Retrospective stable isotopes of vertebrae reveal sexual ontogenetic patterns and trophic ecology in oceanic whitetip shark, Carcharhinus longimanus
Abstract There is a common phenomenon in nature whereby some animals have differences in their ontogenetic changes in dietary preferences between sexes, especially apex predators. These reflect changes in the needs of development during their lifetimes. Apex predators potentially have diverse dietar...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8452 |
| _version_ | 1797924586331832320 |
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| author | Yongfu Shen Yi Gong Feng Wu Yunkai Li |
| author_facet | Yongfu Shen Yi Gong Feng Wu Yunkai Li |
| author_sort | Yongfu Shen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract There is a common phenomenon in nature whereby some animals have differences in their ontogenetic changes in dietary preferences between sexes, especially apex predators. These reflect changes in the needs of development during their lifetimes. Apex predators potentially have diverse dietary niches and a large impact on the trophic dynamics within ecosystems. However, the difference in life history between males and females often leads to increased difficulty in management and conservation. In this study, 25 oceanic whitetip sharks, Carcharhinus longimanus, were collected from the central and eastern tropical Pacific. Retrospective stable isotope analysis of vertebrae was used to evaluate the potential ontogenetic differences in feeding habits and niche width between sexes. Results showed that C. longimanus had a wide range of δ13C values (−18.1 to −12.3‰) and δ15N values (8.9–14.8‰). However, males and females had similar trophic positions with large niche overlap at similar growth stages. Both sexes had increasing δ13C values but relatively constant δ15N values along the vertebrae. These results indicated that male and female C. longimanus may share similar feeding strategies and movement patterns. The results presented in this study enhance our understanding of sexual ontogenetic patterns and ecological role of C. longimanus and highlighted the applicability of vertebrae for characterizing shark life‐history traits. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T15:03:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-aa01828d51494843a56f9396593c4f54 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T15:03:20Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-aa01828d51494843a56f9396593c4f542023-02-15T09:06:07ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582022-01-01121n/an/a10.1002/ece3.8452Retrospective stable isotopes of vertebrae reveal sexual ontogenetic patterns and trophic ecology in oceanic whitetip shark, Carcharhinus longimanusYongfu Shen0Yi Gong1Feng Wu2Yunkai Li3College of Marine Sciences Shanghai Ocean University Shanghai ChinaCollege of Marine Sciences Shanghai Ocean University Shanghai ChinaCollege of Marine Sciences Shanghai Ocean University Shanghai ChinaCollege of Marine Sciences Shanghai Ocean University Shanghai ChinaAbstract There is a common phenomenon in nature whereby some animals have differences in their ontogenetic changes in dietary preferences between sexes, especially apex predators. These reflect changes in the needs of development during their lifetimes. Apex predators potentially have diverse dietary niches and a large impact on the trophic dynamics within ecosystems. However, the difference in life history between males and females often leads to increased difficulty in management and conservation. In this study, 25 oceanic whitetip sharks, Carcharhinus longimanus, were collected from the central and eastern tropical Pacific. Retrospective stable isotope analysis of vertebrae was used to evaluate the potential ontogenetic differences in feeding habits and niche width between sexes. Results showed that C. longimanus had a wide range of δ13C values (−18.1 to −12.3‰) and δ15N values (8.9–14.8‰). However, males and females had similar trophic positions with large niche overlap at similar growth stages. Both sexes had increasing δ13C values but relatively constant δ15N values along the vertebrae. These results indicated that male and female C. longimanus may share similar feeding strategies and movement patterns. The results presented in this study enhance our understanding of sexual ontogenetic patterns and ecological role of C. longimanus and highlighted the applicability of vertebrae for characterizing shark life‐history traits.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8452Carcharhinus longimanusontogenystable isotopesvertebra |
| spellingShingle | Yongfu Shen Yi Gong Feng Wu Yunkai Li Retrospective stable isotopes of vertebrae reveal sexual ontogenetic patterns and trophic ecology in oceanic whitetip shark, Carcharhinus longimanus Ecology and Evolution Carcharhinus longimanus ontogeny stable isotopes vertebra |
| title | Retrospective stable isotopes of vertebrae reveal sexual ontogenetic patterns and trophic ecology in oceanic whitetip shark, Carcharhinus longimanus |
| title_full | Retrospective stable isotopes of vertebrae reveal sexual ontogenetic patterns and trophic ecology in oceanic whitetip shark, Carcharhinus longimanus |
| title_fullStr | Retrospective stable isotopes of vertebrae reveal sexual ontogenetic patterns and trophic ecology in oceanic whitetip shark, Carcharhinus longimanus |
| title_full_unstemmed | Retrospective stable isotopes of vertebrae reveal sexual ontogenetic patterns and trophic ecology in oceanic whitetip shark, Carcharhinus longimanus |
| title_short | Retrospective stable isotopes of vertebrae reveal sexual ontogenetic patterns and trophic ecology in oceanic whitetip shark, Carcharhinus longimanus |
| title_sort | retrospective stable isotopes of vertebrae reveal sexual ontogenetic patterns and trophic ecology in oceanic whitetip shark carcharhinus longimanus |
| topic | Carcharhinus longimanus ontogeny stable isotopes vertebra |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8452 |
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