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Le Croizier G, Hoyos-Padilla M, Amezcua-Martínez F, Aquino-Baleytó M, Besnard L, Le Grand F, Le Loc'h F, Mathieu-Resuge M, Munaron JM, Ory A, Sardenne F, Schaal G, Lorrain A. Can biochemical tracers reveal ontogenetic trophic shift and individual prey selection in white sharks from Guadalupe Island, Northeast Pacific? ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024:119507. [PMID: 38944105 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 06/26/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/01/2024]
Abstract
Refining the role of apex predators in marine food webs is a necessary step in predicting the consequences of their global decline under the footprint of fishing activities. White sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) are vulnerable predators, performing large migrations and able to forage on a variety of prey in different habitats. In the Northeast Pacific, juvenile and adult white sharks are found seasonally at the same aggregation sites, such as Guadalupe Island off Mexico. While adults are thought to target local pinniped colonies, very few prey-predator interactions have been documented and the diet of juveniles in this area remains poorly understood. Here we used carbon/nitrogen stable isotopes and fatty acids to characterize the trophic ecology of white sharks at Guadalupe Island. In contrast to the ontogenetic trophic shift paradigm, we detected no influence of size on muscle stable isotope and fatty acid composition, revealing no significant dietary variation between juvenile and adult sharks. Stable isotopes did not allow definitive conclusions to be drawn regarding the diet of white sharks at Guadalupe Island, due to significant variability in the contribution of different potential prey depending on the trophic discrimination factors used. However, most sharks were rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (such as long-chain omega 3), suggesting a local diet of mainly pelagic prey (potentially large fish or cephalopods). A few individuals appeared to show recent consumption of pinnipeds, with higher proportions of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. These individual differences in fatty acid composition could reflect an ecological trade-off between consumption of prey rich in fat (marine mammals) versus prey rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (pelagic prey), respectively meeting the energetic and physiological needs of white sharks. Although ontogenetic trophic changes were not able to be discerned, our results thus provide new insights into the physiological drivers of predator-prey interactions, which can benefit the definition of conservation strategies in a changing ocean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaël Le Croizier
- Univ Brest, CNRS, IRD, Ifremer, LEMAR, F-29280 Plouzané, France.
| | - Mauricio Hoyos-Padilla
- Pelagios-Kakunjá A.C. Sinaloa 1540. Col. Las Garzas. C.P. 23070. La Paz, B.C.S., México; Fins Attached: Marine Research and Conservation 19675 Still Glen Drive Colorado Springs, CO 80908, USA.
| | - Felipe Amezcua-Martínez
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Av. Joel Montes Camarena S/N. Mazatlán, Sin. México, 82040
| | - Marc Aquino-Baleytó
- Pelagios-Kakunjá A.C. Sinaloa 1540. Col. Las Garzas. C.P. 23070. La Paz, B.C.S., México
| | - Lucien Besnard
- Division of Environmental Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, 77 Cheongam-Ro, Nam-Gu, Pohang 37673, South Korea
| | | | | | | | | | - Arthur Ory
- Univ Brest, CNRS, IRD, Ifremer, LEMAR, F-29280 Plouzané, France
| | - Fany Sardenne
- Univ Brest, CNRS, IRD, Ifremer, LEMAR, F-29280 Plouzané, France
| | - Gauthier Schaal
- Univ Brest, CNRS, IRD, Ifremer, LEMAR, F-29280 Plouzané, France
| | - Anne Lorrain
- Univ Brest, CNRS, IRD, Ifremer, LEMAR, F-29280 Plouzané, France
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Laurioux A, Huveneers C, Papastamatiou Y, Planes S, Ballesta L, Mourier J. Abiotic drivers of the space use and activity of gray reef sharks Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos in a dynamic tidal environment. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2024. [PMID: 38812115 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2024] [Revised: 04/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
Predators display rhythms in behavior and habitat use, often with the goal of maximizing foraging success. The underlying mechanisms behind these rhythms are generally linked to abiotic conditions related to diel, lunar, or seasonal cycles. To understand their effects on the space use, activity, and swimming depth of gray reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos), we tagged 38 individuals with depth and accelerometer sensors in a French Polynesian atoll channel exposed to strong tidal flow, and monitored them over a year. C. amblyrhynchos used a larger space during nighttime and were more active at night and during outgoing currents. Shark activity also peaked during the full and new moons. The swimming depth of sharks was mostly influenced by diel cycles, with sharks swimming deeper during the day compared to nighttime. The dynamic energyscape may promote the emergence of discrete behavioral strategies in reef sharks that use the south channel of Fakarava for resting and foraging purposes. Turbulence imposed by outgoing tides induces additional foraging cost on sharks, shifting their hunting areas to the southern part of the channel, where turbulence is less pronounced. Understanding when and where sharks are active and foraging is important for our understanding of predator-prey dynamics and ecosystem dynamics. This study highlights how abiotic rhythms in a highly dynamic environment likely generate spatiotemporal heterogeneity in the distribution of predation pressure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anaïs Laurioux
- MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, IFREMER, IRD, Sète, France
| | - Charlie Huveneers
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia
| | - Yannis Papastamatiou
- Institute of the Environment, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, North Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Serge Planes
- PSL Research University, EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, UAR 3278 CRIOBE, Université de Perpignan, Perpignan Cedex, France
| | | | - Johann Mourier
- MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, IFREMER, IRD, Sète, France
