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Raoult V, Phillips AA, Nelson J, Niella Y, Skinner C, Tilcock MB, Burke PJ, Szpak P, James WR, Harrod C. Why aquatic scientists should use sulfur stable isotope ratios (ẟ 34S) more often. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 355:141816. [PMID: 38556184 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.141816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
Over the last few decades, measurements of light stable isotope ratios have been increasingly used to answer questions across physiology, biology, ecology, and archaeology. The vast majority analyse carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotopes as the 'default' isotopes, omitting sulfur (δ34S) due to time, cost, or perceived lack of benefits and instrumentation capabilities. Using just carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios can produce results that are inconclusive, uncertain, or in the worst cases, even misleading, especially for scientists that are new to the use and interpretation of stable isotope data. Using sulfur isotope values more regularly has the potential to mitigate these issues, especially given recent advancements that have lowered measurement barriers. Here we provide a review documenting case studies with real-world data, re-analysing different biological topics (i.e. niche, physiology, diet, movement and bioarchaeology) with and without sulfur isotopes to highlight the various strengths of this stable isotope for various applications. We also include a preliminary meta-analysis of the trophic discrimination factor (TDF) for sulfur isotopes, which suggest small (mean -0.4 ± 1.7 ‰ SD) but taxa-dependent mean trophic discrimination. Each case study demonstrates how the exclusion of sulfur comes at the detriment of the results, often leading to very different outputs, or missing valuable discoveries entirely. Given that studies relying on carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes currently underpin most of our understanding of various ecological processes, this has concerning implications. Collectively, these examples strongly suggest that researchers planning to use carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes for their research should incorporate sulfur where possible, and that the new 'default' isotope systems for aquatic science should now be carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Raoult
- Blue Carbon Lab, School of Life and Environmental Science, Deakin University, VIC, Australia; Marine Ecology Group, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW, Australia.
| | - Alexandra A Phillips
- National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - James Nelson
- Department of Marine Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Yuri Niella
- Marine Ecology Group, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW, Australia
| | - Christina Skinner
- Marine Spatial Ecology Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, QLD, Australia
| | | | - Patrick J Burke
- Marine Ecology Group, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW, Australia
| | - Paul Szpak
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
| | - W Ryan James
- Institute of Environment, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Chris Harrod
- Instituto Ciencias Naturales Alexander von Humboldt, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile; Millennium Nucleus INVASAL, Concepción, Chile; Universidad de Antofagasta Stable Isotope Facility, Instituto Antofagasta, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile
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De la Llata Quiroga E, Arauz R, Tripp Valdez A, Porras Murillo L, Parallada MS, Sánchez-Murillo R, Chávez EJ. Trophic ecology of juvenile bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) in the Coyote estuary, Costa Rica. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2023; 102:669-679. [PMID: 36633535 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) is a near-threatened elasmobranch species capable of moving between the fresh and salty waters of tropical and subtropical coastal areas, for which we still lack important ecological information. During their first years of life, bull sharks use estuarine systems as nursery areas, making them highly susceptible to environmental and anthropogenic pressures. We studied the trophic ecology of juveniles found in the Coyote estuary, a potential nursery area in Costa Rica, to understand the potential impact of further bull shark declines and gain knowledge that could aid in their conservation. We analysed the trophic ecology of juvenile bull sharks [81-103 cm total length (TL)] in the Coyote estuary, Costa Rica, using stable isotopes of δ15 N and δ13 C. Since one problem using this technique in juveniles is the confounding effect of the maternal signature, we sampled different tissues (muscle and plasma), verified the status of the shark's umbilical scar and identified the size at which the isotope signature is a result of the animal's current diet. The isotopic values of the muscle tissue reflected the maternal isotopic signature. In contrast, plasma values reflected the diet of juvenile bull sharks >95 cm TL and with a closed umbilical scar. Juvenile bull sharks fed primarily on teleost fishes of the order Anguilliformes and Siluriformes, and have a high trophic position (≥4.0) in the Coyote estuary. Our findings suggest that this estuary is an important feeding site for juvenile bull sharks of the Pacific of Costa Rica. Thus, the protection of essential habitats such as the Coyote estuary will benefit not only bull shark conservation, but also the conservation of an array of fish species that also use this habitat as a rookery, many of which are of commercial interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edna De la Llata Quiroga
- Instituto Internacional en Conservación y Manejo de Vida Silvestre, Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica, Heredia, Costa Rica
| | - Randall Arauz
- Marine Watch International, San Francisco, California, United States
| | - Arturo Tripp Valdez
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional-Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, La Paz, Mexico
