Animals that disrupt sediments through burrowing or foraging contribute to ecosystem function through bioturbation and ecosystem engineering processes linked to their excavation behavior. Empirical evidence linking behavior with function is rare; yet this information is critical for assessing species-specific functional roles. Using two stingray species, Himantura australis and Pastinachus ater, as model ecosystem engineers, we empirically investigated how foraging behavior influenced the functional roles of sympatric species. Drone observations of stingray foraging revealed a strong link between behavior and function. Excavation feeding created the largest feeding pits and accounted for 58–67% of sediment turnover despite occurring in only 22–31% of feeding events. Although both H. australis and P. ater were capable of excavation feeding, less disruptive foraging behaviors were often favored over excavation. Differences in space use and behavior revealed that functional roles of sympatric stingrays are different yet complementary, which may enhance ecosystem productivity. High feeding rates combined with frequent use of disruptive feeding behaviors resulted in higher bioturbation rates for H. australis than for P. ater. On the other hand, P. ater made fewer feeding pits but foraged over a broader sandflat area than H. australis. Consequently, H. australis have intense, localized bioturbation and ecosystem engineering impacts, while P. ater is likely to promote nutrient dispersal over a larger area. Overall, results suggest that functional roles are dependent on complex interactions between feeding behavior and space use, meaning an extensive understanding of engineering activities is required before similar functional roles can be assumed for even morphologically similar species.

中文翻译：

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特定物种的觅食行为定义了同域黄貂鱼的功能作用

通过挖洞或觅食破坏沉积物的动物通过与其挖掘行为相关的生物扰动和生态系统工程过程促进生态系统功能。将行为与功能联系起来的经验证据很少；然而，这些信息对于评估特定物种的功能作用至关重要。我们使用两种黄貂鱼物种Himantura australis和Pastinachus ater作为模型生态系统工程师，实证研究了觅食行为如何影响同域物种的功能作用。无人机对黄貂鱼觅食的观察揭示了行为和功能之间的密切联系。尽管仅发生在 22-31% 的喂食事件中，挖掘喂食创造了最大的喂食坑，占沉积物周转的 58-67%。虽然两者H. australis和P. ater能够挖掘觅食，破坏性较小的觅食行为通常比挖掘更受青睐。空间利用和行为的差异表明，同域黄貂鱼的功能作用不同但互补，这可能会提高生态系统的生产力。高摄食率加上频繁使用破坏性摄食行为导致H. australis的生物扰动率高于P. ater。另一方面，P. ater的觅食坑较少，但在比H. australis更广阔的沙滩区域觅食。因此，H. australis具有强烈的局部生物扰动和生态系统工程影响，而P. ater可能会促进养分在更大范围内的扩散。总体而言，结果表明，功能角色依赖于摄食行为和空间利用之间的复杂相互作用，这意味着需要对工程活动有广泛的了解，然后才能为即使是形态相似的物种承担类似的功能角色。