Feeding biology and resource partitioning of the Mullidae family members off the northeastern Levantine coast of Turkey

The introduction of invasive exotic species can have strong ecological impacts on the native biota, with direct consequences for commercial fisheries. Feeding ecology studies are among the primary sources for improving predictions related to community structures, for example, by revealing potential competitive interactions between native and invasive species. We compared the stomach contents and studied diet overlaps among a native (Mullus barbatus) and two invasive (Upeneus moluccensis and U. pori) mullid species, collected off the coasts of the northeastern Levantine where invasive mullids have been part of the ecosystem for more than half a century. We also assessed the effect of sex, sampling period, depth and size on stomach contents. Schoener's index indicated significant diet overlaps between U. moluccensis-U. pori and U. moluccensis-M. barbatus. Diets of U. pori and M. barbatus did not significantly overlap, which was explained by their differing depth preferences. Assessment of stomach contents showed that Crustacea, specifically Decapoda, was the main prey group across the studied mullid species. Polychaeta was also of high importance in the diet of the native M. barbatus, but not for the two invasive Upeneus species. A trophic level analysis revealed the two invasive mullids to have a higher trophic level than the native species (U. moluccensis: 3.58, U. pori: 3.55 versus M. barbatus: 3.38). The lack of a clear separation in habitat and diet preferences documented here between native and invasive mullids may pose a risk for the persistence of the economically valuable native M. barbatus in the Mediterranean Sea