Trophic Ecology and Isotope Analysis in Cephalopod Systems
Summary
Cephalopods occupy key positions in marine food webs, acting as both predators and prey across a range of depths and biogeographic regions. Trophic ecology in these systems examines how energy and nutrients transfer through cephalopod life histories, from early planktonic stages to fully grown nektonic forms. Stable isotope analysis has emerged as a powerful tool to reconstruct feeding histories, migration paths and habitat use. By measuring ratios of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopes in metabolically inert tissues such as the gladius or beaks, researchers can infer dietary shifts, ontogenetic movements and baseline variations in different water masses. Advances in compound‐specific isotope analysis and the application of archival hard parts now permit high‐resolution chronologies of individual foraging strategies, revealing unexpected plasticity in diet and habitat. These insights underpin ecosystem models, inform sustainable fisheries management and illuminate the role of cephalopods in biogeochemical cycles. Globally, such approaches contribute to assessments of how environmental change, fishing pressure and ocean‐wide processes influence cephalopod populations and the broader pelagic network.
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Trophic Ecology and Isotope Analysis in Cephalopod Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in trophic ecology and isotope analysis in cephalopod systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Trophic ecology: The study of feeding relationships and energy transfer among organisms in an ecosystem.
Stable isotope analysis: Measurement of non‐radioactive isotope ratios (commonly 13C/12C and 15N/14N) to infer dietary and habitat information.
δ13C: The ratio of 13C to 12C, expressed relative to a standard, indicating primary carbon sources and feeding habitats.
δ15N: The ratio of 15N to 14N, expressed relative to a standard, used to estimate trophic position.
Gladius: A chitinous internal structure in squids that records incremental growth, serving as an archival tissue for isotopic analysis.
Ontogenetic: Relating to the development of an individual organism through different life stages.
References
- Study on the Geographic Variation and Trophic Variation of Todarodes pacificus in Different Areas Based on Stable Isotope Information from the Gladius. Biology (2023).
- Trophic Niche and Diversity of a Pelagic Squid (Dosidicus gigas): A Comparative Study Using Stable Isotope, Fatty Acid, and Feeding Apparatuses Morphology. Frontiers in Marine Science (2020).
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