RATIONALE: Billfishes, such as marlin, are top pelagic predators that play an important role in maintaining the stability of marine food webs. Notwithstanding the importance of these species, there remain gaps in our knowledge on their movements, foraging, and trophic status in the early stage of life. METHODS: We measured the   @entity7352 and   @entity13140 values in each annual growth band deposited in the dorsal spine from @entity68771 caught off Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, to produce retrospective isotopic profiles that would enable us to detect any significant isotopic changes across development. The samples were analyzed using an elemental analyzer coupled to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer. RESULTS: There was no relationship between the size of @entity68771 and the   @entity13140 values. Differences in   @entity13140 mean values across different age classes were not significant and the variation in   @entity13140 values through the marlins' life cycle was less than 2   . However, the mean   (15) N values between individuals varied by up to 6   . The   @entity7352 values increased as a function of age, and the mean   @entity7352 values varied significantly between age classes. CONCLUSIONS: Fin spines can be used to construct retrospective isotopic histories for the investigation of trophic dynamics and migratory histories in billfishes, for which population dynamics are often poorly known. Copyright    2015 John Wiley _ Sons, Ltd.

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values of dorsal spine age rings indicate temporal variation in the diet of XXXX ( @entity68771 ) in waters around Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

@entity7352 :: ('CHEBI:36928', 'Chemical') :: ['(13) C'] @entity68771 :: ('13721', 'Species') :: ['striped marlin'] @entity13140 :: ('CHEBI:36934', 'Chemical') :: ['(15) N']
@entity68771 :: (13721,Species) :: ['striped marlin']
