Carbon- and nitrogen-isotope tissue–diet discrimination and turnover rates in deer mice, Peromyscus maniculatus

2008 ◽  
Vol 86 (7) ◽  
pp. 685-691 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. Miller ◽  
J. S. Millar ◽  
F. J. Longstaffe
Keyword(s):  
Peromyscus Maniculatus ◽  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Nitrogen Isotopes ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Deer Mice ◽  
Turnover Rates ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Pregnant Females ◽  
Commercial Laboratory ◽  
C And N

The dietary habits of most small mammals are not well documented, and stable isotope measurements can provide information on when and how diets change. Here we document the discrimination and turnover times for carbon and nitrogen isotopes in blood, liver, muscle, hair, and milk from deer mice ( Peromyscus maniculatus (Wagner, 1845)) fed a controlled diet. Nonbreeding adults and pregnant females were livetrapped, maintained on a commercial laboratory chow, and had tissues sampled on a regular schedule. After adjusting to the laboratory diet, most tissues of nonbreeding adults were slightly depleted of 13C and enriched in 15N relative to diet (Δ13Ctissue–diet range = 0.3‰ to –1.1 ‰; Δ15Ntissue–diet range = 1.9‰ to 3.4‰). Liver (half-lives of 2.8 and 3.6 days for C and N, respectively) turned over more rapidly than blood (22.4 and 19.8 days for C and N, respectively) and muscle (18.7 and 24.8 days for C and N, respectively). The isotopic compositions of nonbreeding and breeding adults indicated tissue turnover at approximately the same rate, but juvenile tissues reflected the laboratory diet much more quickly than adult tissues.

Seasonal breeding in relation to dietary animal protein in deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus)

2010 ◽  
Vol 88 (6) ◽  
pp. 520-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. A. Tabacaru ◽  
J. S. Millar ◽  
F. J. Longstaffe ◽  
A. K. Ansell
Keyword(s):  
Peromyscus Maniculatus ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Animal Protein ◽  
Deer Mice ◽  
Plant Tissues ◽  
Seasonal Breeding ◽  
Stable Carbon ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Level Change ◽  
The Difference

We used stable carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions of hair and liver as a way of examining seasonal diet changes and explaining seasonal breeding in deer mice ( Peromyscus maniculatus (Wagner, 1845)). Summer and winter δ13C values differed, which is attributed to the availability of different plant tissues (C3 plants). The δ15N values of liver showed a decrease in consumed animal protein during winter, but the difference was not large enough to indicate a full trophic level change in diet from summer to winter. The δ15N values of hair remained constant across the seasons, which is attributed to a continuous level of moulting throughout the year. Our data indicate that lowered food quality in the form of reduced dietary animal protein intake may play a role in the cessation of breeding in deer mice in winter.

The effect of metabolic rate on stable carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions in deer mice, Peromyscus maniculatus

2010 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Smith ◽  
J. S. Millar ◽  
F. J. Longstaffe ◽  
R. Boonstra
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Diet Composition ◽  
Peromyscus Maniculatus ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Deer Mice ◽  
Stable Carbon ◽  
Animal Tissues ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Isotopic Compositions ◽  
Stable Isotopic

The stable isotopic compositions of nitrogen and carbon in animal tissues reflect diet. However, factors other than diet can also affect these stable isotope ratios, leading to misinterpretations of diet composition. To test the hypothesis that variation in metabolic rate alters the isotopic compositions of tissues, deer mice ( Peromyscus maniculatus (Wagner, 1845)) were kept at three temperatures (thermoneutral (23 °C), cool (5 °C), and cold (–10 °C)) and fed ad libitum. The changes in carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions of liver associated with the thermoneutral versus cool and cold conditions were very small in comparison with those arising from differences in diet. We conclude that temperature-induced variations in metabolic rate are insufficient to produce differences in the stable carbon or nitrogen isotope compositions that could be mistaken for changes in diet.

