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Boucher RD, Wittig RM, Lemoine SRT, Maro A, Wang X, Koch PL, Oelze VM. Strontium isotopes track female dispersal in Taï chimpanzees. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024; 184:e24981. [PMID: 38828504 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2023] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are patrilocal, with males remaining in their natal community and females dispersing when they reach sexual maturity. However, the details of female chimpanzee dispersal, such as their possible origin, are difficult to assess, even in habituated communities. This study investigates the utility of 87Sr/86Sr analysis for (1) assessing Sr baseline differences between chimpanzee territories and (2) identifying the status (immigrant or natal) of females of unknown origin within the territories of five neighboring communities in Taï National Park (Côte d'Ivoire). MATERIALS AND METHODS To create a local Sr isoscape for the Taï Chimpanzee Project (TCP) study area, we sampled environmental samples from TCP-established territories (n = 35). To assess dispersal patterns, 34 tooth enamel samples (one per individual) were selected from the Taï chimpanzee skeletal collection. 87Sr/86Sr analysis was performed on all 69 samples at the W.M. Keck Lab. The theoretical density and overlap of chimpanzee communities as well as generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) were used to test each question. RESULTS 87Sr/86Sr ratios for natal male chimpanzees ranged from 0.71662 to 0.72187, which is well within the corresponding environmental baseline range of 0.70774-0.73460. The local Sr isoscapes fit was estimated with the root-mean-square error value, which was 0.0048 (22% of the whole 87Sr/86Sr data range). GLMMs identified significant differences in 87Sr/86Sr ratios between natal and unknown North community origin groups, suggesting that after 1980, females of unknown origin could be immigrants to North community (n = 7, z-ratio = -4.08, p = 0.0001, power = 0.94). DISCUSSION This study indicates that 87Sr/86This study indicates that 87Sr/86Sr analysis can successfully identify immigrant females in skeletal collections obtained from wild chimpanzee communities, enabling the tracking of female dispersal patterns historically. There are, however, significant limitations within the scope of this study, such as (1) the absence of reliable maps for the TCP study area, (2) limited capacity for environmental sampling, (3) small sample sizes, and (4) tooth formation in wild chimpanzees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renee D Boucher
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Roman M Wittig
- Institute for Cognitive Sciences, UMR5229 CNRS, University of Lyon 1, Bron cedex, France
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, CSRS, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
| | | | - Aleksey Maro
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Xueye Wang
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, USA
- Center for Archaeological Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Paul L Koch
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Vicky M Oelze
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, USA
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Kafino CV, de Sousa IMC, Barbieri CB, de Amorim AM, Santos RV. A proof-of-concept study: Determining the geographical origin of Brazilwood, (Paubrasilia echinata) with the use of strontium isotopic fingerprinting. Sci Justice 2024; 64:159-165. [PMID: 38431373 DOI: 10.1016/j.scijus.2023.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
The illicit exploitation of Brazilwood (Paubrasilia echinata) presents a significant challenge in Brazil, given its substantial value in the global production of bows for musical instruments. To address timber provenance, the use of strontium (Sr) isotope ratios as indicators of bedrock signatures has emerged as a robust tool in forensic investigations. In this study, we critically evaluate the efficacy of this approach using Sr isotope data derived from bulk soils and trees collected at two distinct sites in Brazil. Despite the statistically indistinguishable 87Sr/86Sr ratios observed in the investigated tree species, the compiled 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratios of Brazilwood from Brazilwood National Park (PNPB) and the ES Group provide valuable insights into the potential application of this method for tracing forensic timber seizures. This pilot study also addresses crucial sampling considerations. While the regional signatures exhibit clear distinctions, the limited sample sizes underscore the necessity for supplementary methods to confidently attribute timber to a specific source forest. In isolation, this method proves most effective in refuting presumed timber provenances rather than definitively confirming them. The discussion delves into the nuances of the Sr isotope data, emphasizing the importance of increasing the number of samples and exploring complementary techniques for a more comprehensive and reliable assessment of timber origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Vasconcelos Kafino
- Laboratory of Geodynamic, Geochronological and Environmental Studies LEGGA, University of Brasília, Unb, Brazil; Forensic Institute, Federal Police of Brazil, Brazil.
| | | | | | - Artur Moraes de Amorim
- Laboratory of Geodynamic, Geochronological and Environmental Studies LEGGA, University of Brasília, Unb, Brazil
| | - Roberto Ventura Santos
- Laboratory of Geodynamic, Geochronological and Environmental Studies LEGGA, University of Brasília, Unb, Brazil
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Leichliter JN, Lüdecke T, Foreman AD, Bourgon N, Duprey NN, Vonhof H, Souksavatdy V, Bacon AM, Sigman DM, Tütken T, Martínez-García A. Tooth enamel nitrogen isotope composition records trophic position: a tool for reconstructing food webs. Commun Biol 2023; 6:373. [PMID: 37029186 PMCID: PMC10082005 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04744-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Nitrogen isotopes are widely used to study the trophic position of animals in modern food webs; however, their application in the fossil record is severely limited by degradation of organic material during fossilization. In this study, we show that the nitrogen isotope composition of organic matter preserved in mammalian tooth enamel (δ15Nenamel) records diet and trophic position. The δ15Nenamel of modern African mammals shows a 3.7‰ increase between herbivores and carnivores as expected from trophic enrichment, and there is a strong positive correlation between δ15Nenamel and δ15Nbone-collagen values from the same individuals. Additionally, δ15Nenamel values of Late Pleistocene fossil teeth preserve diet and trophic level information, despite complete diagenetic loss of collagen in the same specimens. We demonstrate that δ15Nenamel represents a powerful geochemical proxy for diet that is applicable to fossils and can help delineate major dietary transitions in ancient vertebrate lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer N Leichliter
- Organic Isotope Geochemistry Group, Climate Geochemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
- Emmy Noether Group for Hominin Meat Consumption, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
- Institute of Geosciences, Department of Applied and Analytical Paleontology, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Tina Lüdecke
- Organic Isotope Geochemistry Group, Climate Geochemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
- Emmy Noether Group for Hominin Meat Consumption, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, 60325, Frankfurt, Germany.
| | - Alan D Foreman
- Organic Isotope Geochemistry Group, Climate Geochemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Nicolas Bourgon
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nicolas N Duprey
- Organic Isotope Geochemistry Group, Climate Geochemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Hubert Vonhof
- Inorganic Gas Isotope Geochemistry Group, Climate Geochemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Viengkeo Souksavatdy
- Department of Heritage, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, 0100 Setthathirath Road, Vientiane Capital, Lao People's Democratic Republic
| | | | - Daniel M Sigman
- Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA
| | - Thomas Tütken
- Institute of Geosciences, Department of Applied and Analytical Paleontology, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Alfredo Martínez-García
- Organic Isotope Geochemistry Group, Climate Geochemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128, Mainz, Germany
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The deterrent effects of individual monoterpene odours on the dietary decisions of African elephants. Anim Cogn 2023; 26:1049-1063. [PMID: 36800131 PMCID: PMC10066090 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01755-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023]
Abstract
African savanna elephants use pre-ingestive olfactory cues when making dietary choices, and previous research has observed that elephant diet choice is negatively correlated with vegetation species that contain high concentrations of monoterpenes. However, the frequency and concentration of monoterpenes can vary dramatically across plant species. Thus, we aimed to explore the effects that the odours of individual monoterpenes have on elephant diet choice and how these effects vary with concentration. To do this, we conducted three odour-based choice experiments focusing on eight common monoterpenes found in the woody plants in Southern African savannas. In the first experiment, we tested whether elephant diet choice for a frequently consumed plant (Euclea crispa) was influenced by the addition of the odour of an individual monoterpene at a set concentration. In the second experiment, we explored the relative deterrence of each monoterpene. Lastly, we tested how elephant diet choice varied as a function of the addition of individual monoterpene odours at 5%, 10%, and 20% concentrations. We found that the elephants avoided most individual monoterpenes at high concentrations, with the exception being α-pinene. Furthermore, we found that the odours of some individual monoterpenes were, in fact, more deterrent than others. In the third experiment, we found that the elephants avoided β-pinene, limonene, ocimene, γ-terpinene, and terpinolene across all concentrations, but only avoided sabinene and linalool at high concentrations. Ultimately, our results show that the odour of individual monoterpenes may deter elephant consumption, but that this deterrent effect depends on both the monoterpene and its concentration.
