Effects of oil exposure on multiple predator effects in coastal food webs, a mesocosm study from 2017-09-18 to 2017-12-04

This collection of datasets was generated from mesocosm experiments conducted from September to December 2017 to examine the effects of oil exposure on trophic interactions of fish and crustaceans in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Four predator species were used in this experiment: hardhead catfish (Ariopsis felis), Gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis), Gulf toadfish (Opsanus beta), and adult blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus). Prey assemblages composed of 3 common prey species (diamond killifish (Fundulus xenicus), juvenile blue crabs (C. sapidus), and grass shrimp (Palaemonetes spp.)) were exposed to predator assemblages composed of 4 individuals from a single species (monoculture), from two species (2 individuals from each species), or from four species (1 individual from each species) to manipulate potential effects of predator diversity. Experimental replicates were run in pairs consisting of 1 oiled tank and 1 un-oiled tank. Oiled tanks were inoculated at the initiation of each experiment and 24 hours after initiation. Water samples were collected from oiled and un-oiled tanks one hour after each inoculation and at the termination of the experiment from 5 randomly selected replicate pairs to measure the concentration of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in the water. Prey survival was recorded at the end of each 48-hour replicate.