Isotopic Evidence for Diet in the Seventeenth-Century Colonial Chesapeake

2003 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas H. Ubelaker ◽  
Douglas W. Owsley
Keyword(s):  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Carbon Isotope ◽  
Nitrogen Isotopes ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Stable Carbon Isotope ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Stable Carbon ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
American Colonies

Excavations of colonial period sites in Maryland and Virginia have produced human remains dating to the seventeenth century. In this study, we analyze stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen from these remains to explore aspects of the diets of the individuals represented. Analyses of both stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes were conducted on preserved protein while stable carbon isotope analysis was also conducted on preserved biological apatite. Carbon isotope values (δ13N‰) ranged from -10.5 to -20.5 for collagen and -5.1 to -12.5 for bioapatite. Nitrogen isotope values (δ15N‰) ranged from 9.9 to 14.4. The data suggest dietary diversity among the individuals examined. Three factors contribute to this diversity: the availability of maize, variation in immigration histories of the individuals, and the differing lengths of time they spent in the American colonies.

scholarly journals Extensive primary production promoted the recovery of the Ediacaran Shuram excursion

2022 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fuencisla Cañadas ◽  
Dominic Papineau ◽  
Melanie J. Leng ◽  
Chao Li
Keyword(s):  
Primary Production ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Systematic Difference ◽  
Depositional Environments ◽  
Concentration Data ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Earth History ◽  
Carbon Isotope Excursion ◽  
C And N ◽  
Raman Spectral Data

AbstractMember IV of the Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation records the recovery from the most negative carbon isotope excursion in Earth history. However, the main biogeochemical controls that ultimately drove this recovery have yet to be elucidated. Here, we report new carbon and nitrogen isotope and concentration data from the Nanhua Basin (South China), where δ13C values of carbonates (δ13Ccarb) rise from − 7‰ to −1‰ and δ15N values decrease from +5.4‰ to +2.3‰. These trends are proposed to arise from a new equilibrium in the C and N cycles where primary production overcomes secondary production as the main source of organic matter in sediments. The enhanced primary production is supported by the coexisting Raman spectral data, which reveal a systematic difference in kerogen structure between depositional environments. Our new observations point to the variable dominance of distinct microbial communities in the late Ediacaran ecosystems, and suggest that blooms of oxygenic phototrophs modulated the recovery from the most negative δ13Ccarb excursion in Earth history.

scholarly journals New data on agro-pastoral diets in southern Italy from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabiola Arena ◽  
Emanuela Gualdi-Russo ◽  
Jesper Olsen ◽  
Bente Philippsen ◽  
Marcello A. Mannino
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Southern Italy ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Animal Protein ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Italian Regions ◽  
Economic Developments ◽  
The Bronze Age

Abstract The socio-cultural and economic developments that took place from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age are poorly understood, despite the fact that they were essential for the establishment of fully agro-pastoral economies in Europe. In this study, we aim to assess dietary changes in communities living in southern Italy during this period by examining stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios on human bone collagen. In particular, we investigated skeletal remains from seven sites in the southern Italian regions of Calabria (Grotta della Monaca, Grotta di Donna Marsilia and Grotta dell’Antenato), Basilicata (Murgia Timone, Grotta Funeraria and Toppo d’Aguzzo) and Apulia (Ipogeo dei Bronzi) to explore possible variations in diet between different geographic areas and periods. The results of the analysis on bone collagen extracts from 33 human and 12 faunal (sheep, dog, cattle and pigs) specimens attest that the diets of prehistoric southern Italians were mixed and based on the consumption of terrestrial resources, including generally moderate proportions of animal protein (e.g. meat and dairy products) and of C3 plants (e.g. cereals and legumes). Minor differences in the proportion of consumed meat are mostly dependent on the nature of regional environments, with individuals from Basilicata relying more on animal protein than those from Calabria and Apulia. Our study provides insights into the dietary habits of southern Italian populations during the prehistoric period that witnessed an increase both in agriculture and in pastoralism.

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope evidence for the low biomagnification of mercury in marine fish from the South China Sea

2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (8) ◽  
pp. 1017
Author(s):  
Wenfeng Zhang ◽  
Weixiong Huang ◽  
Xiao Chen ◽  
Xingfen Yang ◽  
Xiaoguang Yang
Keyword(s):  
Marine Fish ◽  
Nitrogen Isotopes ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Fish Muscle ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Mercury Species ◽  
Stable Carbon ◽  
The South ◽  
Fish Food ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen

The low biomagnification of total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) in commercially important marine fish from the south coast of China has been demonstrated through the analysis of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes. In this study, levels of THg, MeHg and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios were determined. Stable isotope signatures of carbon and nitrogen (13C/12C, 15N/14N) were used to trace the carbon flow and reconstruct trophic interactions. Levels of THg and MeHg in fish muscle samples were <220ngg–1. The trophic levels of sampled fish ranged from 2.31 to 5.03. The trophic magnification slopes were ~0.1 for both THg and MeHg, whereas the trophic magnification factor showed that the average biomagnification of THg and MeHg per trophic level was 3.02 and 2.87ngHgg–1 respectively along fish food chains, indicating low biomagnification potential of these mercury species. The low concentrations of MeHg and low biomagnification of mercury in marine fish may result from the trophic levels and habitats of these fish.