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Britton K, Jimenez EL, Le Corre M, Pederzani S, Daujeard C, Jaouen K, Vettese D, Tütken T, Hublin JJ, Moncel MH. Multi-isotope zooarchaeological investigations at Abri du Maras: The paleoecological and paleoenvironmental context of Neanderthal subsistence strategies in the Rhône Valley during MIS 3. J Hum Evol 2023; 174:103292. [PMID: 36455403 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
The exploitation of mid- and large-sized herbivores (ungulates) was central to hominin subsistence across Late Pleistocene Europe. Reconstructing the paleoecology of prey-taxa is key to better understanding procurement strategies, decisions and behaviors, and the isotope analysis of faunal bones and teeth found at archaeological sites represent a powerful means of accessing information about past faunal behaviors. These isotope zooarchaeological approaches also have a near-unique ability to reveal environmental conditions contemporary to the human activities that produced these remains. Here, we present the results of a multi-isotope, multitissue study of ungulate remains from the Middle Paleolithic site of Abri du Maras, southern France, providing new insights into the living landscapes of the Rhône Valley during MIS 3 (level 4.2 = 55 ± 2 to 42 ± 3 ka; level 4.1 = 46 ± 3 to 40 ± 3 ka). Isotope data (carbon, nitrogen) reveal the dietary niches of different ungulate taxa, including the now-extinct giant deer (Megaloceros). Oxygen isotope data are consistent with a mild seasonal climate during level 4.2, where horse (Equus), bison (Bison), and red deer (Cervus elaphus) were exploited year-round. Strontium and sulfur isotope analyses provide new evidence for behavioral plasticity in Late Pleistocene European reindeer (Rangifer) between level 4.2 and level 4.1, indicating a change from the migratory to the sedentary ecotype. In level 4.1, the strong seasonal nature of reindeer exploitation, combined with their nonmigratory behavior, is consistent with a seasonally restricted use of the site by Neanderthals at that time or the preferential hunting of reindeer when in peak physical condition during the autumn.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate Britton
- Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UF, United Kingdom; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Elodie-Laure Jimenez
- Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UF, United Kingdom; Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, 29 Vautier Street, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Mael Le Corre
- Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UF, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Pederzani
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Instituto Universitario de Bio-Orgánica Antonio González, Universidad de La Laguna, Avda. Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez 2, 38206 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Camille Daujeard
- UMR 7194, Histoire Naturelle de l'Homme Préhistorique (HNHP), CNRS, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Département Homme et Environnement, Institut de Paléontologie Humaine, 1 Rue René Panhard, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Klervia Jaouen
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Géosciences Environnement Toulouse, Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, UMR 5563, CNRS, 14 Avenue Edouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - Delphine Vettese
- UMR 7194, Histoire Naturelle de l'Homme Préhistorique (HNHP), CNRS, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Département Homme et Environnement, Institut de Paléontologie Humaine, 1 Rue René Panhard, 75013 Paris, France; Universita degli Studi di Ferrara, Dipartimento degli Studi Umanistici, Sezione di Scienze Preistoriche e Antropologiche, Corso Ercole I d'Este 32, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; Grupo de I+D+i EVOADAPTA (Evolución Humana y Adaptaciones Económicas y Ecológicas durante La Prehistoria), Dpto. Ciencias Históricas, Universidad de Cantabria, Av/Los Castros 44, 39005 Santander, Spain
| | - Thomas Tütken
- Arbeitsgruppe für Angewandte und Analytische Paläontologie, Institut für Geowissenschaften, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, J.-J. Becherweg 21, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Collège de France, 11, Place Marcelin Berthelot, 74005 Paris, France
| | - Marie-Hélène Moncel
- UMR 7194, Histoire Naturelle de l'Homme Préhistorique (HNHP), CNRS, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Département Homme et Environnement, Institut de Paléontologie Humaine, 1 Rue René Panhard, 75013 Paris, France
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Brewer CT, Rauch-Davis WA, Fraser EE. The Use of Intrinsic Markers for Studying the Migratory Movements of Bats. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:3477. [PMID: 34944252 PMCID: PMC8698158 DOI: 10.3390/ani11123477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Mortality of migratory bat species at wind energy facilities is a well-documented phenomenon, and mitigation and management are partially constrained by the current limited knowledge of bat migratory movements. Analyses of biochemical signatures in bat tissues ("intrinsic markers") can provide information about the migratory origins of individual bats. Many tissue samples for intrinsic marker analysis may be collected from living and dead bats, including carcasses collected at wind energy facilities. In this paper, we review the full suite of available intrinsic marker analysis techniques that may be used to study bat migration, with the goal of summarizing the current literature and highlighting knowledge gaps and opportunities. We discuss applications of the stable isotopes of hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, sulfur; radiogenic strontium isotopes; trace elements and contaminants; and the combination of these markers with each other and with other extrinsic markers. We further discuss the tissue types that may be analyzed for each and provide a synthesis of the generalized workflow required to link bats to origins using intrinsic markers. While stable hydrogen isotope techniques have clearly been the leading approach to infer migratory bat movement patterns across the landscape, here we emphasize a variety of lesser used intrinsic markers (i.e., strontium, trace elements, contaminants) that may address new study areas or answer novel research questions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Erin E. Fraser
- School of Science and the Environment, Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 20 University Drive, Corner Brook, NL A2H 5G4, Canada; (C.T.B.); (W.A.R.-D.)
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Nutritional influences on enzyme activities in saliva of Asian and African elephants. J Comp Physiol B 2021; 191:955-970. [PMID: 34235559 PMCID: PMC8380575 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-021-01378-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Revised: 04/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Asian and African elephants show morphological adaptations to their ecological niche including the oral cavity. Variety and preferences of forage plants differ between both herbivorous elephant species. Diet can affect salivary enzymes. Asian elephants were shown to have a higher salivary amylase activity than African elephants. Species-specific differences were presumed to be influenced by feeding during collection procedure. This study aimed to determine the influence of feeding on enzyme activities in saliva of both elephant species to differentiate from species-specific effects. Additionally, season and housing conditions on salivary enzyme activities in non-fed elephants of both species were investigated. Salivary amylase (sAA), lysozyme (sLYS) and peroxidase (sPOD) activity were measured photometrically or fluorometrically. Results of this study reinforce previous observations of higher basic sAA activity in Asian elephants compared to African elephants. Salivary LYS and sPOD activity showed neither species-specific nor housing-specific differences. Independent from season, most elephants of both species revealed a lack of or low sPOD activity. Feeding caused a temporary decrease of sAA, sLYS and sPOD activity in both elephant species kept in four of eight tested zoos. Furthermore, sAA activity in Asian elephants was higher and sLYS activity lower in Spring than in Autumn. This study summarizes that sAA and sLYS are components of Asian and African elephant saliva in an active conformation in contrast to sPOD. Diet varying between season and zoos might influence sAA and sLYS activities primarily in Asian elephants but temporary low effects suggest sufficient buffer capacity of elephant saliva of both species.
