Effects of predator density and diversity on trophic interactions of coastal nekton, a mesocosm study from August-October, 2016

These datasets were generated from mesocosm experiments conducted from August to October 2016 to examine the effects of predator density and diversity on trophic interactions of common coastal fish and crustacean species of the Gulf of Mexico. Four predator species were used in this experiment: red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), Gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis), Gulf toadfish (Opsanus beta), and adult Atlantic 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 monocultures (single species) ranging from low to high density (1 to 4 individuals, respectively) to test for predator density effects. Prey assemblages were also exposed to predator polycultures composed of 4 individuals from either 2 species or all 4 species to test for effects of predator diversity.本数据集源自2016年8月至10月开展的中宇宙实验，旨在探究捕食者密度与多样性对墨西哥湾常见沿海鱼类及甲壳类物种营养相互作用的影响。本实验共选用4种捕食者物种：红鼓鱼（眼斑拟石首鱼，Sciaenops ocellatus）、湾底鳉（Fundulus grandis）、海湾蟾鱼（Opsanus beta）以及大西洋蓝蟹成体（Callinectes sapidus）。猎物组合由3种常见猎物物种构成：菱形底鳉（Fundulus xenicus）、幼年蓝蟹（C. sapidus）以及草虾（Palaemonetes spp.）。研究将猎物组合暴露于密度梯度为1至4个个体的捕食者单种群落中，以测试捕食者密度的影响效应。同时，研究还将猎物组合暴露于由4个个体组成的捕食者多种群落中，此类群落要么包含2个捕食者物种，要么包含全部4个捕食者物种，以此测试捕食者多样性的影响效应。