Feeding ecology study of Smalltooth sawfish using 18S rRNA high-throuput sequencing

An 18S rRNA gene sequencing technique was used to identify prey taxa in sawfish fecal samples. This analysis provided evidence that the smalltooth sawfish feeds primarily on teleost and elasmobranch fishes at all life stages, even though sawfish move from estuarine to coastal habitats during their ontogeny. The result will aid in the development of management decisions regarding these prey species and in improving long-term recovery planning for the smalltooth sawfish.

本数据集采用18S rRNA基因测序技术（18S rRNA gene sequencing），对锯鳐粪便样本中的猎物类群进行鉴定。本次分析证实，小齿锯鳐（smalltooth sawfish）在各个生命阶段均主要以硬骨鱼类（teleost）和板鳃类鱼类（elasmobranch）为食，尽管该物种在个体发育过程中会从河口生境迁移至近岸生境。本研究结果将有助于制定针对上述猎物物种的管理策略，并助力完善小齿锯鳐的长期种群恢复规划。