Trophic guilds of marine predators in the California current large marine ecosystem

Quantifying trophic relationships of marine species is fundamental to the construction and performance ecosystem models, development effective ecosystem-based fisheries management strategies, support trait-based approaches ecological risk assessment. Accounting for food web dynamics in taxonomically diverse ecosystems, such as California Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME), especially challenging because sheer number linkages their inherent variability. Consequently, analyses that can inform most appropriate means aggregating or other taxonomic groups into assemblages guilds are critical reducing system complexity modeling management, particularly when data limited. To provide a methodological approach globally applicable cases, we define within biogeographic regions CCLME, compare results among these regions, discuss implications. Within each region, predator were clearly demarcated by foraging habitat (benthic, nearshore pelagic, offshore pelagic), scale movements, position. Furthermore, distinctive with composition noted characteristics largely driving guild structure. Predator reliant on continental slope habitat, adult Pacific Hake, have diets representative areas similar throughout CCLME. Generally, larger, more mobile predators typically feed deeper waters, including swordfish, sea lions, sharks clustered together multiple bioregions along coast; all primarily fishes squids. Throughout bioregions, groundfishes preyed benthic invertebrates (e.g., decapods, amphipods, polychaetes), while shelf-oriented pelagic predators, smaller salmon, euphausiids, copepods, gelatinous zooplankton). A large forage taxa well represented this study dependent oceanographic conditions at regional decapods), basin copepods), combination both Northern Anchovy). Such distinctions indicate spatial temporal scales coherence prey also must be considered models evaluation strategies. Our quantifies integrated over decades across providing an improved understanding functioning. The analytical developed may easily extended address based priorities regions.