Describing the trophic structure and interactions of demersal elasmobranch assemblages is fundamental to understanding food web dynamics and developing ecosystem-based management approaches. Stomach content analysis (SCA) and stable isotope ratios (SIA) of carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) from muscle were used to examine the dietary habits and intra- and interspecific trophic ecology of three sympatric batoid species (Dasyatis pastinaca, Raja clavata, and Raja maderensis) from the Azores, Northeast Atlantic. Data were analyzed with respect to sex and maturity stages. SCA showed that D. pastinaca feeds mostly on crustaceans, whereas R. clavata and R. maderensis prey almost exclusively on teleosts, but not on the same species. Dasyatis pastinaca displayed higher δ¹³C and lower δ¹⁵N values compared to R. clavata and R. maderensis. Trophic niche breadth was variable, D. pastinaca and R. clavata had the broadest and the narrowest trophic breadth, respectively. Relative trophic position categorized D. pastinaca as a mesopredator, while R. clavata and R. maderensis occupied higher trophic positions. With size, R. clavata and R. maderensis shifted from small prey such as crustaceans to larger prey such as teleosts, and they also exhibited significant increases in δ¹⁵N with size. Dietary and isotopic overlap was overall low among species, but it was higher between R. clavata and R. maderensis, suggesting more similarity in diet and habitat use between them than with D. pastinaca. This study depicts trophic interactions and functional roles of three co-existing batoid species in the Azorean food webs. In addition to presenting new information on the trophic ecology of D. pastinaca and R. clavata, the present study provides, to our knowledge, the first description of the diet composition and trophic level of the Macaronesian endemic batoid R. maderensis.

描述底层软骨鱼类组合的营养结构和相互作用对于理解食物网动态和开发基于生态系统的管理方法至关重要。^{肌肉中碳 (δ 13} C) 和氮 (δ ¹⁵ N)的胃内容物分析 (SCA) 和稳定同位素比值 (SIA)用于检查三种同域蝙蝠物种 ( Dasyatis ) 的饮食习惯以及种内和种间营养生态学pastinaca、Raja clavata和Raja madrensis ) 来自大西洋东北部的亚速尔群岛。对性别和成熟阶段的数据进行了分析。SCA 显示D. pastinaca主要以甲壳类动物为食，而R. clavata和R. madrensis几乎只捕食硬骨鱼，但不捕食同一物种。与R相比，Dasyatis pastinaca显示出更高的 δ ¹³ C 值和更低的 δ ¹⁵ N 值。clavata和R。马德兰。营养生态位宽度是可变的，D。pastinaca和R. clavata分别具有最宽和最窄的营养宽度。相对营养位置分类为D。pastinaca作为中型捕食者，而R . clavata和R. madrensis占据较高的营养位置。随着尺寸，R. _ clavata和R。maderensis从甲壳类动物等小型猎物转移到硬骨鱼等较大的猎物，并且它们的 δ ¹⁵ N 也随体型显着增加。物种间的饮食和同位素重叠总体较低，但R. clavata和R. madrensis之间的重叠率较高，表明它们之间的饮食和栖息地使用比D. pastinaca更相似。本研究描述了亚速尔群岛食物网中三种共存的蝙蝠科物种的营养相互作用和功能作用。除了提供关于D. pastinaca和R. clavata的营养生态学的新信息, 据我们所知，本研究首次描述了 Macaronesian 地方性蝙蝠R. madrensis的饮食组成和营养水平。