Diet and Temporal Partitioning Facilitates Coexistence Between Two Octopus Species in a Shallow Coastal Habitat

Niche partitioning mechanisms may be used by
closely related, sympatric species to reduce competition.
We examine two dimensions of niche partitioning
(diet and temporal) amongst the common
octopus (Octopus vulgaris) and the Atlantic longarm
octopus (Macrotritopus defilippi), which spatially
overlap in a South Florida intracoastal habitat. SCUBA
is used to collect octopus prey remains and gather
supplemental feeding images to determine diets
of each species. A 24h octopus monitoring camera
records foraging activity times for each species. The
common octopus consumes bivalves (49%), gastropods
(32%) and crustaceans (19%), and forages
at dawn, dusk, and nocturnal hours. The Atlantic
longarm octopus consumes crustaceans (89%) and
bivalves (11%), and forages during diurnal hours. Results
suggest there is diet overlap between species
and octopuses use temporal partitioning. This study
provides additional findings to cephalopod niche
partitioning literature, novel information on the ecology
of the Atlantic longarm octopus, and conservation
requirements for sand-dwelling species.