Research Article

Received: 17 March 2012 Revised: 12 May 2012 Accepted: 13 May 2012 Published online in Wiley Online Library

Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom. 2012, 26, 1631–1638

(wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI: 10.1002/rcm.6275

Trophic inferences of blue shark (Prionace glauca) in the Mexican

Pacific from stable isotope analysis in teeth
Carlos J. Polo-Silva1, Felipe Galván-Magaña2* and Antonio Delgado-Huertas3
1
Posgrado en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apdo. Postal 70-305 Ciudad
Universitaria, 04510 México, D.F., México
2
Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, Ave. IPN s/n, P.O. Box 592, 23096 La Paz, Baja California Sur, México
3
Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra (CSIC-UGR), Avda. de las Palmeras 4, 18100 Armilla, Granada, Spain

RATIONALE: Isotopic analysis of biogenic tissues such as teeth of elasmobranchs has been well recognized as an
important method to interpret present and past environmental conditions. However, few studies on shark teeth
have focused their attention on making trophic inferences or reconstruction of diet.
METHODS: We analyzed the carbon (d13C) and nitrogen (d15N) isotope composition of the tooth crown and root from
blue sharks Prionace glauca caught in southern Baja California using a continuous-flow system by means of an elemental
analyzer combined with a Delta Plus XL mass spectrometer, to describe their feeding ecology, considering sex and
maturity stage.
RESULTS: Significant differences in d13C values for tooth root were found between immature and mature males, with
depleted values of 13C in immature individuals. No statistical differences were found between maturity stages in females
for both the C and N isotopes in any part of the tooth, which suggests that females were consuming the same prey in the
same area. In addition, we observed significant differences in d15N values between the tooth crown and root.
CONCLUSIONS: Isotopic analysis in the tooth crown (dentin) and root may represent a new tool to describe the feeding
ecology of different species of elasmobranchs, showing dietary change over a short timescale. Copyright © 2012 John
Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The use of stable isotopes of nitrogen (d15N values) and
carbon (d13C values) to address ecological questions has
increased, becoming one of the most widely used methodol-
ogies in animal ecology.[1–3] This biogeochemical method
allows quantitative analysis of dietary composition and
foraging patterns on spatial and temporal scales, providing
insight on the food webs dynamics and the energy flow in
aquatic ecosystems.[4,5]
The application of stable isotope analysis (SIA) by mass
spectrometry in ecological research is based on a constant
increase in the heavier isotopic values (15N and 13C) with
progression up the food chain. Ratios of nitrogen isotopes
(15N/14N) are used to infer relative trophic level, because
tissues tend to become enriched on 15N at each trophic
transfer.[6,7] In contrast, carbon isotopic composition (13C/12C)
is commonly used to infer basal carbon sources, or to differenti-
ate between nearshore and offshore nutrient sources.[3,8,9]
Shark dietary studies have been improved with the use of
SIA, which is routinely used to study the ecology of mammals,
birds, and teleosts.[3,10,11] Generally, the tissues used for trophic
studies in sharks using isotopic analyses are liver, muscle
and vertebrae, which provide information about the food
* Correspondence to: F. Galván-Magaña, Centro Interdiscipli-
nario de Ciencias Marinas. Ave. IPN s/n, P.O. Box 592, 23096
La Paz, Baja California Sur, México.
assimilated by individuals over the past months, 1–2 years
prior to death and each year of the life, respectively.[1,12–16] In
sharks, accretionary tissues that contain growth layers such
as vertebrae can record a chronology of ecological information
over the lifetime of a single individual.[15,16] In some shark
species, such as the white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) and
the silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis), a single growth layer
in vertebrae represents one year of growth and this can be used
to accurately determine the age of individuals.[16,17]
Teeth have been used to study paleo-environmental
conditions, because of their relative abundance in marine
sediments through time. Shark teeth have good crystallinity
and physical hardness which allow them to stay almost
intact with little to no wear once they are lost. The isotopic
compositions of the fluorapatite of the enameloid are used to
interpret both present and past environmental conditions.[18,19]
However, few isotopic studies in sharks have used such tissues
to describe trophic habits. Isotopic analyses in teeth of other taxa
such as marine mammals have proven to be a useful tool that
helps to establish trophic relationships.[19–22] Shark teeth are
composed of two types of calcified tissue: the crown covered
by an enameloid matrix in the outer part and the osteodentine
occurring in the inside and tooth root.[18,23] Teeth occur in
multiple rows and are continuously replaced during the life of
the shark. Tooth replacement rates (from birth until exfoliation)
for sharks are only known for some species, varying from 8
to12 days for lemon shark (Negraprion brevirostris) and leopard
1631

