My first PhD manuscript has been accepted at Ecology! The manuscript focuses on coprophagy in Caribbean parrotfishes. Coprophagy, or the consumption of fecal matter, has been observed in parrotfishes in prior studies. However, the prevalence and rate of its occurrence has not been quantified. We quantified rates of coprophagy for 5 common parrotfishes in Bonaire. In four of these species, most individuals consumed planktivore (predominantly Chromis spp.) feces in the water column, though at different rates. We used these rates to estimate the relative contribution of fecal C, N, and P to parrotfishes through this pathway and compared that to the contributions from their major benthic foraging targets (e.g., epilithic and endolithic algae). These estimates suggest that C, N, and P acquisition from planktivore feces is substantial, despite bites on feces representing a relatively small proportion of the total bites taken by these species.
