Trophic position of Otodus megalodon and great white sharks through time revealed by zinc isotopes

Jeremy McCormack (), Michael L. Griffiths, Sora L. Kim, Kenshu Shimada, Molly Karnes, Harry Maisch, Sarah Pederzani, Nicolas Bourgon, Klervia Jaouen, Martin A. Becker, Niels Jöns, Guy Sisma-Ventura, Nicolas Straube, Jürgen Pollerspöck, Jean-Jacques Hublin, Robert A. Eagle and Thomas Tütken
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Jeremy McCormack: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Michael L. Griffiths: William Paterson University
Sora L. Kim: University of California Merced
Kenshu Shimada: DePaul University
Molly Karnes: University of California Merced
Harry Maisch: Florida Gulf Coast University
Sarah Pederzani: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Nicolas Bourgon: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Klervia Jaouen: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Martin A. Becker: William Paterson University
Niels Jöns: Mineralogy and Geophysics, Ruhr University Bochum
Guy Sisma-Ventura: Israel Oceanographic & Limnological Research Institute
Nicolas Straube: University Museum of Bergen
Jürgen Pollerspöck: Bavarian State Collection of Zoology
Jean-Jacques Hublin: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Robert A. Eagle: University of California
Thomas Tütken: Johannes Gutenberg-University

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Diet is a crucial trait of an animal’s lifestyle and ecology. The trophic level of an organism indicates its functional position within an ecosystem and holds significance for its ecology and evolution. Here, we demonstrate the use of zinc isotopes (δ66Zn) to geochemically assess the trophic level in diverse extant and extinct sharks, including the Neogene megatooth shark (Otodus megalodon) and the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). We reveal that dietary δ66Zn signatures are preserved in fossil shark tooth enameloid over deep geologic time and are robust recorders of each species’ trophic level. We observe significant δ66Zn differences among the Otodus and Carcharodon populations implying dietary shifts throughout the Neogene in both genera. Notably, Early Pliocene sympatric C. carcharias and O. megalodon appear to have occupied a similar mean trophic level, a finding that may hold clues to the extinction of the gigantic Neogene megatooth shark.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30528-9

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