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Jewell OJD, D'Antonio B, Blane S, Gosden E, Taylor MD, Calich HJ, Fraser MW, Sequeira AMM. Back to the wild: movements of a juvenile tiger shark released from a public aquarium. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2023; 103:735-740. [PMID: 37227750 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Sharks are an important attraction for aquaria; however, larger species can rarely be kept indefinitely. To date, there has been little work tracking shark movements post-release to the wild. The authors used high-resolution biologgers to monitor a sub-adult tiger shark's pre- and post-release fine-scale movements following 2 years of captivity in an aquarium. They also compared its movement with that of a wild shark tagged nearby. Despite the differences in movement between the two sharks, with vertical oscillations notably absent and greater levels of turning seen from the released shark, the captive shark survived the release. These biologgers improve insight into post-release movements of captive sharks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver J D Jewell
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
- Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Ben D'Antonio
- Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, Perth, WA, Australia
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, Perth, WA, Australia
| | | | | | - Michael D Taylor
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
- Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Hannah J Calich
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
- Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, Perth, WA, Australia
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Matthew W Fraser
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
- Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, Perth, WA, Australia
- Centre for OceanOmics, The Minderoo Foundation, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Ana M M Sequeira
- Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, Perth, WA, Australia
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
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Evidence of Non-Random Social Interactions between Pairs of Bait-Attracted White Sharks in Gansbaai (South Africa). DIVERSITY 2023. [DOI: 10.3390/d15030433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Abstract
Knowledge about the social behavior of sharks is a growing research field, but not many observations are available on the social interactions between pairs of sharks in the presence of passive surface bait and mainly related to aggregations. Between 2009 and 2018, in Gansbaai, South Africa, 415 white sharks were sighted, and 525 surface-generated social interactions were identified, exhibited by 169 different white sharks. The mean sighting rate was 0.91 (range 0.18–1.53) white sharks per hour. Eight patterns of social interaction were exhibited: swim by, parallel swim, follow/give way, follow, give way, stand back, splash fights, and piggyback. Non-random interactions occurred when pairs of specimens approached the passive surface bait, confirming that the white sharks made a real choice, showing a dominance hierarchy during the ten years of data collection. Evidence of non-random social interactions in the surface behavior of bait-attracted white sharks Carcharodon carcharias in Gansbaai’s transient population was the goal of this research.
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Watanabe YY, Papastamatiou YP. Biologging and Biotelemetry: Tools for Understanding the Lives and Environments of Marine Animals. Annu Rev Anim Biosci 2023; 11:247-267. [PMID: 36790885 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-animal-050322-073657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
Addressing important questions in animal ecology, physiology, and environmental science often requires in situ information from wild animals. This difficulty is being overcome by biologging and biotelemetry, or the use of miniaturized animal-borne sensors. Although early studies recorded only simple parameters of animal movement, advanced devices and analytical methods can now provide rich information on individual and group behavior, internal states, and the surrounding environment of free-ranging animals, especially those in marine systems. We summarize the history of technologies used to track marine animals. We then identify seven major research categories of marine biologging and biotelemetry and explain significant achievements, as well as future opportunities. Big data approaches via international collaborations will be key to tackling global environmental issues (e.g., climate change impacts), and curiosity about the secret lives of marine animals will also remain a major driver of biologging and biotelemetry studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuuki Y Watanabe
- National Institute of Polar Research, Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan; .,Department of Polar Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yannis P Papastamatiou
- Institute of Environment, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, North Miami, Florida, USA
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Grainger R, Raoult V, Peddemors VM, Machovsky-Capuska GE, Gaston TF, Raubenheimer D. Integrating isotopic and nutritional niches reveals multiple dimensions of individual diet specialisation in a marine apex predator. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:514-534. [PMID: 36421071 PMCID: PMC10107186 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Dietary specialisations are important determinants of ecological structure, particularly in species with high per-capita trophic influence like marine apex predators. These species are, however, among the most challenging in which to establish spatiotemporally integrated diets. We introduce a novel integration of stable isotopes with a multidimensional nutritional niche framework that addresses the challenges of establishing spatiotemporally integrated nutritional niches in wild populations, and apply the framework to explore individual diet specialisation in a marine apex predator, the white shark Carcharodon carcharias. Sequential tooth files were sampled from juvenile white sharks to establish individual isotopic (δ-space; δ13 C, δ15 N, δ34 S) niche specialisation. Bayesian mixing models were then used to reveal individual-level prey (p-space) specialisation, and further combined with nutritional geometry models to quantify the nutritional (N-space) dimensions of individual specialisation, and their relationships to prey use. Isotopic and mixing model analyses indicated juvenile white sharks as individual specialists within a broader, generalist, population niche. Individual sharks differed in their consumption of several important mesopredator species, which suggested among-individual variance in trophic roles in either pelagic or benthic food webs. However, variation in nutrient intakes was small and not consistently correlated with differences in prey use, suggesting white sharks as nutritional specialists and that individuals could use functionally and nutritionally different prey as complementary means to achieve a common nutritional goal. We identify how degrees of individual specialisation can differ between niche spaces (δ-, p- or N-space), the physiological and ecological implications of this, and argue that integrating nutrition can provide stronger, mechanistic links between diet specialisation and its intrinsic (fitness/performance) and extrinsic (ecological) outcomes. Our time-integrated framework is adaptable for examining the nutritional consequences and drivers of food use variation at the individual, population or species level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Grainger
