Use of isotopic analysis of vertebrae in reconstructing ontogenetic feeding ecology in white sharks.
Ecology
; 87(4): 829-34, 2006 Apr.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-16676526
ABSTRACT
We conducted stable 13C and 15N analysis on white shark vertebrae and demonstrated that incremental analysis of isotopes along the radius of a vertebral centrum produces a chronological record of dietary information, allowing for reconstruction of an individual's trophic history. Isotopic data showed significant enrichments in 15N with increasing sampling distance from the centrum center, indicating a correlation between body size and trophic level. Additionally, isotopic values verified two distinct ontogenetic trophic shifts in the white shark one following parturition, marking a dietary switch from yolk to fish; and one at a total length of >341 cm, representing a known diet shift from fish to marine mammals. Retrospective trophic-level reconstruction using vertebral tissue will have broad applications in future studies on the ecology of threatened, endangered, or extinct species to determine life-long feeding patterns, which would be impossible through other methods.
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Tubarões
/
Coluna Vertebral
/
Ecologia
/
Comportamento Alimentar
/
Isótopos
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Ecology
Ano de publicação:
2006
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos