Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-17-2013
Publication Title
PLOS One
Volume
10
Issue
8
Abstract
The application of stable isotopes to characterize the complexities of a species foraging behavior and trophic relationships is dependent on assumptions of δ15N diet-tissue discrimination factors (∆15N). As ∆15N values have been experimentally shown to vary amongst consumers, tissues and diet composition, resolving appropriate speciesspecific ∆15N values can be complex. Given the logistical and ethical challenges of controlled feeding experiments for determining ∆ 15N values for large and/or endangered species, our objective was to conduct an assessment of a range of reported ∆ 15N values that can hypothetically serve as surrogates for describing the predator-prey relationships of four shark species that feed on prey from different trophic levels (i.e., different mean δ 15N dietary values). Overall, the most suitable species-specific ∆ 15N values decreased with increasing dietary-δ 15N values based on stable isotope Bayesian ellipse overlap estimates of shark and the principal prey functional groups contributing to the diet determined from stomach content analyses. Thus, a single ∆ 15N value was not supported for this speciose group of marine predatory fishes. For example, the ∆ 15N value of 3.7‰ provided the highest percent overlap between prey and predator isotope ellipses for the bonnethead shark (mean diet δ 15N = 9‰) whereas a ∆ 15N value < 2.3‰ provided the highest percent overlap between prey and predator isotope ellipses for the white shark (mean diet δ 15N = 15‰). These data corroborate the previously reported inverse ∆ 15N-dietary δ 15N relationship when both isotope ellipses of principal prey functional groups and the broader identified diet of each species were considered supporting the adoption of different ∆ 15N values that reflect the predators’ δ 15N-dietary value. These findings are critical for refining the application of stable isotope modeling approaches as inferences regarding a species’ ecological role in their community will be influenced with consequences for conservation and management actions.
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0077567
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Olin, Jill A.; Hussey, Nigel E.; Grgicak-Mannion, Alice; Fritts, Mark W.; Wintner, Sabine T.; and Fisk, Aaron T.. (2013). Variable δ15N Diet-Tissue Discrimination Factors among Sharks: Implications for Trophic Position, Diet and Food Web Models. PLOS One, 10 (8).
https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/glierpub/472
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