Stable isotopes, beaks and predators: a new tool to study the trophic ecology of cephalopods, including giant and colossal squids
Cephalopods play a key role in the marine environment but knowledge of their feeding habits is limited by lack of data. Here, we have developed a new tool to investigate their feeding ecology by combining the use of their predators as biological samplers together with measurements of the stable isot...
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crroyalsociety:10.1098/rspb.2005.3115 2024-09-15T17:43:34+00:00 Stable isotopes, beaks and predators: a new tool to study the trophic ecology of cephalopods, including giant and colossal squids Cherel, Yves Hobson, Keith A 2005 http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2005.3115 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspb.2005.3115 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rspb.2005.3115 en eng The Royal Society https://royalsociety.org/journals/ethics-policies/data-sharing-mining/ Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences volume 272, issue 1572, page 1601-1607 ISSN 0962-8452 1471-2954 journal-article 2005 crroyalsociety https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2005.3115 2024-08-12T04:27:48Z Cephalopods play a key role in the marine environment but knowledge of their feeding habits is limited by lack of data. Here, we have developed a new tool to investigate their feeding ecology by combining the use of their predators as biological samplers together with measurements of the stable isotopic signature of their beaks. Cephalopod beaks are chitinous hard structures that resist digestion and the stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) are indicators of the foraging areas and trophic levels of consumers, respectively. First, a comparison of δ 13 C and δ 15 N values of different tissues from the same individuals showed that beaks were slightly enriched in 13 C but highly impoverished in 15 N compared with lipid-free muscle tissues. Second, beaks from the same species showed a progressive increase in their δ 15 N values with increasing size, which is in agreement with a dietary shift from lower to higher trophic levels during cephalopod growth. In the same way, there was an increase in the δ 15 N signature of various parts of the same lower beaks in the order rostrum, lateral walls and wings, which reflects the progressive growth and chitinization of the beaks in parallel with dietary changes. Third, we investigated the trophic structure of a cephalopod community for the first time. Values of δ 15 N indicate that cephalopods living in slope waters of the subantarctic Kerguelen Islands ( n =18 species) encompass almost three distinct trophic levels, with a continuum of two levels between crustacean- and fish-eaters and a distinct higher trophic level occupied by the colossal squid Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni . δ 13 C values demonstrated that cephalopods grow in three different marine ecosystems, with 16 species living and developing in Kerguelen waters and two species migrating from either Antarctica ( Slosarczykovia circumantarctica ) or the subtropics (the giant squid Architeuthis dux ). The stable isotopic signature of beaks accumulated in predators' stomachs therefore revealed new ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctica Colossal Squid Kerguelen Islands Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni The Royal Society Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 272 1572 1601 1607 |
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English |
description |
Cephalopods play a key role in the marine environment but knowledge of their feeding habits is limited by lack of data. Here, we have developed a new tool to investigate their feeding ecology by combining the use of their predators as biological samplers together with measurements of the stable isotopic signature of their beaks. Cephalopod beaks are chitinous hard structures that resist digestion and the stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) are indicators of the foraging areas and trophic levels of consumers, respectively. First, a comparison of δ 13 C and δ 15 N values of different tissues from the same individuals showed that beaks were slightly enriched in 13 C but highly impoverished in 15 N compared with lipid-free muscle tissues. Second, beaks from the same species showed a progressive increase in their δ 15 N values with increasing size, which is in agreement with a dietary shift from lower to higher trophic levels during cephalopod growth. In the same way, there was an increase in the δ 15 N signature of various parts of the same lower beaks in the order rostrum, lateral walls and wings, which reflects the progressive growth and chitinization of the beaks in parallel with dietary changes. Third, we investigated the trophic structure of a cephalopod community for the first time. Values of δ 15 N indicate that cephalopods living in slope waters of the subantarctic Kerguelen Islands ( n =18 species) encompass almost three distinct trophic levels, with a continuum of two levels between crustacean- and fish-eaters and a distinct higher trophic level occupied by the colossal squid Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni . δ 13 C values demonstrated that cephalopods grow in three different marine ecosystems, with 16 species living and developing in Kerguelen waters and two species migrating from either Antarctica ( Slosarczykovia circumantarctica ) or the subtropics (the giant squid Architeuthis dux ). The stable isotopic signature of beaks accumulated in predators' stomachs therefore revealed new ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Cherel, Yves Hobson, Keith A |
spellingShingle |
Cherel, Yves Hobson, Keith A Stable isotopes, beaks and predators: a new tool to study the trophic ecology of cephalopods, including giant and colossal squids |
author_facet |
Cherel, Yves Hobson, Keith A |
author_sort |
Cherel, Yves |
title |
Stable isotopes, beaks and predators: a new tool to study the trophic ecology of cephalopods, including giant and colossal squids |
title_short |
Stable isotopes, beaks and predators: a new tool to study the trophic ecology of cephalopods, including giant and colossal squids |
title_full |
Stable isotopes, beaks and predators: a new tool to study the trophic ecology of cephalopods, including giant and colossal squids |
title_fullStr |
Stable isotopes, beaks and predators: a new tool to study the trophic ecology of cephalopods, including giant and colossal squids |
title_full_unstemmed |
Stable isotopes, beaks and predators: a new tool to study the trophic ecology of cephalopods, including giant and colossal squids |
title_sort |
stable isotopes, beaks and predators: a new tool to study the trophic ecology of cephalopods, including giant and colossal squids |
publisher |
The Royal Society |
publishDate |
2005 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2005.3115 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspb.2005.3115 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rspb.2005.3115 |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctica Colossal Squid Kerguelen Islands Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctica Colossal Squid Kerguelen Islands Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni |
op_source |
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences volume 272, issue 1572, page 1601-1607 ISSN 0962-8452 1471-2954 |
op_rights |
https://royalsociety.org/journals/ethics-policies/data-sharing-mining/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2005.3115 |
container_title |
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |
container_volume |
272 |
container_issue |
1572 |
container_start_page |
1601 |
op_container_end_page |
1607 |
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1810490596635181056 |