TY - JOUR
T1 - Feeding grounds of juvenile scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) in the south-eastern Gulf of California
AU - Rojas, Yassir Edén Torres
AU - Osuna, Federico Páez
AU - Herrera, Agustín Hernández
AU - Magaña, Felipe Galván
AU - García, Sergio Aguiñiga
AU - Villalobos Ortíz, Héctor
AU - Sampson, Laura
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgments The authors thank the following organizations Programa de Becas Posdoctorales en la UNAM, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnologia (ICMyL), Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM), PAPIIT IN208813 project, IPN, CONACYT, PIFI, EDI and COFAA-IPN for academic and financial support.
PY - 2014/3
Y1 - 2014/3
N2 - The aim of this study was to determine whether juvenile scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) use the south-eastern Gulf of California as a nursery and feeding area. This information could help lay the groundwork required for the conservation of this endangered species. To address this, we carried out stable isotope (δ15N and δ13C) and stomach content analyses of sharks caught between 2000 and 2004 in Mazatlan, Mexico. Stomach contents and δ13C values indicated that S. lewini is a predator that feeds on benthic prey near the coast. Differences in δ15N average values between sizes classes (<100 vs. >100 cm) suggest that there was an ontogenetic change in this shark's feeding habits and also in their living environment (from benthic areas to pelagic areas). The trophic position indicated that S. lewini is a tertiary consumer, but with a high degree of trophic plasticity, and thus, different trophic roles, highlighting the importance of this predator as a regulator of prey populations. Finally, the linear isotopic relationship between S. lewini and its prey indicates a long residency within the Mazatlan area. Our results demonstrate that the south-eastern Gulf of California is a nursery area that offers abundant food for juvenile scalloped hammerhead sharks.
AB - The aim of this study was to determine whether juvenile scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) use the south-eastern Gulf of California as a nursery and feeding area. This information could help lay the groundwork required for the conservation of this endangered species. To address this, we carried out stable isotope (δ15N and δ13C) and stomach content analyses of sharks caught between 2000 and 2004 in Mazatlan, Mexico. Stomach contents and δ13C values indicated that S. lewini is a predator that feeds on benthic prey near the coast. Differences in δ15N average values between sizes classes (<100 vs. >100 cm) suggest that there was an ontogenetic change in this shark's feeding habits and also in their living environment (from benthic areas to pelagic areas). The trophic position indicated that S. lewini is a tertiary consumer, but with a high degree of trophic plasticity, and thus, different trophic roles, highlighting the importance of this predator as a regulator of prey populations. Finally, the linear isotopic relationship between S. lewini and its prey indicates a long residency within the Mazatlan area. Our results demonstrate that the south-eastern Gulf of California is a nursery area that offers abundant food for juvenile scalloped hammerhead sharks.
KW - Feeding habitat
KW - Isotopic variability
KW - Mixing models
KW - Opportunistic predator
KW - Stable isotope
KW - Stomach content analysis
KW - Trophic overlap
KW - Trophic position
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84893090989&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10750-013-1753-9
DO - 10.1007/s10750-013-1753-9
M3 - Artículo
SN - 0018-8158
VL - 726
SP - 81
EP - 94
JO - Hydrobiologia
JF - Hydrobiologia
IS - 1
ER -