-water species, such as the northern shrimp ( Pandalus borealis ), are collapsing. The latter is an important prey for redfish and, in addition to a temperature-driven shrinking habitat, they are likely suffering from an increase in predation pressure. To better understand the trophic dynamics between these key species of the GSL, we studied their functional response. Functional responses describe how the rate of consumption of a resource by a consumer changes with the resource’s density, providing precious insights on the energy flow between the two species and the stability of their dynamics. Using Generalized Additive Models, we show that redfish currently exhibit a type III functional response towards northern shrimp, associated with a predation pressure that decreases at low shrimp densities. This type of response is known to have a stabilising effect on population dynamics and might mitigate redfish impact on shrimp populations. Furthermore, this response evolved between the 1990s and the 2010s, suggesting a possible adaptation of redfish to their changing environment. Our models also showed significant negative effects of warming environmental conditions as well as trophic competition on shrimp consumption by redfish and confirmed the importance of predator size on their feeding habits, as observed in previous studies. The Gulf of St. Lawrence (GSL) is a semi-enclosed sea located in Atlantic Canada, which is warming rapidly. Redfish, a complex of two morphologically similar, demersal fish species ( Sebastes mentella and S. fasciatus ), have drastically increased in biomass after two decades of low biomass. Meanwhile, several cold-water species, such as the northern shrimp ( Pandalus borealis ), are collapsing. The latter is an important prey for redfish and, in addition to a temperature-driven shrinking habitat, they are likely suffering from an increase in predation pressure. To better understand the trophic dynamics between these key species of the GSL, we studied their functional response. Functional responses describe how the rate of consumption of a resource by a consumer changes with the resource’s density, providing precious insights on the energy flow between the two species and the stability of their dynamics. Using Generalized Additive Models, we show that redfish currently exhibit a type III functional response towards northern shrimp, associated with a predation pressure that decreases at low shrimp densities. This type of response is known to have a stabilising effect on population dynamics and might mitigate redfish impact on shrimp populations. Furthermore, this response evolved between the 1990s and the 2010s, suggesting a possible adaptation of redfish to their changing environment. Our models also showed significant negative effects of warming environmental conditions as well as trophic competition on shrimp consumption by redfish and confirmed the importance of predator size on their feeding habits, as observed in previous studies. The Gulf of St. Lawrence (GSL) is a semi-enclosed sea located in Atlantic Canada, which is warming rapidly. Redfish, a complex of two morphologically similar, demersal fish species ( Sebastes mentella and S. fasciatus ), have drastically increased in biomass after two decades of low biomass. Meanwhile, several cold-water species, such as the northern shrimp ( Pandalus borealis ), are collapsing. The latter is an important prey for redfish and, in addition to a temperature-driven shrinking habitat, they are likely suffering from an increase in predation pressure. To better understand the trophic dynamics between these key species of the GSL, we studied their functional response. Functional responses describe how the rate of consumption of a resource by a consumer changes with the resource’s density, providing precious insights on the energy flow between the two species and the stability of their dynamics. Using Generalized Additive Models, we show that redfish currently exhibit a type III functional response towards northern shrimp, associated with a predation pressure that decreases at low shrimp densities. This type of response is known to have a stabilising effect on population dynamics and might mitigate redfish impact on shrimp populations. Furthermore, this response evolved between the 1990s and the 2010s, suggesting a possible adaptation of redfish to their changing environment. Our models also showed significant negative effects of warming environmental conditions as well as trophic competition on shrimp consumption by redfish and confirmed the importance of predator size on their feeding habits, as observed in previous studies. The Gulf of St. Lawrence (GSL) is a semi-enclosed sea located in Atlantic Canada, which is warming rapidly. Redfish, a complex of two morphologically similar, demersal fish species ( Sebastes mentella and S. fasciatus ), have drastically increased in biomass after two decades of low biomass. Meanwhile, several cold-water species, such as the northern shrimp ( Pandalus borealis ), are collapsing. The latter is an important prey for redfish and, in addition to a temperature-driven shrinking habitat, they are likely suffering from an increase in predation pressure. To better understand the trophic dynamics between these key species of the GSL, we studied their functional response. Functional responses describe how the rate of consumption of a resource by a consumer changes with the resource’s density, providing precious insights on the energy flow between the two species and the stability of their dynamics. Using Generalized Additive Models, we show that redfish exhibit a type III functional response towards northern shrimp, associated with a predation pressure that decreases at low shrimp densities. This type of response is known to have a stabilising effect on population dynamics and might mitigate redfish impact on shrimp populations. Furthermore, this response has strengthened between the 1990s and the 2010s, suggesting a possible adaptation of redfish to their changing environment. Our models also showed significant negative effects of warming environmental conditions as well as trophic competition on shrimp consumption by redfish and confirmed the importance of predator size on their feeding habits, as observed in previous studies. Supplementary Material File (main_document.pdf) Download 1.23 MB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 07 January 2025 V2 Version 2 19 May 2025 V3 Version 3 06 August 2025 Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Keywords functional response generalised additive models gulf of st. lawrence northern shrimp predator-prey dynamics redfish Authors Affiliations Gregoire Boussens-Dumon 0000-0002-9230-5375 [email protected] Université du Québec à Rimouski Institut des sciences des sciences de la mer de Rimouski View all articles by this author Eric Pedersen Concordia University View all articles by this author Caroline Senay Maurice Lamontagne Institute View all articles by this author Dominique Robert Université du Québec à Rimouski Institut des sciences des sciences de la mer de Rimouski View all articles by this author David Deslauriers Université du Québec à Rimouski Institut des sciences des sciences de la mer de Rimouski View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 363 views 183 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Gregoire Boussens-Dumon, Eric Pedersen, Caroline Senay, et al. Functional response shift and opportunistic predation of northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) by redfish (Sebastes sp.) under prey rarefaction and environmental change. Authorea . 06 August 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.173621921.15248273/v3 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . 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