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Kruszynski C, Bailey LD, Courtiol A, Bach L, Bach P, Göttsche M, Göttsche M, Hill R, Lindecke O, Matthes H, Pommeranz H, Popa-Lisseanu AG, Seebens-Hoyer A, Tichomirowa M, Voigt CC. Identifying migratory pathways of Nathusius' pipistrelles (Pipistrellus nathusii) using stable hydrogen and strontium isotopes. RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY : RCM 2021; 35:e9031. [PMID: 33336436 DOI: 10.1002/rcm.9031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Revised: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Identifying migratory corridors of animals is essential for their effective protection, yet the exact location of such corridors is often unknown, particularly for elusive animals such as bats. While migrating along the German coastline, Nathusius' pipistrelles (Pipistrellus nathusii) are regularly killed at wind turbines. Therefore, we explored the paths taken on their annual journey. METHODS We used isotope ratio mass spectrometry to measure stable hydrogen and strontium isotope ratios in fur keratin of 59 Nathusius' pipistrelles captured on three offshore islands. Samples were pre-treated before analysis to report exclusively stable isotope ratios of non-exchangeable hydrogen. We generated maps to predict summer origins of bats using isoscape models. RESULTS Bats were classified as long-distance migrants, mostly originating from Eastern Europe. Hydrogen analysis suggested for some bats a possible Fennoscandian origin, yet additional information from strontium analysis excluded this possibility. Instead, our data suggest that most Nathusius' pipistrelles migrating along the German coastline were of continental European summer origin, but also highlight the possibility that Nathusius' pipistrelles of Baltorussian origin may travel offshore from Fennoscandia to Germany. CONCLUSIONS Our findings demonstrate the benefit of using complementary isotopic tracers for analysing the migratory pathways of bats and also potentially other terrestrial vertebrate species. Furthermore, data from our study suggest an offset of fur strontium isotope ratios in relation to local bedrock.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Kruszynski
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, Berlin, 10315, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Liam D Bailey
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, Berlin, 10315, Germany
| | - Alexandre Courtiol
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, Berlin, 10315, Germany
| | - Lothar Bach
- Freilandforschung, zoologische Gutachten, Hamfhofsweg 125b, Bremen, 28357, Germany
| | - Petra Bach
- Freilandforschung, zoologische Gutachten, Hamfhofsweg 125b, Bremen, 28357, Germany
| | | | - Michael Göttsche
- Faunistica - Büro für ökologische & faunistische Freilanduntersuchungen, Jaguarring 4, Bad Segeberg, 23795, Germany
| | | | - Oliver Lindecke
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, Berlin, 10315, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | | | | | - Ana G Popa-Lisseanu
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, Berlin, 10315, Germany
| | | | - Marion Tichomirowa
- Institut für Mineralogie, Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg, Brennhausgasse 14, Freiberg, 09599, Germany
| | - Christian C Voigt
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, Berlin, 10315, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, Berlin, 14195, Germany
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Miller JH, Crowley BE, Bataille CP, Wald EJ, Kelly A, Gaetano M, Bahn V, Druckenmiller P. Historical Landscape Use of Migratory Caribou: New Insights From Old Antlers. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.590837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Accumulations of shed caribou antlers (Rangifer tarandus) are valuable resources for expanding the temporal scope with which we evaluate seasonal landscape use of herds. Female caribou shed their antlers within days of giving birth, thus marking calving ground locations. Antler geochemistry (87Sr/86Sr) reflects the isotopic signature of regions used during antler growth, thereby providing data on a second component of seasonal landscape use. Here, we evaluate shed caribou antlers from the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. The Central and Eastern regions of the Coastal Plain are calving grounds for the Porcupine Caribou Herd, while the Western Coastal Plain supports calving by the Central Arctic Herd. We found that antler 87Sr/86Sr from the Central and Eastern Coastal Plain were isotopically indistinguishable, while antler 87Sr/86Sr from the Western Coastal Plain was significantly smaller. For each region, we compared isotopic data for “recent” antlers, which overlap the bulk of standardized state and federal caribou monitoring (early 1980s and younger), with “historical” antlers shed in years predating these records (from the 1300s to the 1970s). For Porcupine Herd females calving in the Arctic Refuge, comparisons of antler 87Sr/86Sr through time indicate that summer ranges have been consistent since at least the 1960s. However, changes between historical and recent antler 87Sr/86Sr for the Central Arctic Herd indicate a shift in summer landscape use after the late 1970s. The timing of this shift is coincident with multiple factors including increased infrastructural development in their range related to hydrocarbon extraction. Accumulations of shed caribou antlers and their isotope geochemistry extend modern datasets by decades to centuries and provide valuable baseline data for evaluating potential anthropogenic and other influences on caribou migration and landscape use.
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Sanders WJ. Proboscidea from Kanapoi, Kenya. J Hum Evol 2020; 140:102547. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2018] [Revised: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Intensification in pastoralist cereal use coincides with the expansion of trans-regional networks in the Eurasian Steppe. Sci Rep 2019; 9:8363. [PMID: 31182719 PMCID: PMC6557825 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-35758-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2017] [Accepted: 08/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The pace of transmission of domesticated cereals, including millet from China as well as wheat and barley from southwest Asia, throughout the vast pastoralist landscapes of the Eurasian Steppe (ES) is unclear. The rich monumental record of the ES preserves abundant human remains that provide a temporally deep and spatially broad record of pastoralist dietary intake. Calibration of human δ13C and δ15N values against isotope ratios derived from co-occurring livestock distinguish pastoralist consumption of millet from the products of livestock and, in some regions, identify a considerable reliance by pastoralists on C3 crops. We suggest that the adoption of millet was initially sporadic and consumed at low intensities during the Bronze Age, with the low-level consumption of millet possibly taking place in the Minusinsk Basin perhaps as early as the late third millennium cal BC. Starting in the mid-second millennium cal BC, millet consumption intensified dramatically throughout the ES with the exception of both the Mongolian steppe where millet uptake was strongly delayed until the end of first millennium cal BC and the Trans-Urals where instead barley or wheat gained dietary prominence. The emergence of complex, trans-regional political networks likely facilitated the rapid transfer of cultivars across the steppe during the transition to the Iron Age.
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Meier-Augenstein W. From stable isotope ecology to forensic isotope ecology - Isotopes' tales. Forensic Sci Int 2019; 300:89-98. [PMID: 31085431 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2019.04.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2018] [Revised: 04/20/2019] [Accepted: 04/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Stable isotope ecology and forensic isotope ecology are not only linked by name. More often than not, knowledge and insights gained through the former serve as a springboard for application focused work of the latter. This review aims to offer a glimpse into the fascinating world of both though with more emphasis on forensic isotope ecology. To this end a selection of past and recent published work is presented and discussed to highlight both potential and limitations of isotopic analytical approaches to the detection of illegal trade in plants and animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wolfram Meier-Augenstein
- School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Robert Gordon University, The Sir Ian Wood Building, Garthdee Road, Aberdeen, AB10 7GJ, UK.
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Tipple BJ, Valenzuela LO, Chau TH, Hu L, Bataille CP, Chesson LA, Ehleringer JR. Strontium isotope ratios of human hair from the United States: Patterns and aberrations. RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY : RCM 2019; 33:461-472. [PMID: 30597678 DOI: 10.1002/rcm.8378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2018] [Revised: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 12/20/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Strontium isotope ratios (87 Sr/86 Sr) of hair may be a valuable tool to estimate human provenance. However, the systematics and mechanisms controlling spatial variation in 87 Sr/86 Sr of modern human hair remain unclear. Here, we measure 87 Sr/86 Sr of hair specimens from across the USA to assess the presence of geospatial relationships. METHODS Ninety-eight human hair specimens were collected from salon/barbershop floors in 48 municipalities throughout the conterminous USA. [Sr] and 87 Sr/86 Sr ratios were measured from hair using quadrupole and multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometers, respectively. The [Sr] and 87 Sr/86 Sr ratios of hair were compared with the measured [Sr] and 87 Sr/86 Sr ratios of tap waters from the collection locations. In addition, the 87 Sr/86 Sr ratio of hair was compared with the modeled ratios of bedrock and surface waters. RESULTS Hair color was independent of the 87 Sr/86 Sr ratio, but related to [Sr]. The 87 Sr/86 Sr ratios of hair and leachate were not statistically different and were positively correlated; however, in several hair-leachate pairs, the ratios were conspicuously different. The 87 Sr/86 Sr ratios of both hair and leachate were linearly correlated with tap water. The 87 Sr/86 Sr ratio of hair was also significantly correlated with the modeled ratio of bedrock and surface waters, although the 87 Sr/86 Sr ratio of hair was most strongly correlated with the measured ratio of tap water. CONCLUSIONS The 87 Sr/86 Sr ratio of hair is related to the ratio of tap water, which varied geographically. The ratio of hair provided geographic information about an individual's recent residence. Differences in the 87 Sr/86 Sr ratios of hair and hair leachate may be concomitant with travel and could potentially be used as a screening tool to identify recent movements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brett J Tipple
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, 257 S 1400 E, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
- Global Change and Sustainability Center, University of Utah, 115 S 1460 E, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - Luciano O Valenzuela
- CONICET, Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva Humana, UNCPBA-Quequén, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Thuan H Chau
- IsoForensics, Inc., 421 Wakara Way, Suite 100, Salt Lake City, UT, 84108, USA
| | - Lihai Hu
- Department of Geology, University of Utah, 115 S 1460 E, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - Clement P Bataille
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Ottawa, 120 University, Ottawa, ON,, Canada, K1N 6N5
| | - Lesley A Chesson
- IsoForensics, Inc., 421 Wakara Way, Suite 100, Salt Lake City, UT, 84108, USA
| | - James R Ehleringer
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, 257 S 1400 E, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
- Global Change and Sustainability Center, University of Utah, 115 S 1460 E, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
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Han H, Wei W, Hu Y, Nie Y, Ji X, Yan L, Zhang Z, Shi X, Zhu L, Luo Y, Chen W, Wei F. Diet Evolution and Habitat Contraction of Giant Pandas via Stable Isotope Analysis. Curr Biol 2019; 29:664-669.e2. [PMID: 30713107 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.12.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Revised: 12/30/2018] [Accepted: 12/31/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The ancestral panda Ailurarctos lufengensis, excavated from the late Miocene, is thought to be carnivorous or omnivorous [1]. Today, giant pandas exclusively consume bamboo and have distinctive tooth, skull, and muscle characteristics adapted to a tough and fibrous bamboo diet during their long evolution [1, 2]. A special feature, the pseudo-thumb, has evolved to permit the precise and efficient grasping of bamboo [3, 4]. Unlike those of extant pandas, little is known about the diet and habitat preferences of extinct pandas. Prevailing studies suggest that the panda shifted to specialized bamboo feeding in the Pleistocene [5, 6]; however, this remains questionable. Pandas now survive in a fraction of their historical habitat [7], but no specific information has been reported. Stable isotope analyses can be used to understand diet- and habitat-related changes in animals [8]. Isotopic signals in bone collagen reflect dietary compositions of ancient human diets [9, 10] and dietary changes between historical and modern animal populations [11, 12]. Here, we conduct stable isotope analyses of bone and tooth samples from ancient and modern pandas and from sympatric fauna. We show that pandas have had a diet dominated by C3 resources over time and space and that trophic niches of ancient and modern pandas are distinctly different. The isotopic trophic and ecological niche widths of ancient pandas are approximately three times larger than those of modern pandas, suggesting that ancient pandas possibly had more complex diets and habitats than do their modern counterparts. Our findings provide insight into the dietary evolution and habitat contraction of pandas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Han
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservational Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation, Ministry of Education, China West Normal University, Nanchong 637009, China
| | - Wei Wei
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservational Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation, Ministry of Education, China West Normal University, Nanchong 637009, China
| | - Yibo Hu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservational Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
| | - Yonggang Nie
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservational Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
| | - Xueping Ji
- Yunnan Cultural Relics and Archaeology Institute, Kunming 650118, China
| | - Li Yan
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservational Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Zejun Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation, Ministry of Education, China West Normal University, Nanchong 637009, China
| | | | - Lifeng Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservational Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Yunbing Luo
- Hubei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Wuhan 430077, China
| | - Weicai Chen
- Natural History Museum of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning 530012, China
| | - Fuwen Wei
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservational Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation, Ministry of Education, China West Normal University, Nanchong 637009, China; Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China.
