ABSTRACT
Resources (e.g., food and habitat) partitioning may be viewed as one of the key factors in the diversifying process, promoting the coexistence of closely related and ecologically equivalent species (Colwell and Fuentes 1975). The trophic niche is defined as the place of an organism in the environment in relation to its food (Silvertown 2004). Generally speaking, the trophic ecology of coral reef fishes has been broadly studied. For instance, extensive evidences of trophic adaptations and a great diversity of diets were highlighted in Labridae (Wainwright 1988, Wainwright et al. 2004) and Chaetodontidae (Motta 1988, Pratchett 2007).
