The relative importance of biological and environmental factors on the trophodynamics of a pelagic marine predator, the blue shark (Prionace glauca)

Marine ecosystems have been significantly altered by the cumulative impacts of human activities. Pelagic sharks have become vulnerable to increases in mortality rates caused by fishing. The decrease in number of these top predators could have substantial cascading effects on wider marine communities. Concerns about these potential impacts, and the critical need for effective management, have led to an increased interest in assessing the trophic ecology of sharks. While stable isotope analyses have been used to provide relevant insights about the trophic ecology of sharks, the causal factors leading to trophic variation between individuals has been largely over-looked. Here, we investigated the relative effect of biological factors, geographic location, and environmental factors on the spatial trophodynamics of the blue shark (Prionace glauca). Specifically, stable isotope values of 615N and 613C, and the estimated trophic position (TP) were analysed for 180 blue sharks collected from south of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, to the north-western Mediterranean Sea. The results showed that models which included combined variables explained the variation in 615N, TP and 613C values better than models which considered only stand-alone predictors. The independent contributions of environmental variables and biological factors seemed to be more important than geographic location for 615N and TP. 615N and TP increased in a curvilinear fashion with body size, and TP was higher for females. In the case of 613C values, only an effect from sex was observed. Among environmental variables, chlorophyll-a, pelagic productivity, and sea -surface temperature proved to be reliable predictors, particularly for 615N and TP, most likely due to their relationship with productivity and prey availability. This study provides new information on ranking the factors that influence the trophodynamics of the blue shark, namely the environment, the geographic location, and the biological factors of the species.

Automated summary

Human activities have significantly altered marine ecosystems, leading to a decrease in the number of sharks which could have cascading effects on marine communities. This study analyzed stable isotope values of blue sharks and found that biological factors, geographic location, and environmental factors all play important roles in the trophodynamics of blue sharks. Specifically, environmental variables such as chlorophyll-a, pelagic productivity, and sea-surface temperature were reliable predictors of stable isotope values and trophic position.