| | - Laura Porras Murillo
- Instituto Internacional en Conservación y Manejo de Vida Silvestre, Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica, Heredia, Costa Rica
| | - Manuel Spinola Parallada
- Instituto Internacional en Conservación y Manejo de Vida Silvestre, Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica, Heredia, Costa Rica
| | - Ricardo Sánchez-Murillo
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas, USA
| | - Elpis J Chávez
- Centro Rescate de Especies Marinas Amenazadas, Tibás, Costa Rica
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Queiroz APN, Araújo MLG, Hussey NE, Lessa RPT. Trophic ecology of three stingrays (Myliobatoidei: Dasyatidae) off the Brazilian north-eastern coast: Habitat use and resource partitioning. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2023; 102:27-43. [PMID: 36153814 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the ecological role of species with overlapping distributions is central to inform ecosystem management. Here we describe the diet, trophic level and habitat use of three sympatric stingrays, Hypanus guttatus, H. marianae and H. berthalutzae, through combined stomach content and stable isotope (δ13 C and δ15 N) analyses. Our integrated approach revealed that H. guttatus is a mesopredator that feeds on a diverse diet of benthic and epibenthic marine and estuarine organisms, principally bivalve molluscs, Alpheus shrimp and teleost fishes. Isotopic data supported movement of this species between marine and estuarine environments. H. berthalutzae is also a marine generalist feeder, but feeds primarily on teleost fishes and cephalopods, and consequently occupies a higher trophic level. In contrast, H. marianae is a mesopredator specialized on shrimps and polychaetas occurring only in the marine environment and occupying a low niche breadth. While niche overlap occurred, the three stingrays utilized the same prey resources at different rates and occupied distinct trophic niches, potentially limiting competition for resources and promoting coexistence. These combined data demonstrate that these three mesopredators perform different ecological roles in the ecosystems they occupy, limiting functional redundancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aristóteles Philippe Nunes Queiroz
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Biologia Animal, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil
- Laboratório de Dinâmica de Populações Marinhas - DIMAR, Departamento de Pesca e Aquicultura, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil
| | - Maria Lúcia Góes Araújo
- Laboratório de Dinâmica de Populações Marinhas - DIMAR, Departamento de Pesca e Aquicultura, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil
| | - Nigel E Hussey
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rosângela P T Lessa
- Laboratório de Dinâmica de Populações Marinhas - DIMAR, Departamento de Pesca e Aquicultura, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil
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Pantoja-Echevarría LM, Marmolejo-Rodríguez AJ, Galván-Magaña F, Elorriaga-Verplancken FR, Tripp-Valdéz A, Tamburin E, Lara A, Jonathan M, Sujitha S, Delgado-Huertas A, Arreola-Mendoza L. Trophic structure and biomagnification of cadmium, mercury and selenium in brown smooth hound shark (Mustelus henlei) within a trophic web. FOOD WEBS 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fooweb.2022.e00263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Goodman K, Niella Y, Bliss‐Henaghan T, Harcourt R, Smoothey AF, Peddemors VM. Ontogenetic changes in the tooth morphology of bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas). JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2022; 101:1033-1046. [PMID: 35848707 PMCID: PMC9804735 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Teeth are an integral component of feeding ecology, with a clear link between tooth morphology and diet, as without suitable dentition prey cannot be captured nor broken down for consumption. Bull sharks, Carcharhinus leucas, undergo an ontogenetic niche shift from freshwater to marine habitats, which raises the question: does tooth morphology change with ontogeny? Tooth shape, surface area and thickness were measured using both morphometrics and elliptic Fourier analysis to determine if morphology varied with position in the jaw and if there was an ontogenetic change concordant with this niche shift. Significant ontogenetic differences in tooth morphology as a function of position in the jaw and shark total length were found, with upper and lower jaws of bull sharks presenting two different tooth morphologies. Tooth shape and thickness fell into two groupings, anterior and posterior, in both the upper and lower jaws. Tooth surface area, however, indicated three groupings, mesial, intermediate and distal, in both the upper and lower jaws. While tooth morphology changed significantly with size, showing an inflection at sharks of 135 cm total length, each morphological aspect retained the same tooth groupings throughout. These ontogenetic differences in tooth morphologies reflect tooth strength, prey handling and heterodonty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle Goodman
- School of Natural SciencesMacquarie UniversitySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Yuri Niella
- School of Natural SciencesMacquarie UniversitySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | | | - Robert Harcourt
- School of Natural SciencesMacquarie UniversitySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Amy F. Smoothey
- NSW Department of Primary Industries, Fisheries ResearchSydney Institute of Marine ScienceMosmanNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Victor M. Peddemors
- NSW Department of Primary Industries, Fisheries ResearchSydney Institute of Marine ScienceMosmanNew South WalesAustralia