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Wessling EG, Oelze VM, Eshuis H, Pruetz JD, Kühl HS. Stable isotope variation in savanna chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) indicate avoidance of energetic challenges through dietary compensation at the limits of the range. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2019; 168:665-675. [PMID: 30693959 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2018] [Revised: 12/20/2018] [Accepted: 01/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Food scarcity is proposed to be a limitation to chimpanzees at the limits of their range; however, such a constraint has never been investigated in this context. We investigated patterns of δ13 C and δ15 N variation along a latitudinal gradient at the northwestern West African chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) range limit with the expectation that isotope ratios of chimpanzees at the range limit will indicate different dietary strategies or higher physiological constraints than chimpanzees further from the edge. MATERIALS AND METHODS We measured δ13 C and δ15 N values in hair (n = 81) and plant food (n = 342) samples from five chimpanzee communities located along a latitudinal gradient in Southeastern Senegal. RESULTS We found clear grouping patterns in hair δ13 C and δ15 N in the four southern sites compared to the northernmost site. Environmental baseline samples collected from these sites revealed overall higher plant δ15 N values at the northernmost site, but similar δ13 C values across sites. By accounting for environmental baseline, Δ13 C and Δ15 N values were clustered for all five sites relative to total Pan variation, but indicated a 13 C-enriched diet at the range limit. DISCUSSION Clustering in Δ13 C and Δ15 N values supports that strategic shifting between preferred and fallback foods is a likely ubiquitous but necessary strategy employed by these chimpanzees to cope with their environment, potentially allowing chimpanzees at their limits to avoid periods of starvation. These results also underline the necessity of accounting for local isotopic baseline differences during inter-site comparison.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin G Wessling
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Leipzig, Germany
| | - Vicky M Oelze
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California
| | - Henk Eshuis
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jill D Pruetz
- Department of Anthropology, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas
| | - Hjalmar S Kühl
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Leipzig, Germany
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Pujol-Buxó E, Riaño GM, Llorente GA. Stable isotopes reveal mild trophic modifications in a native–invasive competitive relationship. Biol Invasions 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-018-1893-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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17
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Alexander J, Downs CT, Butler M, Woodborne S, Symes CT. Stable isotope analyses as a forensic tool to monitor illegally traded African grey parrots. Anim Conserv 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- J. Alexander
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg South Africa
- School of Life Sciences University of KwaZulu‐Natal Pietermaritzburg South Africa
| | - C. T. Downs
- School of Life Sciences University of KwaZulu‐Natal Pietermaritzburg South Africa
| | - M. Butler
- iThemba LABS Johannesburg South Africa
| | - S. Woodborne
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg South Africa
- iThemba LABS Johannesburg South Africa
| | - C. T. Symes
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg South Africa
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18
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Stable isotope ecology of black rhinos (Diceros bicornis) in Kenya. Oecologia 2018; 187:1095-1105. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-018-4185-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2017] [Accepted: 06/05/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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19
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Di Salvo S, Braschi E, Casalini M, Marchionni S, Adani T, Ulivi M, Orlando A, Tommasini S, Avanzinelli R, Mazza PPA, Conticelli S, Francalanci L. High-Precision In Situ 87Sr/ 86Sr Analyses through Microsampling on Solid Samples: Applications to Earth and Life Sciences. JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL METHODS IN CHEMISTRY 2018; 2018:1292954. [PMID: 29850369 PMCID: PMC5937520 DOI: 10.1155/2018/1292954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2017] [Accepted: 02/18/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
An analytical protocol for high-precision, in situ microscale isotopic investigations is presented here, which combines the use of a high-performing mechanical microsampling device and high-precision TIMS measurements on micro-Sr samples, allowing for excellent results both in accuracy and precision. The present paper is a detailed methodological description of the whole analytical procedure from sampling to elemental purification and Sr-isotope measurements. The method offers the potential to attain isotope data at the microscale on a wide range of solid materials with the use of minimally invasive sampling. In addition, we present three significant case studies for geological and life sciences, as examples of the various applications of microscale 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratios, concerning (i) the pre-eruptive mechanisms triggering recent eruptions at Nisyros volcano (Greece), (ii) the dynamics involved with the initial magma ascent during Eyjafjallajökull volcano's (Iceland) 2010 eruption, which are usually related to the precursory signals of the eruption, and (iii) the environmental context of a MIS 3 cave bear, Ursus spelaeus. The studied cases show the robustness of the methods, which can be also be applied in other areas, such as cultural heritage, archaeology, petrology, and forensic sciences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Di Salvo
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Firenze, via Giorgio La Pira 4, 50121 Firenze, Italy
| | - Eleonora Braschi
- C.N.R., Istituto Geoscienze e Georisorse, U.O. di Firenze, via Giorgio La Pira 4, 50121 Firenze, Italy
| | - Martina Casalini
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Firenze, via Giorgio La Pira 4, 50121 Firenze, Italy
| | - Sara Marchionni
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Firenze, via Giorgio La Pira 4, 50121 Firenze, Italy
| | - Teresa Adani
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Firenze, via Giorgio La Pira 4, 50121 Firenze, Italy
| | - Maurizio Ulivi
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Firenze, via Giorgio La Pira 4, 50121 Firenze, Italy
| | - Andrea Orlando
- C.N.R., Istituto Geoscienze e Georisorse, U.O. di Firenze, via Giorgio La Pira 4, 50121 Firenze, Italy
| | - Simone Tommasini
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Firenze, via Giorgio La Pira 4, 50121 Firenze, Italy
| | - Riccardo Avanzinelli
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Firenze, via Giorgio La Pira 4, 50121 Firenze, Italy
- C.N.R., Istituto Geoscienze e Georisorse, U.O. di Firenze, via Giorgio La Pira 4, 50121 Firenze, Italy
| | - Paul P. A. Mazza
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Firenze, via Giorgio La Pira 4, 50121 Firenze, Italy
| | - Sandro Conticelli
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Firenze, via Giorgio La Pira 4, 50121 Firenze, Italy
- C.N.R., Istituto Geoscienze e Georisorse, U.O. di Firenze, via Giorgio La Pira 4, 50121 Firenze, Italy
| | - Lorella Francalanci
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Firenze, via Giorgio La Pira 4, 50121 Firenze, Italy
- C.N.R., Istituto Geoscienze e Georisorse, U.O. di Firenze, via Giorgio La Pira 4, 50121 Firenze, Italy
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20
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Crowley BE, Slater PA, Arrigo-Nelson SJ, Baden AL, Karpanty SM. Strontium isotopes are consistent with low-elevation foraging limits for Henst's goshawk. WILDLIFE SOC B 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/wsb.840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Brooke E. Crowley
- University of Cincinnati; Departments of Geology and Anthropology; 500 Geology Physics Building Cincinnati OH 45221 USA
| | - Philip A. Slater
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Department of Anthropology; 607 S Mathews Avenue, M/C 148 Urbana IL 61801 USA
| | - Summer J. Arrigo-Nelson
- California University of Pennsylvania; Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences; 250 University Avenue − Box 45 California PA 15419 USA
| | - Andrea L. Baden
- Hunter College, of the City University of New York; Department of Anthropology; 695 Park Avenue New York NY 10065 USA
| | - Sarah M. Karpanty
- Virginia Tech; Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation; 310 W Campus Drive, Cheatham Hall, Room 106 (MC 0321) Blacksburg VA 24061 USA
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21
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Symes C, Skhosana F, Butler M, Gardner B, Woodborne S. Isotope (δ 13C, δ 15N, δ 2H) diet-tissue discrimination in African grey parrot Psittacus erithacus: implications for forensic studies. ISOTOPES IN ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH STUDIES 2017; 53:580-596. [PMID: 28482709 DOI: 10.1080/10256016.2017.1319832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2016] [Accepted: 02/13/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Diet-tissue isotopic relationships established under controlled conditions are informative for determining the dietary sources and geographic provenance of organisms. We analysed δ13C, δ15N, and non-exchangeable δ2H values of captive African grey parrot Psittacus erithacus feathers grown on a fixed mixed-diet and borehole water. Diet-feather Δ13C and Δ15N discrimination values were +3.8 ± 0.3 ‰ and +6.3 ± 0.7 ‰ respectively; significantly greater than expected. Non-exchangeable δ2H feather values (-62.4 ± 6.4 ‰) were more negative than water (-26.1 ± 2.5 ‰) offered during feather growth. There was no positive relationship between the δ13C and δ15N values of the samples along each feather with the associated samples of food offered, or the feather non-exchangeable hydrogen isotope values with δ2H values of water, emphasising the complex processes involved in carbohydrate, protein, and income water routing to feather growth. Understanding the isotopic relationship between diet and feathers may provide greater clarity in the use of stable isotopes in feathers as a tool in determining origins of captive and wild-caught African grey parrots, a species that is widespread in aviculture and faces significant threats to wild populations. We suggest that these isotopic results, determined even in controlled laboratory conditions, be used with caution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig Symes
