Data from: Playing out Liem's Paradox: opportunistic piscivory across Lake Tanganyikan cichlids

Trophic specialization is a key feature of the diversity of cichlid fish
adaptive radiations. However, Liem (1980) observed that even species with
highly specialized trophic morphologies have dietary flexibility, enabling
them to exploit episodic food resources opportunistically. Evidence for
dietary flexibility comes largely from laboratory studies, and it is
unclear whether cichlid fishes undergo diet shifts in the wild. We report
observations of diet switching by multiple cichlid species in Lake
Tanganyika as a consequence of unusual concentrations of schooling
juvenile clupeid fishes. Fish species with varying degrees of trophic
specialization converged on a single prey: juvenile sardines that are also
endemic to Lake Tanganyika (Stolothrissa tanganicae and Limnothrissa
miodon). We provide evidence for cichlid species acting as
jacks-of-all-trades and discuss this evidence in the framework of Liem’s
classic paradox: that trophic specialization does not preclude dietary
flexibility.