Resource partitioning among pelagic predators remains stable despite annual variability in diet composition

Diet data are critical for describing resource use and partitioning among competitors. However, timeseries of diet data needed to properly assess variability in resource use and partitioning are limited, especially in pelagic (open ocean) ecosystems where predators and prey make broad use of horizontal and vertical habitats. We examined a diet timeseries spanning two decades (1998-2018), consisting of 2,749 stomachs from ten pelagic predators in the southern California Current Ecosystem (SCCE): albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga), Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis), swordfish (Xiphias gladius), blue shark (Prionace glauca), shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus), common thresher shark (Alopias vulpinus), bigeye thresher shark (Alopias superciliosus), short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), long-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus capensis), and northern right whale dolphin (Lissodelphis borealis). We examined feeding habits with respect to prey taxonomy, length, vertical habitat, a..., , , # Data from Resource partitioning among pelagic predators remains stable despite annual variability in diet composition [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.wpzgmsc05](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.wpzgmsc05) ## Description of the data and file structure We examined a diet timeseries spanning two decades (1998-2018), consisting of 2,749 stomachs from ten pelagic predators in the southern California Current Ecosystem (SCCE): albacore tuna (*Thunnus alalunga*), Pacific bluefin tuna (*Thunnus orientalis*), swordfish (*Xiphias gladius*), blue shark (*Prionace glauca*), shortfin mako (*Isurus oxyrinchus*), common thresher shark (*Alopias vulpinus*), bigeye thresher shark (*Alopias superciliosus*), short-beaked common dolphin (*Delphinus delphis*), long-beaked common dolphin (*Delphinus capensis*), and northern right whale dolphin (*Lissodelphis borealis*). We examined feeding habits with respect to prey taxonomy, length, vertical habitat, and horizontal habitat. Intact and partial remains of p...,