- a School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences , University of the Witwatersrand, Wits , Johannesburg , South Africa
| | - Felix Skhosana
- a School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences , University of the Witwatersrand, Wits , Johannesburg , South Africa
| | - Mike Butler
- b iThemba LABS, Wits , Johannesburg , South Africa
| | - Brett Gardner
- c Avian Veterinary Consultant , Johannesburg , South Africa
| | - Stephan Woodborne
- a School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences , University of the Witwatersrand, Wits , Johannesburg , South Africa
- b iThemba LABS, Wits , Johannesburg , South Africa
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22
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Flockhart DTT, Brower LP, Ramirez MI, Hobson KA, Wassenaar LI, Altizer S, Norris DR. Regional climate on the breeding grounds predicts variation in the natal origin of monarch butterflies overwintering in Mexico over 38 years. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2017; 23:2565-2576. [PMID: 28045226 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2016] [Accepted: 11/23/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Addressing population declines of migratory insects requires linking populations across different portions of the annual cycle and understanding the effects of variation in weather and climate on productivity, recruitment, and patterns of long-distance movement. We used stable H and C isotopes and geospatial modeling to estimate the natal origin of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) in eastern North America using over 1000 monarchs collected over almost four decades at Mexican overwintering colonies. Multinomial regression was used to ascertain which climate-related factors best-predicted temporal variation in natal origin across six breeding regions. The region producing the largest proportion of overwintering monarchs was the US Midwest (mean annual proportion = 0.38; 95% CI: 0.36-0.41) followed by the north-central (0.17; 0.14-0.18), northeast (0.15; 0.11-0.16), northwest (0.12; 0.12-0.16), southwest (0.11; 0.08-0.12), and southeast (0.08; 0.07-0.11) regions. There was no evidence of directional shifts in the relative contributions of different natal regions over time, which suggests these regions are comprising the same relative proportion of the overwintering population in recent years as in the mid-1970s. Instead, interannual variation in the proportion of monarchs from each region covaried with climate, as measured by the Southern Oscillation Index and regional-specific daily maximum temperature and precipitation, which together likely dictate larval development rates and food plant condition. Our results provide the first robust long-term analysis of predictors of the natal origins of monarchs overwintering in Mexico. Conservation efforts on the breeding grounds focused on the Midwest region will likely have the greatest benefit to eastern North American migratory monarchs, but the population will likely remain sensitive to regional and stochastic weather patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- D T Tyler Flockhart
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Lincoln P Brower
- Department of Biology, Sweet Briar College, Sweet Briar, VA, 24595, USA
| | - M Isabel Ramirez
- Centro de Investigaciones en Geografía Ambiental, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Antigua Carretera a Pátzcuaro No. 8701, C.P. 58190, Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico
| | - Keith A Hobson
- Environment Canada, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 3H5, Canada
- Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Leonard I Wassenaar
- International Atomic Energy Agency, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, A-1400, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sonia Altizer
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - D Ryan Norris
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
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23
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Coutu AN, Lee-Thorp J, Collins MJ, Lane PJ. Mapping the Elephants of the 19th Century East African Ivory Trade with a Multi-Isotope Approach. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0163606. [PMID: 27760152 PMCID: PMC5070863 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0163606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2016] [Accepted: 09/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
East African elephants have been hunted for their ivory for millennia but the nineteenth century witnessed strongly escalating demand from Europe and North America. It has been suggested that one consequence was that by the 1880s elephant herds along the coast had become scarce, and to meet demand, trade caravans trekked farther into interior regions of East Africa, extending the extraction frontier. The steady decimation of elephant populations coupled with the extension of trade networks have also been claimed to have triggered significant ecological and socio-economic changes that left lasting legacies across the region. To explore the feasibility of using an isotopic approach to uncover a ‘moving frontier’ of elephant extraction, we constructed a baseline isotope data set (δ13C, δ15N, δ18O and 87Sr/86Sr) for historic East African elephants known to have come from three distinct regions (coastal, Rift Valley, and inland Lakes). Using the isotope results with other climate data and geographical mapping tools, it was possible to characterise elephants from different habitats across the region. This baseline data set was then used to provenance elephant ivory of unknown geographical provenance that was exported from East Africa during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to determine its likely origin. This produced a better understanding of historic elephant geography in the region, and the data have the potential to be used to provenance older archaeological ivories, and to inform contemporary elephant conservation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley N. Coutu
- BioArCh, Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
- * E-mail:
| | - Julia Lee-Thorp
- Research Laboratory for Archaeology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew J. Collins
- BioArCh, Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Paul J. Lane
- Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- School of Geography, Archaeology & Environmental Science, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
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24
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Boehlke C, Pötschke S, Behringer V, Hannig C, Zierau O. Does diet influence salivary enzyme activities in elephant species? J Comp Physiol B 2016; 187:213-226. [PMID: 27580888 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-016-1028-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2016] [Revised: 08/05/2016] [Accepted: 08/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) and African elephants (Loxodonta africana) are herbivore generalists; however, Asian elephants might ingest a higher proportion of grasses than Africans. Although some studies have investigated nutrition-specific morphological adaptations of the two species, broader studies on salivary enzymes in both elephant species are lacking. This study focuses on the comparison of salivary enzymes activity profiles in the two elephant species; these enzymes are relevant for protective and digestive functions in humans. We aimed to determine whether salivary amylase (sAA), lysozyme (sLYS), and peroxidase (sPOD) activities have changed in a species-specific pattern during evolutionary separation of the elephant genera. Saliva samples of 14 Asian and eight African elephants were collected in three German zoos. Results show that sAA and sLYS are salivary components of both elephant species in an active conformation. In contrast, little to no sPOD activity was determined in any elephant sample. Furthermore, sAA activity was significantly higher in Asian compared with African elephants. sLYS and sPOD showed no species-specific differences. The time of food provision until sample collection affected only sAA activity. In summary, the results suggest several possible factors modulating the activity of the mammal-typical enzymes, such as sAA, sLYS, and sPOD, e.g., nutrition and sampling procedure, which have to be considered when analyzing differences in saliva composition of animal species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolin Boehlke
- Policlinic of Operative and Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine 'Carl Gustav Carus', TU Dresden, Fetscherstraße 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany.,Institute of Zoology, Molecular Cell Physiology and Endocrinology, TU Dresden, Zellescher Weg 20b, 01062, Dresden, Germany
| | - Sandra Pötschke
- Policlinic of Operative and Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine 'Carl Gustav Carus', TU Dresden, Fetscherstraße 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany
| | - Verena Behringer
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Christian Hannig
- Policlinic of Operative and Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine 'Carl Gustav Carus', TU Dresden, Fetscherstraße 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany.