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Vincent Raoult
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Ourimbah, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Victor M Peddemors
- New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Fisheries, Sydney Institute of Marine Science, Mosman, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Gabriel E Machovsky-Capuska
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Nutri Lens, East Ryde, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Troy F Gaston
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Ourimbah, New South Wales, Australia
| | - David Raubenheimer
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Smart sharks: a review of chondrichthyan cognition. Anim Cogn 2023; 26:175-188. [PMID: 36394656 PMCID: PMC9877065 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01708-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Revised: 10/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
450 million years of evolution have given chondrichthyans (sharks, rays and allies) ample time to adapt perfectly to their respective everyday life challenges and cognitive abilities have played an important part in that process. The diversity of niches that sharks and rays occupy corresponds to matching diversity in brains and behaviour, but we have only scratched the surface in terms of investigating cognition in this important group of animals. The handful of species that have been cognitively assessed in some detail over the last decade have provided enough data to safely conclude that sharks and rays are cognitively on par with most other vertebrates, including mammals and birds. Experiments in the lab as well as in the wild pose their own unique challenges, mainly due to the handling and maintenance of these animals as well as controlling environmental conditions and elimination of confounding factors. Nonetheless, significant advancements have been obtained in the fields of spatial and social cognition, discrimination learning, memory retention as well as several others. Most studies have focused on behaviour and the underlying neural substrates involved in cognitive information processing are still largely unknown. Our understanding of shark cognition has multiple practical benefits for welfare and conservation management but there are obvious gaps in our knowledge. Like most marine animals, sharks and rays face multiple threats. The effects of climate change, pollution and resulting ecosystem changes on the cognitive abilities of sharks and stingrays remain poorly investigated and we can only speculate what the likely impacts might be based on research on bony fishes. Lastly, sharks still suffer from their bad reputation as mindless killers and are heavily targeted by commercial fishing operations for their fins. This public relations issue clouds people's expectations of shark intelligence and is a serious impediment to their conservation. In the light of the fascinating results presented here, it seems obvious that the general perception of sharks and rays as well as their status as sentient, cognitive animals, needs to be urgently revisited.
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Papastamatiou YP, Mourier J, TinHan T, Luongo S, Hosoki S, Santana-Morales O, Hoyos-Padilla M. Social dynamics and individual hunting tactics of white sharks revealed by biologging. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20210599. [PMID: 35317626 PMCID: PMC8941395 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Social foraging, where animals forage in groups, takes many forms but is less studied in marine predators as measuring social associations in the wild is challenging. We used biologging (activity, cameras and telemetry receivers) sensors to measure social associations and simultaneous behaviour, in white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) off Guadalupe Island, Mexico. Animal-borne telemetry receivers revealed that sharks varied in the number of associations they formed and occurred most often when sharks were swimming in straight paths or when they were turning frequently. While many associations were likely random, there was evidence of some stronger associations. Sharks varied in the depths they used and their activity, with some individuals more active in shallow water while others were more active 200-300 m deep. We propose that white sharks associate with other individuals so they can inadvertently share information on the location or remains of large prey. However, there may be a wide range of individual variability in both behaviour and sociality. Biologging now enables social associations of animals to be measured, concurrent with measures of their behaviour, so that social foraging of large marine predators can be quantified in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yannis P. Papastamatiou
- Institute of Environment, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, North Miami, FL, USA
| | - Johann Mourier
- UMS 3514 Plateforme Marine Stella Mare, Université de Corse Pasquale Paoli, 20620 Biguglia, France
| | - Thomas TinHan
- Institute of Environment, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, North Miami, FL, USA
- Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - Sarah Luongo
- Institute of Environment, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, North Miami, FL, USA
| | - Seiko Hosoki
- Institute of Environment, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, North Miami, FL, USA
| | | | - Mauricio Hoyos-Padilla
- Pelagios Kakunjá A.C., La Paz, Mexico
- Fins Attached Marine Research and Conservation, Colorado Springs, CO, USA
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