Feeding patterns of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) parr are better explained by local drivers than by macroecological drivers

Abstract

We modeled feeding of the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) parr to understand the role of global (cross-continental) and regional (river) spatial scales for delineating feeding patterns. The diet composition differed between Eurasia and North America populations. Geographic location (latitude and elevation) had an influence for the most common prey (Ephemeroptera, Diptera and Plecoptera). The random factors (sampling location and river) had a strong explanatory power in our models, suggesting that local drivers may override the effects of large-scale drivers.