E-mail: galvan.felipe@gmail.com shark (Triakis semifasciata) and from about 32 to 35 days per

Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom. 2012, 26, 1631–1638 Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

row of teeth for silky sharks (Carcharhinus falciformis). The
replacement rates of mature sharks could be slower, taking
months to occur rather than days.[24–26]
The blue shark (Prionace glauca) is the most abundant and
widespread elasmobranch and one of the most prominent
large predatory and nektonic species of the marine world.[27]
This species is seasonally abundant and frequently caught
around the world. Off the western coast of Baja California,
Mexico, this species numerically dominates artisanal shark-
fisheries.[28,29] The segregation model of this species (by sex
and maturity stage) throughout the north Pacific exhibits a
broad spatial distribution.[27] In the north Pacific mating
occurs in early summer between 20.0 and 30.0
N, and sex
segregation takes place only among juveniles. This model
suggested that the distribution of the parturition area
extended around the Subarctic Convergence zone (SAC),
between 35.0 and 45.0
N. The nursery areas of juvenile
females and males would be located north and south of the
SAC, respectively, while adult males and females should be
distributed from the breeding areas towards the equator. This
segregation is associated with colder and richer waters, as
well as prey distribution.[27,30] Stomach content analysis
suggests that blue sharks feed on cephalopods, red crab and
teleosts along the Baja California Peninsula, with a higher
dominance of squid over time.[31,32]
The objectives of the present study were to examine the
isotopic relationships between sex, maturity stage and time
across two tissues. Based on previous feeding studies of this
species[31,32] in this area and published isotopic values of its
potential prey[33] and unpublished data from samples caught
in the same region as the sharks, we expected that: (1) blue shark
would have isotopic differences, by sex and maturity stages,
because they have different foraging areas and feed of different
prey, and (2) a comparison of the isotopic values of root and
crown of tooth would reflect different timelines. We predicted
that root collagen would reflect a quicker timeline than crown
collagen, because previous studies have shown that during
the tooth formation of shark the root is formed to the end.[24,26]
EXPERIMENTAL
Sample collection
All blue shark samples were obtained from two artisanal
fishing camps (Punta Belcher: 24
15’N; 112
05’W; and Punta
Lobos: 23
25’N; 110
15’W) located in Baja California Peninsula
during January, July and December of 2009. The total length
(cm) was measured, and the sex and maturity stage (mature
or immature) were recorded for each shark using the criteria
proposed by Pratt[34]: mature males have a completely calcified
clasper with 360
rotation, an open riphiodon and the presence
of semen; mature females showed copulation marks, a cloacal
entrance of at least 3 cm in diameter and presence of
vitellogenic follicles and embryos in uteri. Individuals that
did not meet the above characteristics were considered
immature sharks.
Sample preparation
The teeth were taken from the first row of the upper jaw. Each
tooth was cleaned of tissue debris and other external material
1632
and washed with distilled water. Collagen, which is deposited
wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/rcm Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
C. J. Polo-Silva, F. Galván-Magaña and A. Delgado-Huertas
continuously in the tooth, was sampled from both the crown
and the root. Shark teeth consist largely of fluorapatite with
lesser amounts of hydroxyapatite, which is a primary
component of dentin and contains about 25 to 30% organic
matter.[19] Each part of the tooth (crown and root) was
ground to a fine powder using a low-speed cutting drill with
bits ranging in size from 800 to 1000 mm. To isolate collagen,
each powdered sample was demineralized in 1 mL of 4 M
hydrochloric acid (HCl), which was then evaporated at 50
C
for 12 h.[23] Each sub-sample was then rinsed with distilled
water for neutralization and freeze-dried. Approximately
1.0 mg of collagen from each part of tooth was weighed into
tin cups for isotopic analysis.
Stable isotope analysis
All the samples were combusted at 1020
C and their carbon
(13C/12C) and nitrogen (15N/14N) isotope ratios were
determined using a continuous-flow system involving a
1500 NC elemental analyzer (Carlo Elba, Milan, Italy)
combined with a Delta Plus XL isotope ratio mass spec-
trometer (ThermoQuest, Bremen, Germany) at the Stable
Isotope Laboratory of the Estación Experimental del Zaidin
(CSIC, Granada, Spain). The results are expressed in
standard delta notation (d), defined as parts per thousand,
as follows:


dh X ¼ Rsample =Rstandard  1  1000;
where X is the element, h is the mass of the heavy isotope
and Rsample and Rstandard are the heavy to light isotope ratios
(i.e. 13C/12C and 15N/14N) of the sample and standard,
respectively.[7] The standards used were V-PDB (Vienna-Pee
Dee Belemnite) and atmospheric nitrogen (AIR) for C and N,
respectively. The method precision was 0.1% for both C
and N stable isotopes. The weight-percent C:N ratios of each
sample were also measured, and these were in the expected
range (2.7–3.3) for pure protein.[35]
Statistical analyses
All samples (crown and root) were separated according to
sex and maturity stage. The normality and homogeneity of
variance were determined by using the Shapiro-Wilk and
Barlett test, respectively. If the data met these assumptions,
a Student’s t-test for significant differences in the mean of
d13C and d15N values was used. If the data were not normally
distributed a non-parametric Mann-Whitney U-test was used.
To test whether a relationship existed between total length
(LT) of shark and stable isotope values, simple linear regres-
sions were fitted to shark LT and d15N and d13C data for both
tissues. Statistical analyses were conducted using Statistical
8.0 (StatSoft Inc., Tulsa, OK, USA) software with a criterion
for significance of p <0.05. The results are expressed as mean 
standard deviation (SD).
Potential prey isotope values recorded in previous stomach
content studies of blue shark[31,32] were taken from published
and unpublished data from samples caught in the same
region as the sharks (Table 1) with the goal of comparing
them qualitatively with the isotopic values recorded in
both tissues of blue shark and to try to give more support
to our inferences. As the rates of dental replacement for
Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom. 2012, 26, 1631–1638
Trophic inferences of blue shark from SIA in teeth
Table 1. Isotopic compositions of potential blue shark prey from southern Baja California compiled from published and
unpublished data used in Figs. 1 and 2
d13C  SD d15N  SD
ID Species prey (%) (%)
1 Dosidicus gigas 16.7  1.0 13.5  0.8
2 Octopoteuthis sicula 18.9 14.8
3 Ancistrocheirus lesueurii 17.5  0.3 13.6  1.0
4 Onychoteuthis banksii 17.8 12.9
5 Pleuroncodes planipes 17.4  0.8 14.8  1.3
6 Sardinops caeruleus 17.3 17.8
7 Scomber japonicus 16.9 17.3
the blue shark are unknown, a replacement rate of 2 weeks or
1–2 months was assumed based on studies in other species of
carcharinid sharks such as silky shark and lemon shark.[24,26]
RESULTS
Stable isotopic values by sex and maturity
A total of 42 teeth were analyzed (22 females and 20 males). The
isotopic comparisons (d13C and d15N values) show no signifi-
cant differences between sexes in any part of the tooth (Table 2).
However, the d15N values in the root and crown were slightly
higher in females (16.9%; 16.0%) than in males (16.3%;
15.0%) (Table 2). Comparing the mean isotopic values between
maturity stages for each sex showed no significant differences
between immature females (IF) and mature females (MF) for
root or crown in d13C and d15N values (Table 2), while the
comparison between immature males (IM) and mature males
(MM) showed significant differences in d13C values for root
(Mann-Whitney U-test, U = 6, p <0.01) and d15N values for
crown (Student’s t-test, t =2.63, p = 0.01) (Table 2). The isotope
values for prey samples were corrected for trophic discrimi-
nation of 1.7 and 3.7 for d13C and d15N values, respectively,
estimated by Kim et al.,[14] to allow a direct comparison
between isotopic data of consumer and their potential food
sources. The d15N and d13C values of both tissues for males
and females of each maturity stage were positioned between
three species of cephalopods Dosidicus gigas, Ancistrocheirus
lesueuri, Onychoteuthis banksii and red crab Pleuroncodes planipes.
The fishes Sardinops caeruleus and Scomber japonicus were
5
N-enriched relative to blue shark teeth (Figs. 1 and 2).
No linear relationships were found between LT and the
d15N or d13C values in the crown tooth and between LT and
the d15N values in the root tooth. However, the d13C values in
the root tooth were positively correlated with LT (R2 =0.18,
p <0.05), where values increase (less depleted) from 200 cm
LT (Fig. 3).
Comparison between two parts of the tooth (root and
crown)
The comparison between the two parts of the tooth showed a
significant difference in d15N values for immature females
(Student’s t-test t = 2.26; p = 0.03) and immature males (Stu-
dent’s t-test t = 4.84; p <0.001); with root values on average
Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom. 2012, 26, 1631–1638 Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Lipid
Tissue extracted N Reference
Muscle Y 2 Ochoa-Díaz[33]
Beak Y 1 Ochoa-Díaz[33]
Muscle Y 6 Polo-Silva, unpublished data
Muscle Y 1 Polo-Silva, unpublished data
Muscle Y 8 Peckham and Newsome,
unpublished data
Muscle Y 1 Ochoa-Díaz[33]
Muscle Y 1 Ochoa-Díaz[33]
1.6% higher than crown values (Fig. 4). However, for mature
females (Student’s t-test t = 0.45; p = 0.65) and mature males
(Mann-Whitney U-test U = 33; p = 0.19), no significant differ-
ences were found.
DISCUSSION
The blue shark is a species that feeds on cephalopods, fishes
and crustaceans, changing its feeding preferences in different
regions of the world.[31,32,36] However, off the western coast of
Baja California, this species feeds mainly on cephalopods and
red crab.[30,31] Contrary to information reported in other
studies based on stomach content analyses which indicate
that P. glauca have food segregation by sex (males feed mainly
on cephalopods and females on red crab),[31] our isotopic
comparison on both tissues (root and crown) between the
sexes suggests that females and males are feeding on prey
with similar isotopic values (Fig. 1). These observed differ-
ences probably occur because each technique has different
temporal resolution (depending on the number of samples
and the period covered). For example, the number of stomach
contents analyzed in previous studies was 300, with samples
collected between February and June of 2001 and 2006,
making it possible to record dietary changes (specifically the
type of prey). On the other hand, the dental collagen of
elasmobranch teeth has a rapid turnover rate, which provides
information about the food assimilated by an individual over
the last week or 1–2 months prior to death.[24–26] Although
conceptually stomach content analyses have been criticized
by its ’snapshot’ that cannot account for seasonal variation,
in this case the information provided by isotopic analyses in
the tooth was unable to detect the differences in feeding
between sexes previously registered in stomach content.
The isotopic comparison with the potential prey of sharks
showed that both sexes share some prey. It is also known that
the red crab (P. planipes) is one of the prey consumed by
females of the blue shark (Fig. 1), corroborating what has been
found in previous studies of stomach contents.[31,32]
In this study we found significant differences in the d13C
values of the tooth root for mature and immature males,
where mature individuals had higher d13C values than immature
individuals. Although no differences were found in the tooth
crown for this isotope, the mature individuals still maintain
higher d13C values (Fig. 2). The d13C values track productivity,
1633
with higher values found in productive nearshore areas, such
wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/rcm
 C. J. Polo-Silva, F. Galván-Magaña and A. Delgado-Huertas

