scholarly journals Experimental Evaluation of δ2H, δ13C and δ15N Variability in Blood and Feathers of Wild and Captive Birds: Implications for Interspecific Food Web Studies

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 495
Author(s):  
Robert G. Clark ◽  
Russell D. Dawson ◽  
Jennifer L. Greenwood ◽  
David W. Johns ◽  
Leonard I. Wassenaar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Family Of Origin ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Trophic Relationships ◽  
Ambient Conditions ◽  
Natal Nest ◽  
Δ13c And Δ15n ◽  
Rearing Environment ◽  
Nestling Development

Stable-hydrogen (δ2H), nitrogen (δ15N), and carbon (δ13C) isotopes are used to decipher broad movement patterns and trophic relationships among diverse species, and an improved understanding of factors controlling natural variation in tissue-isotope measurements will enhance these applications. To evaluate the rearing environment and family-related effects on the isotopic composition of tissues, we cross-fostered nestling tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor, Vieillot 1808) and American kestrels (Falco sparverius, Linnaeus 1758) by swapping recently hatched birds (<4 days old) among nest boxes and collecting blood and feathers prior to fledging. To assess developmental effects, we measured δ2H in blood and feathers of captive mallard (Anas platyrhynchos, Linnaeus 1758) ducklings challenged energetically during growth. Stable isotope composition was not strongly related to nest box type or natal nest (i.e., family of origin) effects in swallows and kestrels; tissue-isotope composition was related to rearing environment, indicative of differences in nest and parental quality or parental provisioning tactics. Blood and feather δ2H values in swallows were positively related to antecedent maximum ambient temperature, and unrelated to elevated energy expenditure in mallards. The average differences between δ2H in blood and feathers were similar for nestling swallows (27‰, 32‰; two sites) and mallards (26‰, 30‰; two age groups), and lower than in nestling kestrels (50‰). Strong species-specific patterns in blood-feather differences were not observed for δ15N and δ13C in swallows or kestrels; divergent δ2H results may be related to differences in nest ambient conditions, diet composition, or physiological processes affecting hydrogen assimilation during growth and feather synthesis. In swallows, tissue-isotope values reflected parental prey selection from spatially distinct food webs during nestling development with little effect(s) of family of origin, egg composition, or early growth.

scholarly journals Trophic Relationships and Habitat Preferences of Delphinids from the Southeastern Brazilian Coast Determined by Carbon and Nitrogen Stable Isotope Composition

PLoS ONE ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. e82205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatiana Lemos Bisi ◽  
Paulo Renato Dorneles ◽  
José Lailson-Brito ◽  
Gilles Lepoint ◽  
Alexandre de Freitas Azevedo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Trophic Relationships ◽  
Brazilian Coast ◽  
Stable Isotope Composition ◽  
Nitrogen Stable Isotope ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen

An easy-to-use, low-cost evaporation protection to collect more reliable stable water isotope data with Teledyne ISCO portable samplers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana von Freyberg ◽  
Julia L. A. Knapp ◽  
Andrea Rücker ◽  
Bjørn Studer ◽  
Massimiliano Zappa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Samples ◽  
Isotope Fractionation ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Ambient Conditions ◽  
Storage Duration ◽  
Full Size ◽  
Isotope Data ◽  
Protection Method ◽  
Wide Range

&lt;p&gt;Off-the-shelf portable automatic water samplers, such as the 6712 full-size portable sampler (Teledyne ISCO, Lincoln, USA), are often used in remote locations to collect precipitation or streamwater for subsequent analysis of deuterium and oxygen-18. &amp;#160;The bottles inside these automatic samplers remain open during the full duration of sampler deployment and the collected water samples can thus be subjected to evaporation and vapor exchange. &amp;#160;Both processes are known to alter the isotope composition of the water sample, and thus the questions arise as to 1) how credible the isotope measurements from automatically collected water samples are and 2) how can these isotope effects in the automatic water sampler be reduced?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We evaluated these questions through laboratory and field experiments in which we quantified the change in isotope composition in the water samples with respect to ambient conditions (air temperature and relative humidity), storage duration, and sample volume.&amp;#160; We found that isotope fractionation in the water samples was substantial under very warm and dry condition, when sample volumes are small or when sample storage exceeded 10 days. &amp;#160;To address these problems, we have designed an evaporation protection method which modifies autosampler bottles using a syringe housing and silicone tube.&amp;#160; We performed paired experiments with open vs. evaporation-protected bottles in Teledyne ISCO 6712 full-size portable samplers to evaluate our design. &amp;#160;We could show that the evaporation protection successfully reduced isotope fractionation in the water samples for storage durations of up to 24 days and for a wide range of ambient conditions; e.g., while deuterium concentrations in the water samples in open bottles changed by ca. 3&amp;#8240; under very warm and dry conditions, no isotope effect was measured in the bottles equipped with the evaporation protection. Because our design is very cost efficient it can easily be implemented to upgrade Teledyne ISCO&amp;#8217;s 6712 full-size portable samplers or other similar devices for collecting more reliable isotope data.&lt;/p&gt;

