Data from: Prevalence of pelagic dependence among coral reef predators across an atoll seascape.

1) Coral reef food webs are complex, vary spatially and remain poorly
understood. Certain large predators, notably sharks, are subsidised by
pelagic production on outer reef slopes, but how widespread this
dependence is across all teleost fishery target species and within atolls
is unclear. 2) North Malé Atoll (Maldives) includes oceanic barrier as
well as lagoonal reefs. Nine fishery target predators constituting ca. 55%
of the local fishery target species biomass at assumed trophic levels 3-5
were selected for analysis. Data were derived from carbon (δ13C), nitrogen
(δ15N) and sulfur (δ34S) stable isotopes from predator white dorsal muscle
samples, and primary consumer species representing production source
end-members. 3) Three-source Bayesian stable isotope mixing models showed
that uptake of pelagic production extends throughout the atoll, with
predatory fishes showing equal planktonic reliance between inner and outer
edge reefs. Median plankton contribution was 65-80% for all groupers and
68-88% for an emperor, a jack and snappers. 4) Lagoonal and atoll edge
predators are equally at risk from anthropogenic and climate-induced
changes which may impact the linkages they construct, highlighting the
need for management plans that transcend the boundaries of this threatened
ecosystem.