scholarly journals Tissue–diet discrimination factors and turnover of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes in white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus)

2010 ◽  
Vol 88 (10) ◽  
pp. 961-967 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel L. DeMots ◽  
James M. Novak ◽  
Karen F. Gaines ◽  
Aaron J. Gregor ◽  
Christopher S. Romanek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Ecology ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Whole Blood ◽  
Liver Tissue ◽  
Nitrogen Isotopes ◽  
Peromyscus Leucopus ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Turnover Rates ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen

Stable isotope analysis has become an increasingly valuable tool in investigating animal ecology. Here we document the turnover rates for carbon in the liver, muscle, and whole blood tissue, as well as the tissue–diet discrimination values for carbon and nitrogen isotopes in the liver, whole blood, muscle, and hair, of the white-footed mouse ( Peromyscus leucopus (Rafinesque, 1818)). A 168-day diet-switching experiment was conducted with a laboratory population of white-footed mice. The δ13C values for all tissues deviated less than 1‰ from those of the diet except for whole blood, which had a slightly higher tissue–diet discrimination factor of 1.8‰. All tissues were enriched in 15N by approximately 3‰ relative to the diet except for liver tissue, which was 4.5‰ higher than the dietary δ15N value. Turnover rates for tissues of white-footed mice were ranked liver > whole blood > muscle. The half-lives calculated for liver tissue differed significantly between the two diet switches performed in this experiment. We demonstrate that there is potential for variation in tissue–diet discrimination values and tissue turnover rates between even closely related species. These findings highlight the importance of determining species-specific estimates of these parameters prior to the use of stable isotope analysis in field investigations of animal ecology.

scholarly journals Stable isotopes provide independent support for the use of mesowear variables for inferring diets in African antelopes

2012 ◽  
Vol 279 (1746) ◽  
pp. 4441-4446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julien Louys ◽  
Peter Ditchfield ◽  
Carlo Meloro ◽  
Sarah Elton ◽  
Laura C. Bishop
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
Carbon Isotopes ◽  
Nitrogen Isotopes ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Direct Result ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen Isotopes ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
The Relationship

We examine the relationship between mesowear variables and carbon and nitrogen isotopes in 16 species of African antelope (Mammalia: Bovidae). We show significant differences in carbon and nitrogen isotope values between individuals exhibiting sharp versus round cusps, and high versus low occlusal relief. We show significant correlations between mesowear variables and both carbon and nitrogen isotopes. We find significant correlations between mesowear score and nitrogen, but not carbon isotopes. Finally, we find no significant correlations between hypsodonty index and either isotope examined. Our results provide strong support for the use of mesowear variables in palaeodietary reconstructions of antelopes. Our results further suggest that for the antelopes examined here, mesowear signals are a direct result of diet, while hyposodonty may be the result of phylogenetic legacy.

Stable Carbon- and Nitrogen-Isotope Ratios of Bone Collagen Used to Study Coral-Reef and Terrestrial Components of Prehistoric Bahamian Diet

1988 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 320-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
William F. Keegan ◽  
Michael J. DeNiro
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Nitrogen Isotopes ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Isotope Ratios ◽  
Isotopic Signature ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Food Groups ◽  
Stable Carbon ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Consumption Practices

Previous studies have demonstrated that stable carbon- and nitrogen-isotope ratios of bone collagen can be used to distinguish marine and terrestrial components of prehistoric human diet. However, when this method was first applied to prehistoric Bahamians, their bone-collagen nitrogen-isotope ratios were found to be outside the ranges observed for other coastal populations that ate substantial quantities of marine foods. This study examines in detail the distributions of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes in Bahamian food chains. Our results indicate that the unique isotopic signature in bone collagen of prehistoric Bahamians reflects the enrichment of 13C and the depletion of 15N in seagrass and coral-reef communities relative to other oceanic environments. The results also demonstrate that bone-collagen 13C/12C ratios can be used to distinguish marine from terrestrial contributions in the prehistoric Lucayan Taino diet, and that 15N/14N ratios serve to identify the use of certain marine food groups. This approach should prove useful for the study of consumption practices in other tropical coral-reef environments and as a method for evaluating theoretically predicted optimal diets.

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