Ontogenetic changes in the diet of the sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus, in lower Chesapeake Bay and Virginia (USA) coastal waters

This study describes the diet of the sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus, highlighting differences in diet within various regions of the Virginia (USA) nursery area, as well as ontogenetic changes in diet. Stomach samples were obtained in 2001 and 2002 from 232 sharks caught by gillnets or longline...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental biology of fishes 2007-09, Vol.80 (1), p.51-67
Main Authors: Ellis, Julia K, Musick, John A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agnatha. Pisces
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Autoecology
Biological and medical sciences
Callinectes sapidus
Carcharhinidae
Carcharhinus plumbeus
Coastal waters
Correspondence analysis
Crustaceans
Decapoda
Diet
Elasmobranchii
Feeding habits
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Marine
Nursery grounds
Prey
Sand bars
Sharks
Shellfish
Squilla empusa
Vertebrata
Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution
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Summary:This study describes the diet of the sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus, highlighting differences in diet within various regions of the Virginia (USA) nursery area, as well as ontogenetic changes in diet. Stomach samples were obtained in 2001 and 2002 from 232 sharks caught by gillnets or longlines. Historical data from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) Shark Ecology Program were also analyzed. Ontogenetic changes in diet were evident, with crustacean prey decreasing in frequency with increasing shark size, and elasmobranch prey importance increasing with increasing shark size. Whereas previous research in Chincoteague Bay, VA showed the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, was the dominant crustacean in sandbar shark diet, the mantis shrimp, Squilla empusa, dominated the crustacean portion of the diet in this study. Differences in diet of sharks were observed among locations within the study area. Small juveniles (
ISSN:0378-1909
1573-5133
DOI:10.1007/s10641-006-9116-2