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Riverón S, Raoult V, Slip DJ, Harcourt RG. Lipid extraction has tissue-dependent effects on isotopic values (δ 34 S, δ 13 C, and δ 15 N) from different marine predators. RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY : RCM 2022; 36:e9346. [PMID: 35737589 PMCID: PMC9539579 DOI: 10.1002/rcm.9346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Revised: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE The use of sulfur isotopes to study trophic ecology in marine ecosystems has increased in the past decade. Unlike other commonly used isotopes (e.g., carbon), sulfur can better discriminate benthic and pelagic productivity. However, how lipid extraction affects sulfur isotopic values has not been assessed, despite its frequent use to remove lipid effects on δ13 C values. METHODS We used white muscle and liver samples from two species of sharks and skin samples from two species of pinnipeds (sea lion and fur seal) to assess the effects of lipid extraction on stable isotope values for δ34 S, δ13 C, and δ15 N. Isotopic values were determined using a continuous flow-isotope ratio mass spectrometer coupled to an elemental analyzer. RESULTS Lipid extraction significantly decreased δ34 S values in shark tissues, more so for liver than muscle (-4.6 ± 0.9‰ vs -0.8 ± 0.3‰, average change), with nearly no change in their standard deviations. Lipid extraction did not affect δ34 S values from pinniped skin samples (0.2 ± 0.8‰, average change). After lipid extraction, consistent increases in δ13 C values (0.2‰-7.3‰) were detected as expected, especially in tissue with high lipid content (C:N >4). After lipid extraction, significant increases in δ15 N values (0.5‰-1.4‰) were found in shark muscle and liver tissues. For pinniped skin samples, δ15 N values were not significantly lower after lipid extraction (-0.4‰ to -0.1‰). CONCLUSIONS Lipid extraction did not have a strong impact on δ34 S values of shark muscle and pinniped skin (≤1‰). However, our results suggest it is essential to consider the effects of lipid extraction when interpreting results from δ34 S values of shark liver tissue, as they significantly depleted values relative to bulk tissue (~5‰). This may reflect selective removal of sulfolipids and glutathione present in higher concentrations in the liver than in muscle and skin and requires further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Riverón
- Marine Predator Research Group, School of Natural SciencesMacquarie UniversitySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Vincent Raoult
- School of Environmental and Life SciencesUniversity of NewcastleOurimbahNew South WalesAustralia
- Marine Ecology GroupSchool of Natural SciencesMacquarie UniversitySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - David J. Slip
- Marine Predator Research Group, School of Natural SciencesMacquarie UniversitySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
- Taronga Institute of Science and LearningTaronga Conservation Society AustraliaSydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Robert G. Harcourt
- Marine Predator Research Group, School of Natural SciencesMacquarie UniversitySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
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Raoult V, Gaston TF, Smith C, Dolfo V, Park JM, Williamson JE. Patterns of mother-embryo isotope fractionation in batoids vary within and between species. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2022. [PMID: 35249223 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Patterns of mother-embryo fractionation of 13 C and 15 N were assessed for their predictability across three species of batoids caught as by-catch in south-eastern Australia. Stable isotope analysis of 24 mothers and their litters revealed that isotope ratios of embryos were significantly different from their corresponding mothers and that the scale and direction of the difference varied within and across species. The range of variation across species was 3.5‰ for δ13 C and 4‰ for δ15 N, equivalent to a difference in trophic level. In one species (Urolophus paucimaculatus) litters could be significantly enriched or depleted in 13 C and 15 N relative to their mothers' isotope signatures. These results suggest that patterns of mother-embryo isotope fractionation vary within and between species and that these patterns may not be explained only by developmental mode. Contrasting patterns of fractionation between and within species make it difficult to adjust mother-embryo fractionation with broad-scale correction factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Raoult
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Ourimbah, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Troy F Gaston
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Ourimbah, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Catrina Smith
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Violaine Dolfo
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- PSL Research University, EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, Perpignan, France
| | - Joo-Myun Park
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Dokdo Research Center, East Sea Research Institute, Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology, Uljin, Korea
| | - Jane E Williamson
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Dhellemmes F, Smukall MJ, Guttridge TL, Krause J, Hussey NE. Predator abundance drives the association between exploratory personality and foraging habitat risk in a wild marine meso‐predator. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Félicie Dhellemmes
- Leibniz‐Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) Berlin Germany
- Faculty of Life Sciences Albrecht Daniel Thaer‐Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences Humboldt‐Universität zu Berlin Berlin Germany
- Bimini Biological Field Station Foundation South Bimini Bahamas
| | - Matthew J. Smukall
- Bimini Biological Field Station Foundation South Bimini Bahamas
- College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks AK USA
| | - Tristan L. Guttridge
- Bimini Biological Field Station Foundation South Bimini Bahamas
- Saving the blue Cooper City FL USA
| | - Jens Krause
- Leibniz‐Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) Berlin Germany
- Faculty of Life Sciences Albrecht Daniel Thaer‐Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences Humboldt‐Universität zu Berlin Berlin Germany
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