Stable isotopes reveal post-release trophodynamic and ontogenetic changes in a released finfish, mulloway (Argyrosomus japonicus)

2010 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew D. Taylor ◽  
Debashish Mazumder
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
Isotopic Composition ◽  
Turnover Rate ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Wild Fish ◽  
Ontogenetic Changes ◽  
Nitrogen Stable Isotope ◽  
Δ13c And Δ15n ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Nitrogen Isotopic Composition

Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios were analysed for hatchery-reared, recaptured and wild mulloway, Argyrosomus japonicus, to investigate temporal and growth-related changes in isotopic composition for stocked fish after release, and to evaluate changes in isotopic composition in terms of ontogenetic dietary switches. δ13C and δ15N values decreased and increased, respectively, after release. The isotope composition of released fish was distinct from wild fish until 200 days after release, but after 200 days post-release fish did not differ significantly from wild fish of similar or greater sizes. Abrupt dietary transitions from crustaceans to teleost fish (>50 cm total length (TL)) were evident in a rapid δ13C and δ15N change in wild mulloway, and δ15N was significantly greater in wild fish >65 cm TL compared with wild fish <50 cm TL. Multivariate carbon and nitrogen isotopic data were suitable for separating stocked and wild fish for up to 200 days after release, but did not separate wild fish grouped according to dietary composition. Carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition closely reflected dietary transitions and rapid adaptation by stocked mulloway to wild diets, which was evident in a high tissue turnover rate of up to 0.017 day–1. Stable isotopes are a useful tool for examining the integration of released fish into stocked ecosystems and can be used to describe convergence in the diets of wild and released fish.

Temporal variabilities of δ13C and δ15N in an ecosystem from the Central-East Gulf of California: estimating trophic relationships

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-52
Author(s):  
Martha Del Rio-Salas ◽  
Angel Martínez-Durazo ◽  
Reina Castro-Longoria ◽  
Martín E. Jara-Marini
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of California ◽  
Trophic Relationships ◽  
Δ13c And Δ15n

Trophic relationships of the platypus: insights from stable isotope and cheek pouch dietary analyses

2016 ◽  
Vol 67 (8) ◽  
pp. 1196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Klamt ◽  
Jenny A. Davis ◽  
Ross M. Thompson ◽  
Richard Marchant ◽  
Tom R. Grant
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Trophic Relationships ◽  
Cheek Pouch ◽  
Insect Larvae ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Δ13c And Δ15n ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Wide Range

The unique Australian monotreme, the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) potentially exerts a strong top-down influence on riverine food webs in eastern Australia. However, despite considerable interest in the evolutionary history and physiology of the platypus, little is known of its trophic relationships. To address this lack of knowledge we used stable isotope analysis, in combination with the analysis of food items stored in cheek pouches, to determine its position in a typical riverine food web. This was the essential first step in the process of designing a larger study to investigate the relative importance of top-down and bottom-up effects in rivers where the platypus occurs. We found that platypuses were feeding on a wide range of benthic invertebrates, particularly insect larvae. The similarity of δ13C and δ15N values recorded for the platypus, a native fish (Galaxias sp.) and the exotic mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) indicated dietary overlap and potential competition for the same resources. Although cheek pouch studies identify most of the major groups of prey organisms, the potential for contribution of the soft-bodied organisms such as larval dipterans, is suggested by stable isotope analysis, indicating that the use of both techniques will be important in future ecological investigations.

scholarly journals Intra-Body Variations of Stable Isotope Ratios (δ13C, δ15N) and Influence of Storage Methods in Aquatic and Post-Aquatic Stages of the Common Toad, Bufo bufo

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (18) ◽  
pp. 2544
Author(s):  
Andrey N. Reshetnikov ◽  
Daniil I. Korobushkin
Keyword(s):  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Bufo Bufo ◽  
Common Toad ◽  
Δ13c And Δ15n ◽  
Isotopic Signatures ◽  
The Common ◽  
Two Stages ◽  
Method Factors ◽  
Toad Bufo ◽  
Toad Bufo Bufo

