title: Atlantic bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus feeding ecology in the northern Gulf of Mexico: a preliminary description of diet from the western Atlantic spawning grounds.
abstract: A combination of stomach contents, nitrogen stable-isotope and tissue C:N values are presented to demonstrate feeding activity of Atlantic bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus on the Gulf of Mexico (GOMEX) spawning grounds. Diets include teleosts, cephalopods, crustaceans and a pelagic tunicate (Pyrosoma atlanticum). Results reveal the need to classify the GOMEX as a T. thynnus feeding ground.
authors.affiliation: Center for Fisheries Research & Development, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, University of Southern Mississippi, Ocean Springs, MS, 39564, U.S.A.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Logan
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Provaznik
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Hoffmayer
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Staudinger
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Quattro
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Ingram
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Pollack
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Lutcavage
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004032:Diet; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005766:Gastrointestinal Contents; D060851:Gulf of America; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes / Q000032:analysis; D014413:Tuna / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes
keywords: Pyrosoma atlanticum; food web; lipids; stable isotopes; trophic ecology