Effects of Urea Removal on the Stable Isotopes δ13C and δ15N in Rays from the Coastal Waters of Peninsular Malaysia

Highlight Research This is the first stable isotopes study of rays from Malaysian waters Urea extraction significantly enriched the δ15N values (‰) Urea removal is obliged for stable isotope studies on rays Such methodological information is critical for marine research in the region   Abstract This is the first reported record of stable isotope values for elasmobranch rays within Malaysian waters, and serves as an important baseline methodological information for future studies investigating stable isotope values in both shark and ray species in the region. This study examined the effects of urea removal on the stable isotopes values of δ13C and δ15N in muscle tissues sampled from several elasmobranch rays species, namely Pastinachus atrus, Rhinoptera javanica, Himantura gerrardi, Himantura uarnak and Aetobatus ocellatus. Individual ray species were collected in July and August of 2018, from the coastal waters of Terengganu State, Malaysia. Urea removal was performed by soaking muscle tissue samples in deionised water for at least 24 hours before being dehydrated. The resulting stable isotope values of these samples were compared to samples that did not undergo the urea removal process. Stable isotope values were individual and species-specific, however, the effect of urea removal was significant for δ15N values but did not significantly affect the δ13C values. We conclude that removing urea from elasmobranch samples before stable isotope analysis is advisable to draw correct conclusions about the animal’s diets.