2022/09/06 by Alexandre Assémat, Sylvain Adnet, Kani Bayez +5 · 1 voice · 2 citations
Environmental Science · #Fish Ecology and Management Studies #Ichthyology and Marine Biology #Marine animal studies overview
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/jfb.15211
openalex publication_date 2022/09/06 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
Abstract Sharks occupy all living environments of the marine realm as well as some freshwater systems. They display varied and flexible feeding behaviours, but understanding their diet remains challenging due to their elusive ecology and the invasiveness of stomach content analyses in regard of their threatened status. As a potential alternative, we discuss the variability in δ 44/42 Ca values recorded in the tooth enamel of size‐graded individuals belonging to three species of large sharks with distinct diets ( Isurus oxyrinchus , Hexanchus griseus and Carcharodon carcharias ). The preliminary results highlight shifts in diet linked to ontogeny ( I. oxyrinchus and H. griseus ) and spatial distribution ( C. carcharias ) characterizing feeding behaviour in these species at individual and population level. These outcomes agree with the results of traditional stomach analyses supporting that nontraditional stable isotopes thus represent new perspectives for the study of modern and extinct shark ecology. In addition, for the first time, the Sr/Ca elemental ratios measured in H. griseus reflect sexual differences that could be interpreted in terms of spatial segregation or physiological heterogeneities.