Ontogenetic changes in the tooth morphology of bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas)

Teeth are an integral component of feeding ecology, with a clear link between tooth morphology and diet, as without suitable dentition prey cannot be captured nor broken down for consumption. Bull sharks, Carcharhinus leucas, undergo an ontogenetic niche shift from freshwater to marine habitats, whi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Journal of fish biology Vol. 101; no. 4; pp. 1033 - 1046
Main Authors:	Goodman, Kyle, Niella, Yuri, Bliss‐Henaghan, Taylor, Harcourt, Robert, Smoothey, Amy F., Peddemors, Victor M.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-10-2022 Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
Subjects:	Animals Aquatic habitats Carcharhinus leucas Carnivorous animals Dentition Diet Ecosystem elasmobranchs foraging ecology Fourier analysis Freshwater Inland water environment Jaw Jaw - anatomy & histology jaws Marine fishes Morphology Morphometry Niches ontogenetic shifts Ontogeny Prey Regular Paper Regular Papers Shape Sharks Sharks - anatomy & histology Surface area Teeth Thickness measurement Tooth - anatomy & histology ontogenetic shifts dentition elasmobranchs jaws foraging ecology
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Summary:	Teeth are an integral component of feeding ecology, with a clear link between tooth morphology and diet, as without suitable dentition prey cannot be captured nor broken down for consumption. Bull sharks, Carcharhinus leucas, undergo an ontogenetic niche shift from freshwater to marine habitats, which raises the question: does tooth morphology change with ontogeny? Tooth shape, surface area and thickness were measured using both morphometrics and elliptic Fourier analysis to determine if morphology varied with position in the jaw and if there was an ontogenetic change concordant with this niche shift. Significant ontogenetic differences in tooth morphology as a function of position in the jaw and shark total length were found, with upper and lower jaws of bull sharks presenting two different tooth morphologies. Tooth shape and thickness fell into two groupings, anterior and posterior, in both the upper and lower jaws. Tooth surface area, however, indicated three groupings, mesial, intermediate and distal, in both the upper and lower jaws. While tooth morphology changed significantly with size, showing an inflection at sharks of 135 cm total length, each morphological aspect retained the same tooth groupings throughout. These ontogenetic differences in tooth morphologies reflect tooth strength, prey handling and heterodonty.
Bibliography:	Funding information Funding was provided by the Faculty of Science and Engineering Macquarie University. ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 Funding information Funding was provided by the Faculty of Science and Engineering Macquarie University.
ISSN:	0022-1112 1095-8649
DOI:	10.1111/jfb.15170