Data from: Forage species in predator diets: synthesis of data from the California Current

Characterization of the diets of upper-trophic pelagic predators that consume forage species is a key ingredient in the development of ecosystem-based fishery management plans, conservation of marine predators, and ecological and economic modeling of trophic interactions. Here we present the California Current Predator Diet Database (CCPDD) for the California Current region of the Pacific Ocean over the past century, assimilating over 190 published records of predator food habits for over 100 predator species and 32 categories of forage taxa (species or groups of similar species). Literature searches targeted all predators that consumed forage species: seabirds, cetaceans, pinnipeds, bony and cartilaginous fishes, and a predatory invertebrate. Diet data were compiled into a relational database. Analysis of the CCPDD highlighted differences in predator diet data availability based on geography, time period and predator taxonomy, as well as prominent prey categories. The top 5 forage taxa with the most predators included juvenile rockfish, northern anchovy, euphausiid krill, Pacific herring and market squid. Predator species with abundant data included Pacific hake, common murre, and California sea lion. Most diet data were collected during the summer; the lack of winter data will restrict future use of the CCPDD to understand seasonal patterns in predator diet unless more such data become available. Increased synthesis of historical information can provide new resources to understand patterns in the role of forage species in predator diet. Increased publication and/or accessibility of long-term datasets and data-sharing will further foster the synthesis of information intended to inform the management, conservation and understanding of marine food webs.

对以饵料生物为食的远洋高营养级捕食者的食性特征进行解析，是构建基于生态系统的渔业管理方案、开展海洋捕食者保护以及开展营养级相互作用的生态与经济模型的核心要素。本研究构建了覆盖太平洋加利福尼亚流海域近百年历史的加利福尼亚流捕食者食性数据库（California Current Predator Diet Database, CCPDD），整合了190余篇已发表的捕食者食性记录，涵盖100余种捕食者物种以及32类饵料类群（单一物种类群或具有相似生态特征的物种类群）。本次文献检索覆盖所有以饵料生物为食的捕食类群：海鸟、鲸类、鳍足类、硬骨鱼与软骨鱼类，以及一种捕食性无脊椎动物。所有食性数据均被整合至关系型数据库中。对CCPDD的分析结果显示，捕食者食性数据的可获取性存在显著差异，其差异维度涵盖地理区域、时间跨度以及捕食者分类类群，同时也凸显出优势猎物类群的分布特征。捕食者关联最多的前5类饵料类群依次为幼体岩鱼、北方鳀、磷虾、太平洋鲱以及市场鱿鱼，数据较为丰富的捕食者物种则包括太平洋无须鳕、崖海鸦以及加州海狮。绝大多数食性数据采集于夏季；冬季数据的缺失将限制CCPDD在未来用于解析捕食者食性的季节变化模式，除非后续能获取更多冬季相关数据。加强对历史数据的整合分析，可为解析饵料类群在捕食者食性中的作用模式提供新的研究资源。增加长期数据集的发表与/或可获取性，并推动数据共享，将进一步促进相关信息的整合，从而为海洋食物网的管理、保护与认知提供支撑。