Knowledge of skate ecology must be improved to ensure their effective protection. This study represents the first description of diet composition for one of the largest European rajid, the blue skate Dipturus cf. flossada. A total of 346 specimens collected in Celtic Sea from 2012 to 2015 were analysed for their gut content, with respect to individual total length, maturity stage and sex. Overall, blue skate diet mainly consisted of shrimps and prawns, crabs and teleost fishes. Non-metric multidimensional scaling and ANOSIM analyses revealed major ontogenetic shifts in feeding strategy that were related to size and maturity, but not to sex. Shrimps and prawns, mostly composed of Crangon allmanni, dominated the diet of small and immature individuals, while mod-size skate primarily preyed on crabs. The prevalence of crustaceans decreased with size and maturity and was gradually replaced by teleost fishes in large mature individuals. A concomitant increase of the trophic level with size revealed that large blue skate become a top predator within the ecosystem. These results highlight the need to include the ontogenetic changes in the diet description. As individuals grow and mature, blue skates can play a fundamental role in the structure of the Celtic Sea food web. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

中文翻译：

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蓝鳐的营养生态学和个体发生的饮食转变（ Dipturus cf. flossada ）

必须提高滑冰生态知识，以确保对其进行有效保护。这项研究首次描述了欧洲最大的 rajid 之一，即蓝冰鞋 Dipturus 的饮食成分。弗洛萨达。分析了 2012 年至 2015 年在凯尔特海收集的 346 个标本的肠道内容，包括个体总长度、成熟阶段和性别。总体而言，蓝鲛的饮食主要包括虾和虾、螃蟹和硬骨鱼。非度量多维标度和 ANOSIM 分析揭示了喂养策略的主要个体发生变化，这些变化与大小和成熟度有关，但与性别无关。虾和虾，主要由 Crangon allmanni 组成，在小型和未成熟个体的饮食中占主导地位，而 mod-size skate 主要捕食螃蟹。甲壳类的流行率随着体型和成熟度的增加而下降，并逐渐被大型成熟个体中的硬骨鱼所取代。营养水平随着体型的增加而增加，表明大型蓝鳐成为生态系统中的顶级捕食者。这些结果强调了在饮食描述中包括个体遗传变化的必要性。随着个体的成长和成熟，蓝冰鞋可以在凯尔特海食物网的结构中发挥重要作用。本文受版权保护。版权所有。随着个体的成长和成熟，蓝冰鞋可以在凯尔特海食物网的结构中发挥重要作用。本文受版权保护。版权所有。随着个体的成长和成熟，蓝冰鞋可以在凯尔特海食物网的结构中发挥重要作用。本文受版权保护。版权所有。