| | - Oliver Zierau
- Institute of Zoology, Molecular Cell Physiology and Endocrinology, TU Dresden, Zellescher Weg 20b, 01062, Dresden, Germany
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Codron D, Codron J, Sponheimer M, Clauss M. Within-Population Isotopic Niche Variability in Savanna Mammals: Disparity between Carnivores and Herbivores. Front Ecol Evol 2016. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2016.00015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Yeakel JD, Bhat U, Elliott Smith EA, Newsome SD. Exploring the Isotopic Niche: Isotopic Variance, Physiological Incorporation, and the Temporal Dynamics of Foraging. Front Ecol Evol 2016. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2016.00001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Newsome SD, Sabat P, Wolf N, Rader JA, del Rio CM. Multi-tissue δ2H analysis reveals altitudinal migration and tissue-specific discrimination patterns inCinclodes. Ecosphere 2015. [DOI: 10.1890/es15-00086.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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Crowley BE, Miller JH, Bataille CP. Strontium isotopes ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) in terrestrial ecological and palaeoecological research: empirical efforts and recent advances in continental-scale models. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2015; 92:43-59. [PMID: 26392144 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2014] [Revised: 08/11/2015] [Accepted: 08/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Strontium (Sr) isotope analysis can provide detailed biogeographical and ecological information about modern and ancient organisms. Because Sr isotope ratios (87 Sr/86 Sr) in biologically relevant materials such as water, soil, vegetation, and animal tissues predominantly reflect local geology, they can be used to distinguish geologically distinct regions as well as identify highly mobile individuals or populations. While the application of Sr isotope analysis to biological research has been steadily increasing, high analytical costs have prohibited more widespread use. Additionally, accessibility of this geochemical tool has been hampered due to limited understanding of (i) the degree to which biologically relevant materials differ in their spatial averaging of 87 Sr/86 Sr ratios, and (ii) how these differences may be affected by lithologic complexity. A recently developed continental-scale model that accounts for variability in bedrock weathering rates and predicts Sr isotope ratios of surface water could help resolve these questions. In addition, if this 'local water' model can accurately predict 87 Sr/86 Sr ratios for other biologically relevant materials, there would be reduced need for researchers to assess regional Sr isotope patterns empirically. Here, we compile 87 Sr/86 Sr data for surface water, soil, vegetation, and mammalian and fish skeletal tissues from the literature and compare the accuracy with which the local water model predicts Sr isotope data among these five materials across the contiguous USA. We find that measured Sr isotope ratios for all five materials are generally close to those predicted by the local water model, although not with uniform accuracy. Mammal skeletal tissues are most accurately predicted, particularly in regions with low variability in 87 Sr/86 Sr predicted by the local water model. Increasing regional geologic heterogeneity increases both the offset and variance between modelled and empirical Sr isotope ratios, but its effects are broadly similar across materials. The local water model thus provides a readily available source of background data for predicting 87 Sr/86 Sr for biologically relevant materials in places where empirical data are lacking. The availability of increasingly high-quality modelled Sr data will dramatically expand the accessibility of this geochemical tool to ecological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brooke E Crowley
- Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, 500 Geology and Physics Building, Cincinnati, OH 45221, U.S.A.,Department of Anthropology, 481 Braunstein, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, U.S.A
| | - Joshua H Miller
- Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, 500 Geology and Physics Building, Cincinnati, OH 45221, U.S.A.,Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, PO Box 37012, Washington, DC 20013, U.S.A
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Correa SB, Betancur-R. R, Mérona BD, Armbruster JW. Diet shift of Red Belly Pacu Piaractus brachypomus (Cuvier, 1818) (Characiformes: Serrasalmidae), a Neotropical fish, in the Sepik-Ramu River Basin, Papua New Guinea. NEOTROPICAL ICHTHYOLOGY 2015. [DOI: 10.1590/1982-0224-20130212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Introduction of fish species is a globally widespread practice that causes losses of native species and homogenization of diversity within and across continents. Diet assessments are important tools to depict the ecological function of species introduced into novel ecosystem and possible direct and indirect ecological effects. In this study, we compare the diet of Piaractus brachypomus, a mainly frugivorous Neotropical fish, introduced into the Sepik-Ramu River Basin (Papua New Guinea) nearly two decades ago, to that of similar size individuals from Neotropical populations in the Amazon and Orinoco River basins (South America). In contrast to native populations that feed mainly on terrestrial plants and invertebrates, the diet of introduced P. brachypomus is mainly composed of fish remains and aquatic plants, while terrestrial plants are frequently consumed but in relatively smaller amounts. These findings show that P. brachypomus has an inherently plastic diet that can be adjusted when displaced to a novel geographic area. While trophic plasticity increases the likelihood of a species to establish breeding populations after its introduction, it also reduces our ability to predict negative effects on native species.
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Vautour G, Poirier A, Widory D. Tracking mobility using human hair: What can we learn from lead and strontium isotopes? Sci Justice 2015; 55:63-71. [DOI: 10.1016/j.scijus.2014.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2014] [Revised: 06/11/2014] [Accepted: 10/01/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Heuvel IMVD, Midgley JJ. Towards an Isotope Ecology of Cape Fynbos Small Mammals. AFRICAN ZOOLOGY 2014. [DOI: 10.3377/004.049.0208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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Walters A, Lea MA, van den Hoff J, Field IC, Virtue P, Sokolov S, Pinkerton MH, Hindell MA. Spatially explicit estimates of prey consumption reveal a new krill predator in the Southern Ocean. PLoS One 2014; 9:e86452. [PMID: 24516515 PMCID: PMC3905967 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0086452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2012] [Accepted: 12/15/2013] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Development in foraging behaviour and dietary intake of many vertebrates are age-structured.
Differences in feeding ecology may correlate with ontogenetic shifts in dispersal patterns, and
therefore affect foraging habitat and resource utilization. Such life-history traits have important
implications in interpreting tropho-dynamic linkages. Stable isotope ratios in the whiskers of
sub-yearling southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina;
n = 12) were used, in conjunction with satellite telemetry and environmental
data, to examine their foraging habitat and diet during their first foraging migration. The trophic
position of seals from Macquarie Island (54°30′S, 158°57′E) was estimated using
stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) ratios along the
length of the whisker, which provided a temporal record of prey intake. Satellite-relayed data
loggers provided details on seal movement patterns, which were related to isotopic concentrations
along the whisker. Animals fed in waters south of the Polar Front (>60°S) or within
Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) Statistical Subareas
88.1 and 88.2, as indicated by both their depleted δ13C
(<−20‰) values, and tracking data. They predominantly exploited varying proportions
of mesopelagic fish and squid, and crustaceans, such as euphausiids, which have not been reported as
a prey item for this species. Comparison of isotopic data between sub-yearlings, and 1, 2 and 3 yr
olds indicated that sub-yearlings, limited by their size, dive capabilities and prey capture skills
to feeding higher in the water column, fed at a lower trophic level than older seals. This is
consistent with the consumption of euphausiids and most probably, Antarctic krill (Euphausia
superba), which constitute an abundant, easily accessible source of prey in water masses
used by this age class of seals. Isotopic assessment and concurrent tracking of seals are
successfully used here to identify ontogenetic shifts in broad-scale foraging habitat use and diet
preferences in a highly migratory predator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Walters
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of
Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
- Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research
Centre, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
- * E-mail:
| | - Mary-Anne Lea
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of
Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | | | - Iain C. Field
- Marine Mammal Research Group, Department of Environment
and Geography, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Patti Virtue
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of
Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
- Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research
Centre, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Sergei Sokolov
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research
Organisation Marine and Atmospheric Research, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Matt H. Pinkerton
- National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd,
Kilbernie, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Mark A. Hindell
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of
Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
- Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research
Centre, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
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Tipple BJ, Chau T, Chesson LA, Fernandez DP, Ehleringer JR. Isolation of strontium pools and isotope ratios in modern human hair. Anal Chim Acta 2013; 798:64-73. [DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2013.08.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2013] [Revised: 08/29/2013] [Accepted: 08/30/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Djagoun C, Codron D, Sealy J, Mensah G, Sinsin B. Stable Carbon Isotope Analysis of the Diets of West African Bovids in Pendjari Biosphere Reserve, Northern Benin. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013. [DOI: 10.3957/056.043.0107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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Critique: measuring hydrogen stable isotope abundance of proteins to infer origins of wildlife, food and people. Bioanalysis 2013; 5:751-67. [DOI: 10.4155/bio.13.36] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Measurement of the relative abundance of 2H (expressed in δ 2H values) in tissues of plants, wildlife and people has evolved into a powerful forensic tool. The approach is based on the strong linkage between spatial patterns of δ 2H values in precipitation at local and continental scales, and the tissues of plants and animals produced on these ‘isoscapes’. Unfortunately, despite this exciting potential, difficulties inherent in the measurement of δ 2H values in complex organic materials such as proteins, as well as the accuracy of such measurements, and a reluctance to adopt strict quality assurance/QC approaches to address challenges associated with these measurements, has clearly limited this potential. These challenges are entirely avoidable and techniques now exist for the routine reliable measurement of δ 2H values in materials of forensic interest that will allow completely comparable data among laboratories.