Table 2. d13C and d15N values (mean  SD, in %) from the root and crown of teeth of blue shark collected from the western coast of Baja California Sur. Statistical result

0.24

0.01
Student’s t-test

Student’s t-test

Student’s t-test
0.9
p

P
2.15

0.12

2.63
T20

T11

T11
d15N

16.0  1.6
15.0  1.2

15.9  1.7
16.0  1.0

14.3  0.7
15.6  1.3
Mean
Crown

0.39

0.78

0.16
Student’s t-test

Student’s t-test

Student’s t-test
p

p
0.85

0.28

1.45
T20

T11

T11
d13C

15.5  0.8
15.3  0.7

15.4  0.8
15.5  0.7

15.4  0.7
15.0  0.5
Mean

0.25

0.06
Mann-Whitney

Student’s t-test

Student’s t-test

0.1
p

p
2.03

1.7
T10
T11
U

174
d15N

Figure 1. d15N and d13C values of (a) root and (b) crown from
teeth of both male and female blue sharks and their potential
16.9  1.5
16.3  0.8

17.5  1.6
16.3  1.2

16.0  0.7
16.6  0.8

prey from southern Baja California. Potential prey items were

Mean

selected based on stomach content analysis from sharks

caught in this region (see Table 1). Individual prey species
between sexes and maturity stages are listed for each part of the tooth

include: (1) D. gigas, (2) O. sicula, (3) A. lesueurii, (4) O. banksii,

Root

(5) P. planipes, (6) S. caeruleous, and (7) S. japonicas. Discrimination

factors from Kim et al.[14] (13C = 1.7 and 15N = 3.7) were added to
<0.01*
0.29

0.43
Mann-Whitney

Mann-Whitney
Student’s t-test

the prey isotopic values.

p

as upwelling zones, than in less productive offshore regions.

