Thesis
Insight into the trophic ecology and ecophysiology of white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) in eastern Australian waters
Southern Cross University
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Southern Cross University
2024
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25918/thesis.419
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Abstract
White sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) are highly mobile apex predators that play crucial ecological roles, shaping their ecosystem through diet, nutrition and habitat use. Travelling between distant habitats, these sharks connect spatially separated food webs and heavily influence trophic relationships. Foraging behaviours are dynamic and shift in response to prey availability, competition and intrinsic physiological processes. Variation in foraging occurs owing to energetic requirements necessary for intrinsic biological processes. Examining the relationships between diet, nutrition, and habitat use can assist in understanding their importance in the communities they inhabit and aid in prioritising management strategies and conservation efforts. Using traditional and modern methodologies, this thesis aims to investigate the trophic ecology and ecophysiology of white sharks in eastern Australian waters. Throughout the thesis, I use a range of tools, including stable isotopes, fatty acids, nutritional biomarkers and Bayesian modelling to provide a deeper understanding and holistic overview of white shark trophic ecology in a dynamic marine environment. Combined, the results indicate that the diet and nutritional condition of white sharks are affected by changing prey quality and availability associated with environmental fluctuations. Next, I identified a higher degree of dietary specialisation of juvenile white sharks, likely driven by competition from co-occurring species. My thesis provides new insight into the trophic ecology of a threatened top predator and elucidates factors that influence their foraging, habitat use and distribution. This information will be crucial for the effective management and conservation of this species, which may be susceptible to ecosystem perturbations expected from anthropogenic-induced climate change.
Details
- Title
- Insight into the trophic ecology and ecophysiology of white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) in eastern Australian waters
- Creators
- Rebecca S. Lipscombe
- Contributors
- Debra Stokes (Supervisor) - Southern Cross UniversityPaul Allan Butcher (Supervisor) - Southern Cross UniversityAnna Scott (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Southern Cross University; Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Theses
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Southern Cross University
- Publisher
- Southern Cross University
- Number of pages
- xv, 189
- Identifiers
- 991013227012002368
- Copyright
- © Rebecca S Lipscombe 2024
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering; National Marine Science Centre
- Resource Type
- Thesis