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Reichlin TS, Hobson KA, Van Wilgenburg SL, Schaub M, Wassenaar LI, Martín-Vivaldi M, Arlettaz R, Jenni L. Conservation through connectivity: can isotopic gradients in Africa reveal winter quarters of a migratory bird? Oecologia 2012; 171:591-600. [PMID: 23011847 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-012-2418-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2011] [Accepted: 07/11/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Conservation of migratory wildlife requires knowledge of migratory connectivity between breeding and non-breeding locations. Stable isotopes in combination with geographical isotopic patterns (isoscapes) can provide inferences about migratory connectivity. This study examines whether such an approach can be used to infer wintering areas in sub-Saharan Africa, where we lack such knowledge for many species, but where this method has not been used widely. We measured δ (2)H, δ (13)C and δ (15)N in winter-grown feathers of a breeding Swiss and Spanish population of European hoopoe Upupa epops--a typical Palaearctic-Afrotropical migrant. δ (2)H values predicted that ~70 % of the hoopoes spent the non-breeding season in the western portion of their potential winter range. This was corroborated by a shallow east-west gradient in feather-δ (2)H values of museum specimens from known African origin across the potential winter range and by the recovery of Swiss hoopoes marked with geolocators. Hoopoes categorized as from eastern versus western regions of the wintering range were further delineated spatially using feather δ (13)C and δ (15)N. δ (15)N showed no trend, whereas adults were more enriched in (13)C in the western portion of the range, with eastern adults being in addition more depleted in (13)C than eastern juveniles. This suggests that eastern juveniles may have occupied more xeric habitats than sympatric adults. We demonstrated that stable isotopes, especially δ (2)H, could only very roughly delineate the winter distribution of a trans-Saharan Palaearctic migrant restricted primarily to the Sahelian and savanna belt south of the Sahara. Further refinements of precipitation isoscapes for Africa as well the development of isoscapes for δ (13)C and δ (15)N may improve assignment of this and other migrants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas S Reichlin
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Seerose 1, 6204, Sempach, Switzerland
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Codron J, Codron D, Sponheimer M, Kirkman K, Duffy KJ, Raubenheimer EJ, Mélice JL, Grant R, Clauss M, Lee-Thorp JA. Stable isotope series from elephant ivory reveal lifetime histories of a true dietary generalist. Proc Biol Sci 2012; 279:2433-41. [PMID: 22337695 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2011.2472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Longitudinal studies have revealed how variation in resource use within consumer populations can impact their dynamics and functional significance in communities. Here, we investigate multi-decadal diet variations within individuals of a keystone megaherbivore species, the African elephant (Loxodonta africana), using serial stable isotope analysis of tusks from the Kruger National Park, South Africa. These records, representing the longest continuous diet histories documented for any extant species, reveal extensive seasonal and annual variations in isotopic--and hence dietary--niches of individuals, but little variation between them. Lack of niche distinction across individuals contrasts several recent studies, which found relatively high levels of individual niche specialization in various taxa. Our result is consistent with theory that individual mammal herbivores are nutritionally constrained to maintain broad diet niches. Individual diet specialization would also be a costly strategy for large-bodied taxa foraging over wide areas in spatio-temporally heterogeneous environments. High levels of within-individual diet variability occurred within and across seasons, and persisted despite an overall increase in inferred C(4) grass consumption through the twentieth century. We suggest that switching between C(3) browsing and C(4) grazing over extended time scales facilitates elephant survival through environmental change, and could even allow recovery of overused resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline Codron
- School of Biological and Conservation Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville 3209, South Africa.
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Estimating the diets of animals using stable isotopes and a comprehensive Bayesian mixing model. PLoS One 2012; 7:e28478. [PMID: 22235246 PMCID: PMC3250396 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0028478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2011] [Accepted: 11/09/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Using stable isotope mixing models (SIMMs) as a tool to investigate the foraging ecology of animals is gaining popularity among researchers. As a result, statistical methods are rapidly evolving and numerous models have been produced to estimate the diets of animals—each with their benefits and their limitations. Deciding which SIMM to use is contingent on factors such as the consumer of interest, its food sources, sample size, the familiarity a user has with a particular framework for statistical analysis, or the level of inference the researcher desires to make (e.g., population- or individual-level). In this paper, we provide a review of commonly used SIMM models and describe a comprehensive SIMM that includes all features commonly used in SIMM analysis and two new features. We used data collected in Yosemite National Park to demonstrate IsotopeR's ability to estimate dietary parameters. We then examined the importance of each feature in the model and compared our results to inferences from commonly used SIMMs. IsotopeR's user interface (in R) will provide researchers a user-friendly tool for SIMM analysis. The model is also applicable for use in paleontology, archaeology, and forensic studies as well as estimating pollution inputs.
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Slovak NM, Paytan A. Applications of Sr Isotopes in Archaeology. ADVANCES IN ISOTOPE GEOCHEMISTRY 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-10637-8_35] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
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Landscape-scale feeding patterns of African elephant inferred from carbon isotope analysis of feces. Oecologia 2010; 165:89-99. [PMID: 21072541 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-010-1835-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2009] [Accepted: 10/22/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The African elephant (Loxodonta africana) is a large-bodied, generalist herbivore that eats both browse and grass. The proportions of browse and grass consumed are largely expected to reflect the relative availability of these resources. We investigated variations in browse (C(3) biomass) and grass (C(4)) intake of the African elephant across seasons and habitats by stable carbon isotope analysis of elephant feces collected from Kruger National Park, South Africa. The results reflect a shift in diet from higher C(4) grass intake during wet season months to more C(3) browse-dominated diets in the dry season. Seasonal trends were correlated with changes in rainfall and with nitrogen (%N) content of available grasses, supporting predictions that grass is favored when its availability and nutritional value increase. However, switches to dry season browsing were significantly smaller in woodland and grassland habitats where tree communities are dominated by mopane (Colophospermum mopane), suggesting that grasses were favored here even in the dry season. Regional differences in diet did not reflect differences in grass biomass, tree density, or canopy cover. There was a consistent relationship between %C(4) intake and tree species diversity, implying that extensive browsing is avoided in habitats characterized by low tree species diversity and strong dominance patterns, i.e., mopane-dominated habitats. Although mopane is known to be a preferred species, maintaining dietary diversity appears to be a constraint to elephants, which they can overcome by supplementing their diets with less abundant resources (dry season grass). Such variations in feeding behavior likely influence the degree of impact on plant communities and can therefore provide key information for managing elephants over large, spatially diverse, areas.
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Radloff FGT, Mucina L, Bond WJ, le Roux PJ. Strontium isotope analyses of large herbivore habitat use in the Cape Fynbos region of South Africa. Oecologia 2010; 164:567-78. [PMID: 20683731 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-010-1731-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2009] [Accepted: 07/06/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The Cape Fynbos region of South Africa, a global biodiversity hotspot, hosted a diverse large mammal fauna till shortly after permanent European settlement (1652). How these animals survived in this exceptionally nutrient-poor environment is puzzling and it is generally believed that they restricted their movements to the more fertile shale areas. We tested the hypothesis that large herbivores avoid nutrient-poor limestone and sandstone fynbos shrublands in favour of shale-derived renosterveld vegetation using strontium (Sr) isotope analysis. If this technique could reconstruct the preferred feeding habitats of the contemporary fauna, it might also be useful for reconstructing the preferred feeding grounds of an extinct fauna. Using the assumption that small rodents have spatially restricted foraging activities, we determined the (87)Sr/(86)Sr isotope ratios of rodent teeth to establish the isotopic signal characteristic of the different geological substrates in the area. We then analysed (87)Sr/(86)Sr isotope ratios in the bones of a number of different large herbivores found in De Hoop Nature Reserve using laser ablation multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. These values were compared to the bioavailable (rodent) values on the respective geological substrates. The technique identified differences in feeding substrate selection between different species and groups of the same species. The results also showed that shale renosterveld shrubland is not the exclusive source of nutrition for the large herbivores. Strikingly different isotope ratios among individuals in some populations pointed to significant dispersal events from distant sources. However, we were unable to pinpoint the exact feeding areas using Sr isotope analysis probably because some animals use a combination of substrates for feeding and because the geology of the study area is complex with graded isotope signals. We suggest that this technique is a valuable additional tool for exploring large mammal foraging behaviour on habitats associated with contrasting and less complex geology.