0.79

Because phytoplankton preferentially uptake 12C in regions of

T11
U

U
178

6
d13C

high productivity during photosynthesis, the d13C values are

more negative than those present in coastal areas.[8,9] The differ-
ences in d13C values of the tooth root between mature and
15.4  0.8
15.2  1.3

15.5  1.0
15.2  0.5

16.0  0.7
14.3  0.6

immature males would indicate temporal differences in habitat

Mean

foraging. Mature individuals may temporally remain in coastal

waters, while immature individuals move frequently to more
oceanic habitats to supplement their diet. Immature individuals
could have fed on offshore cephalopods, which have been
22
20

10
10
11
11
N

previously reported as part of their diet,[31,32] and have d13C

values similar (16.2  0.3%)[14] to those found in sharks
caught in this region (16.0  0.7%). Some studies have
Immature females

reported that blue sharks spend half the year offshore,[14] where
Immature males
Mature females

some aggregations of immature males have been detected,[37]

Mature males

which helps to support the possibility that immature sharks

increase their travel time in searching these prey.
Females
Groups

The differences observed in the d15N values of the root of

Males

the tooth between males might suggest a diet of prey with

1634

higher trophic levels in mature males than in immature males.

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Trophic inferences of blue shark from SIA in teeth

Figure 2. d15N and d13C values for root and crown tissues from teeth of both male
and female blue sharks by maturity stages and their potential prey from southern
Baja California. Potential prey items were selected based on stomach content
analysis from sharks caught in this region (see Table 1). Individual prey species
include: (1) D. gigas, (2) O. sicula, (3) A. lesueurii, (4) O. banksii, (5) P. planipes, (6)
S. caeruleous, and (7) S. japonicas. Discrimination factors from Kim et al.[14]
(13C = 1.7 and 15N = 3.7) were added to the prey isotopic values.

The comparison with their prey showed that mature males
might be feeding on D. gigas, which is more noticeable in
the comparison of prey with the values of the root of the tooth
(Fig. 2), while in immature males the d15N values in the crown
are very low and have no relationship with any of the prey
included in the graph (Fig. 2, crown). However, the values
recorded in the root of the tooth suggest that this group of
sharks feeds on mesopelagic squid such as A. lesueurii.
On the other hand, there were no significant differences
between mature and immature females in any of the tissues
for d13C and d15N values, which suggests that these females
are feeding on the same prey and utilizing the same feeding
area. The qualitative isotopic comparison with their potential
prey confirms that they utilize the same feeding grounds
sharing the same prey (Fig. 2). Recent population studies
(satellite tagging and fisheries) of blue sharks in this area
report the presence of juveniles and mature females in the
coast where the water masses are warmer, which could be
linked with some phases of their reproductive cycle.[37,38] This
information could support that the females are using the same
foraging area.
The comparison between body size (e.g. length total) and
isotopic values of both tissues only showed a relationship
(16%) for small sharks could indicate recent feeding on
oceanic prey, due to differences in d13C values between
coastal algae and oceanic phytoplankton.[8] These patterns
could possibly represent male feeding patterns because as
mentioned above they showed significant difference between
the respective maturity stages. The lack of relationship with
d15N values in both tissues and the high individual variability
suggests that other factors such as different habitat use,[39,40] a
wide variety of prey, body condition,[41,42] turnover rate of
tissues[2] and seasonal shift[43,44] may affect the diet patterns
for the blue shark.
Comparing the isotopic values between the two parts of the
tooth (root and crown) showed differences between maturity
stages for each sex, where the root d15N values (16–17.5%)
were significantly higher than the crown values (14.4–15.9%).
This differential pattern in d15N values could have two
explanations. First, variation in the amino acid composition
and proportion among the two parts would have an influence
on the d15N values, because the isotopic composition of some
amino acids can vary by as much as 30% in a single tissue.[45]
Unfortunately, we do not deal with that hypothesis in this
study and further research should be carried out to address this
particular issue. The mineralization in teeth of elasmobranchs
1635

for the d13C values of the tooth root. The lower d13C values occurs in a micro-environment involving the collagenous

Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom. 2012, 26, 1631–1638 Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/rcm
 C. J. Polo-Silva, F. Galván-Magaña and A. Delgado-Huertas

Figure 3. Relationships between total length (TL) and d13C and d15N values for males
and females in the root and crown from the teeth of the blue shark Prionace glauca.

matrix, proteins and fluids rich in ions.[19] Some studies have
found that amino acid compositions in the teeth of some
species of sharks such as hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna sp.)
and blue sharks (P. glauca) fluctuate in type and proportion.
Higher proportions of proline, glutamine, leucine and histidine
in the outer layer of the enamel have been recorded, while other
components such as lipids, peptides and proteins such as
glycine and serine are present in higher proportions in the den-
tine of the tooth. In addition, the composition and mineralization
1636
composition of these proteins that form collagen in each part of
the tooth.[46,47] The amino acid proportions in the root of the
tooth have not been determined in elasmobranchs. However,
if the proportions of amino acids vary in the crown and the root
this could explain the differences in d15N values between these
two parts of the tooth in the blue shark.
The second hypothesis that could explain the observed
difference between the two parts of the tooth could be a
combination of two factors. The blue shark teeth analyzed

of each region of the tooth tend to influence the formation and here probably integrate weeks or 1–2 months of dietary

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Trophic inferences of blue shark from SIA in teeth
Figure 4. Mean ( SD) d15N and d13C values for root and
crown tissues of teeth of immature male and female blue
sharks. Values represent the difference in d15N values
between the root and crown for each sex.
information prior to death, considering that tooth replacement
rates previously reported in some Carcharhinidae has been
8–12 days/row in young individuals (Negaprion brevirostris,
Carcharhinus plumbeus) and 32–35 days/row in mature indi-
viduals (C. menisorrah).[24,25] Tooth formation begins from the
crown to the root and it is likely that this latter portion of the
tooth could represent the last food sources consumed. The root
is the last part of the tooth that is calcified and probably reflects
the last nutrients and minerals from the consumption of prey
over a short timescale.[26] In addition, it is possible that during
the last weeks/days, immature individuals consumed prey
from a higher trophic level (such mesopelagic squids), which
might have contributed to higher d15N values in the root
than in the crown. This result could suggest that the root
d15N values reflect a more recent diet than values reported
in the crown, which represents dietary assimilation in a
larger timescale.
CONCLUSIONS
Isotopic analyses of collagen of the tooth crown (dentin) and
root from the blue shark provide dietary information that helps
describe some ecological aspects of this species in this particu-
lar area of the eastern Pacific Ocean, showing similar results to
those found with other methods (stomach contents analysis).
There were significant differences between immature and
mature males in d13C values of the tooth root, influenced by
a preference in habitat foraging. Although females showed
no difference in either d15N or d13C values, the higher similarity
of isotopic values between them and their potential prey
suggest that they may be sharing the same prey in the same
area. In addition, the differences in d15N values between the
two parts of the tooth are explained by a set of factors, which
include the proportion and composition of amino acids in
each part of the tooth, as well as the process and time of
mineralization of each part of the tooth, which directly
influence the formation of tissue proteins. These parts of
the tooth have not been used in recent ecological studies
of sharks. The tooth enamel of elasmobranchs is most
Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom. 2012, 26, 1631–1638 Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
commonly used as an isotopic substrate in paleoclimatic or
paleoceanographic research. Therefore, further studies using
tooth crown and root could be as useful as those involving
other tissues (liver and blood) with similar turnover rate
(15 days/months), reflecting dietary changes over a short
timescale and allowing inferences to be made about the
trophic dynamics of the species.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the fishermen from Punta Belcher for
helping us take samples, and Angelica Barrera-García for her
laboratory assistance. This research was funded by the Centro
Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas project ’Ecology of
elasmobranch in Baja California Sur’ and by the Malaspina
2010 Expedition project (CSD2008-00077) of the Spanish
Ministry of Science and Technology. CPS would like to thank
CONACyT (Concejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología) and
the Dirección General de Estudios de Posgrado, Universidad
Nacional Autónoma de México for the PhD scholarship
provided. FGM thanks Instituto Politecnico Nacional (COFAA,
EDI) for fellowships Special thanks to Lucero Correa for
English editing.
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