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<p>Cephalopod beaks are commonly used to study the diets of teuthophagous predators because they persist in stomach contents, however, their isotopic composition differs from soft tissues, requiring species-specific corrections to accurate interpretation. We compared δ<sup>13</sup>C and δ<sup>15</sup>N values between lower beaks and soft tissues of two ecologically important cephalopod species in the western Mediterranean Sea: <i>Todarodes sagittatus</i> and <i>Eledone cirrhosa,</i> to quantify tissue-specific offsets and assess implications for predator dietary studies. δ<sup>13</sup>C differences were small and inconsistent, while δ<sup>15</sup>N values were consistently lower in beaks, with mean differences of 4.6‰ in <i>T. sagittatus</i> and 4.7‰ in <i>E. cirrhosa</i>. These findings provide correction factors for using beak-derived isotopic data in reconstructing teuthophagous predator diets. A marginally significant correlation between body size and δ<sup>15</sup>N values in beaks was found in both species. Isotopic niche analyses revealed a broad long-term overlap when using beaks, in contrast to distinct and minimally overlapping niches from soft-tissue, reflecting the different turnover rates of inert beaks versus metabolically active tissues. These findings highlight the importance of integrating multiple cephalopod tissues to capture both short-term and long-term trophic ecology traits.</p>

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Beyond beaks: assessing isotopic variations in cephalopod tissues to improve dietary analysis in teuthophagous predators

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月6日

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  • Manel Gazo,
  • Paula Martínez-Serrano,
  • Odei Garcia-Garin,
  • Asunción Borrell

摘要

Cephalopod beaks are commonly used to study the diets of teuthophagous predators because they persist in stomach contents, however, their isotopic composition differs from soft tissues, requiring species-specific corrections to accurate interpretation. We compared δ13C and δ15N values between lower beaks and soft tissues of two ecologically important cephalopod species in the western Mediterranean Sea: Todarodes sagittatus and Eledone cirrhosa, to quantify tissue-specific offsets and assess implications for predator dietary studies. δ13C differences were small and inconsistent, while δ15N values were consistently lower in beaks, with mean differences of 4.6‰ in T. sagittatus and 4.7‰ in E. cirrhosa. These findings provide correction factors for using beak-derived isotopic data in reconstructing teuthophagous predator diets. A marginally significant correlation between body size and δ15N values in beaks was found in both species. Isotopic niche analyses revealed a broad long-term overlap when using beaks, in contrast to distinct and minimally overlapping niches from soft-tissue, reflecting the different turnover rates of inert beaks versus metabolically active tissues. These findings highlight the importance of integrating multiple cephalopod tissues to capture both short-term and long-term trophic ecology traits.