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Affiliation(s)
- F G T Radloff
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, South Africa.
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42
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Reichlin TS, Hobson KA, Wassenaar LI, Schaub M, Tolkmitt D, Becker D, Jenni L, Arlettaz R. Migratory connectivity in a declining bird species: using feather isotopes to inform demographic modelling. DIVERS DISTRIB 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1472-4642.2010.00664.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
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43
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Hussey NE, Brush J, McCarthy ID, Fisk AT. δ15N and δ13C diet–tissue discrimination factors for large sharks under semi-controlled conditions. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2010; 155:445-53. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2009.09.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2009] [Revised: 09/21/2009] [Accepted: 09/22/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Sponheimer M, Codron D, Passey BH, de Ruiter DJ, Cerling TE, Lee-Thorp JA. Using carbon isotopes to track dietary change in modern, historical, and ancient primates. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2010; 140:661-70. [PMID: 19890855 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.21111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Stable isotope analysis can be used to document dietary changes within the lifetimes of individuals and may prove useful for investigating fallback food consumption in modern, historical, and ancient primates. Feces, hair, and enamel are all suitable materials for such analysis, and each has its own benefits and limitations. Feces provide highly resolved temporal dietary data, but are generally limited to providing dietary information about modern individuals and require labor-intensive sample collection and analysis. Hair provides less well-resolved data, but has the advantage that one or a few hair strands can provide evidence of dietary change over months or years. Hair is also available in museum collections, making it possible to investigate the diets of historical specimens. Enamel provides the poorest temporal resolution of these materials, but is often preserved for millions of years, allowing examination of dietary change in deep time. We briefly discuss the use of carbon isotope data as it pertains to recent thinking about fallback food consumption in ancient hominins and suggest that we may need to rethink the functional significance of the australopith masticatory package.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matt Sponheimer
- Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
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45
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Alberdi MT, Prado JL. Presence of Stegomastodon (Gomphotheriidae, Proboscidea) in the Upper Pleistocene of the coastal area of Santa Clara del Mar (Argentina). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008. [DOI: 10.3989/egeol.08642.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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Schmidt SN, Olden JD, Solomon CT, Vander Zanden MJ. Quantitative approaches to the analysis of stable isotope food web data. Ecology 2008; 88:2793-802. [PMID: 18051648 DOI: 10.1890/07-0121.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Ecologists use stable isotopes (delta13C, delta15N) to better understand food webs and explore trophic interactions in ecosystems. Traditionally, delta13C vs. delta15N bi-plots have been used to describe food web structure for a single time period or ecosystem. Comparisons of food webs across time and space are increasing, but development of statistical approaches for testing hypotheses regarding food web change has lagged behind. Here we present statistical methodologies for quantitatively comparing stable isotope food web data. We demonstrate the utility of circular statistics and hypothesis tests for quantifying directional food web differences using two case studies: an arthropod salt marsh community across a habitat gradient and a freshwater fish community from Lake Tahoe, USA, over a 120-year time period. We calculated magnitude and mean angle of change (theta) for each species in food web space using mean delta13C and delta15N of each species as the x, y coordinates. In the coastal salt marsh, arthropod consumers exhibited a significant shift toward dependence on Spartina, progressing from a habitat invaded by Phragmites to a restored Spartina habitat. In Lake Tahoe, we found that all species from the freshwater fish community shifted in the same direction in food web space toward more pelagic-based production with the introduction of nonnative Mysis relicta and onset of cultural eutrophication. Using circular statistics to quantitatively analyze stable isotope food web data, we were able to gain significant insight into patterns and changes in food web structure that were not evident from qualitative comparisons. As more ecologists incorporate a food web perspective into ecosystem analysis, these statistical tools can provide a basis for quantifying directional food web differences from standard isotope data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie N Schmidt
- Center for Limnology, University of Wisconsin, 680 North Park Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA.
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47
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Applying Isotopic Methods to Tracking Animal Movements. TRACKING ANIMAL MIGRATION WITH STABLE ISOTOPES 2008. [DOI: 10.1016/s1936-7961(07)00003-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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48
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Loudon JE, Sponheimer M, Sauther ML, Cuozzo FP. Intraspecific variation in hair delta(13)C and delta(15)N values of ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) with known individual histories, behavior, and feeding ecology. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2007; 133:978-85. [PMID: 17455284 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.20605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions were analyzed from hair samples of 30 sympatric ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) inhabiting the Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve, Madagascar. All lemurs were known individuals involved in a longitudinal study, which allowed us to explore the degree to which group membership, sex, health status, and migration influenced their stable isotope compositions. The differences in delta(13)C and delta(15)N values between groups were small (<1.5 per thousand) but highly significant. In fact, each group was tightly clustered, and discriminant function analysis of the stable isotope data assigned individuals to the group in which they were originally collared with over 90% accuracy. In general, the differences between groups reflected the degree to which they utilized forested versus open habitats. As open habitats at Beza Mahafaly often correspond to areas of anthropogenic disturbance, these data suggest that isotopic data can be useful for addressing questions of lemur conservation. There were few sex differences, but significant differences did occur between individuals of normal and suboptimal health, with those in poor health (especially those in the worst condition) being enriched in (15)N and to a lesser degree (13)C compared with healthy individuals. Moreover, lemurs that had emigrated between 2003 and 2004 had different delta(13)C and delta(15)N compositions than their original groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- James E Loudon
- Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309-0233, USA.
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Cerling TE, Omondi P, Macharia AN. Diets of Kenyan elephants from stable isotopes and the origin of confiscated ivory in Kenya. Afr J Ecol 2007. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2028.2007.00784.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Thure E. Cerling
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112‐0111, U.S.A
| | - Patrick Omondi
- Kenya Wildlife Service, PO Box 40141‐00100, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Anthony N. Macharia
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112‐0111, U.S.A
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Fernandez-Jover D, Jimenez JAL, Sanchez-Jerez P, Bayle-Sempere J, Casalduero FG, Lopez FJM, Dempster T. Changes in body condition and fatty acid composition of wild Mediterranean horse mackerel (Trachurus mediterraneus, Steindachner, 1868) associated to sea cage fish farms. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2007; 63:1-18. [PMID: 17095083 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2006.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2005] [Revised: 05/08/2006] [Accepted: 05/12/2006] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Net-cage fish farms attract a great number of wild fishes, altering their behaviour and possibly their physiology. Wild Mediterranean horse mackerel (Trachurus mediterraneus), sampled from populations aggregated around two Mediterranean fish farms and from two natural control populations, were analyzed for differences in body condition, stomach content and fatty acid composition. Pellets used to feed caged fish in both farms were also analyzed to identify their relationship with the fatty acid composition of tissue of wild fish. T. mediterraneus aggregated around the farms throughout the year although large seasonal changes in abundance and biomass occurred. Wild fish aggregated at farms mainly ate food pellets while control fish fed principally on juvenile fish and cephalopods. Wild fish that fed around the cages had a significantly higher body fat content than the control fish (7.30+/-1.8% and 2.36+/-0.7%, respectively). The fatty acid composition also differed between farm-associated and control fish, principally because of the significantly increased levels of linoleic (C18:2omega6) and oleic (C18:1omega9) acids and decreased docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6omega3) in farm-associated fish. The increased condition of wild fish associated with farms could increase the spawning ability of coastal fish populations, if wild fish are protected from fishing while they are present at farms. The fatty acids compositions could also serve as biomarkers to infer the influence of a fish farm on the local fish community, helping to better describe the environmental impact of fish farming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damian Fernandez-Jover
- Marine Biology Unit, Department of Marine Sciences and Applied Biology, University of Alicante, PO Box 99, E - 03080, Alicante, Spain.
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