Isotopic signatures of carbon and nitrogen are widely used for analysis of the structure of food webs in aquatic ecosystems. The study of animals raises a number of methodological questions, including choice of representative tissues and organs for sampling as well as storage of the studied organisms. Furthermore, the impacts of preservation methods can be tissue-specific, age-specific, and even taxon-specific; thus, studies of these impacts on particular taxa are necessary. We focused on the C and N isotope composition of the common toad (Bufo bufo), one of the most widespread European anuran amphibians. We hypothesized that its different tissues and organs may vary in isotopic composition, and ethanol and freezing may have different effects on isotopic values. Our results showed that both “tissue” and “storage method” factors significantly affected the δ13C values of tadpoles and postmetamorphic juveniles, whereas only the “tissue” factor had a significant effect on the δ15N values. The two stages, tadpoles and postmetamorphs, should be analyzed separately despite the brief postmetamorphic period of the juveniles. The skin, legs, muscles, and tail in tadpoles and legs, muscles and heart in juveniles can be used for δ13C and δ15N analysis regardless of the method of storage. The results will serve for the optimization of future study designs in isotopic ecology.

scholarly journals Leaf scale quantification of the effect of photosynthetic gas exchange on Δ47 of CO2

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Getachew Agmuas Adnew ◽  
Magdalena E. G. Hofmann ◽  
Thijs L. Pons ◽  
Gerbrand Koren ◽  
Martin Ziegler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gas Exchange ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Diffusion Flux ◽  
Leaf Water ◽  
Back Diffusion ◽  
Ambient Conditions ◽  
Photosynthetic Gas Exchange ◽  
O Isotope ◽  
Clumped Isotope ◽  
Kinetic Fractionation

AbstractThe clumped isotope composition (Δ47, the anomaly of the mass 47 isotopologue relative to the abundance expected from a random isotope distribution) of CO2 has been suggested as an additional tracer for gross CO2 fluxes. However, the effect of photosynthetic gas exchange on Δ47 has not been directly determined and two indirect/conceptual studies reported contradicting results. In this study, we quantify the effect of photosynthetic gas exchange on Δ47 of CO2 using leaf cuvette experiments with one C4 and two C3 plants. The experimental results are supported by calculations with a leaf cuvette model. Our results demonstrate the important roles of the Δ47 value of CO2 entering the leaf, kinetic fractionation as CO2 diffuses into, and out of the leaf and CO2–H2O isotope exchange with leaf water. We experimentally confirm the previously suggested dependence of Δ47 of CO2 in the air surrounding a leaf on the stomatal conductance and back-diffusion flux. Gas exchange can enrich or deplete the Δ47 of CO2 depending on the Δ47 of CO2 entering the leaf and the fraction of CO2 exchanged with leaf water and diffused back to the atmosphere, but under typical ambient conditions, it will lead to a decrease in Δ47.

Trophic relationships among animals associated with drifting wrack

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (8) ◽  
pp. 1248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan J. Baring ◽  
Rebecca E. Lester ◽  
Peter G. Fairweather
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Food Webs ◽  
Sandy Beach ◽  
Sandy Beaches ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Trophic Relationships ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Δ13c And Δ15n ◽  
Trophic Pathways

Wrack accumulates commonly in surf zones of sandy beaches and can be a semipermanent feature. Very few studies have investigated the trophic pathways associated with wrack accumulations in sandy beach surf zones, despite their potential importance to nearshore food webs. In the present study, we were specifically interested in determining the fish–wrack trophic associations in the nearshore. Macrophytes, macroinvertebrates and fish were sampled from drifting wrack at two sites with different macrophyte compositions (i.e. algae v. an algae–seagrass mix) in South Australia. The gut contents of fish were sampled, and the δ13C and δ15N stable isotope signatures of fish, macroinvertebrates and macrophytes were analysed. Using both the stable isotope and diet data, we identified that fish are feeding among wrack accumulations, but some unexplained trophic pathways suggest that fish are also likely to be foraging over multiple habitats elsewhere for food. In contrast, there was more evidence that grazing macroinvertebrates may be feeding on and around macrophytes within the accumulations, as well as using them as habitat. Thus, the present study established some baseline trophic pathways associated with wrack accumulations in sandy beach surf zones. Given the modest evidence for use of wrack as a food source, the lower trophic levels of the food webs identified remain unknown and should be an area for future research.

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