Isotopic reconstruction of Proboscidean habitats and diets on enigmatic island of Sulawesi

Sulawesi is known for its complex geological and biogeographic history, which is reflected in their extinct and extant faunal assemblage. Evidence of oldest terrestrial fauna in Sulawesi was found in the Early Pleistocene sediment and evolved since then. Despite being mostly isolated from the mainland Southeast Asia; four successive Proboscidean taxa have been found from the southern part of the island. The four taxa are: Stegoloxodon celebensis, Stegodon sompoensis, Stegodon sp. B, and cf. Palaeoloxodon namadicus, in which respective taxa are included in successive faunal stages. The aim of this research is to reconstruct the diet and palaeoenvironment of these Proboscidean taxa by incorporating stable isotope analysis with the fossil faunal record, geology, and stratigraphy. Stable carbon (δ13C) and oxygen (δ18O) isotope analysis were especially used in this study. Our result suggests that Stegoloxodon celebensis and Stegodon sompoensis were flexible feeders and were able to adapt to different niches, from closed canopy forest to open vegetation, while the diets of Stegodon sp. B, Celebochoerus heekereni and cf. Palaeoloxodon namadicus suggest that they were more specialized.

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Diet of spotted bats (Euderma maculatum) in Arizona as indicated by fecal analysis and stable isotopes

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z09-075 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 87 (10) ◽

pp. 865-875 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

M. L. Painter ◽

C. L. Chambers ◽

M. Siders ◽

R. R. Doucett ◽

J. O. Whitaker, Jr. ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stable Isotopes ◽

Stable Isotope ◽

Stable Isotope Analysis ◽

Latitudinal Gradient ◽

Visual Analysis ◽

Isotope Analysis ◽

Stable Carbon ◽

Fecal Analysis ◽

Insect Prey ◽

Wing Hair

We assessed diet of spotted bats ( Euderma maculatum (J.A. Allen, 1891)) by visual analysis of bat feces and stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope analysis of bat feces, wing, hair, and insect prey. We collected 33 fecal samples from spotted bats and trapped 3755 insects where bats foraged. Lepidopterans averaged 99.6% of feces by volume; other insects were not a major component of diet. The δ13C and δ15N values of bat feces were similar to those of moths from families Noctuidae (N), Lasiocampidae (L), and Geometridae (G), but differed from Arctiidae (A) and Sphingidae (S). We used a mixing model to reconstruct diet; three families (N, L, G) represented the majority (88%–100%) of the diet with A + S representing 0%–12%. Although we compared δ13C and δ15N values of wing, hair, and feces of spotted bats, feces best represented recent diet; wing and hair were more enriched than feces by 3‰ and 6‰, respectively. This pattern was consistent with that reported for other bat species. We suggest that spotted bats persist across a wide latitudinal gradient partly because they can forage on a variety of noctuid, geometrid, and lasiocampid moths. Using visual fecal inspection with stable isotope analysis provided information on families of moths consumed by an uncommon bat species.

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Climate and Habitat Reconstruction Using Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotope Ratios of Collagen in Prehistoric Herbivore Teeth from Kenya

Quaternary Research ◽

10.1016/0033-5894(89)90048-3 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 31 (3) ◽

pp. 407-422 ◽

Cited By ~ 71

Author(s):

Stanley H. Ambrose ◽

Michael J. DeNiro

Keyword(s):

Stable Isotope ◽

Stable Isotope Analysis ◽

Analytical Methods ◽

Rift Valley ◽

Isotope Analysis ◽

Nitrogen Isotope ◽

Isotope Ratios ◽

Habitat Conditions ◽

Stable Carbon ◽

Carbon And Nitrogen

AbstractStable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios have been determined for tooth collagen of 27 prehistoric herbivores from a rock shelter in the central Rift Valley of Kenya. Collagen samples whose isotope ratios were not altered by diagenesis were identified using several analytical methods. During the later Holocene, when the climate was as dry or drier than at present, the isotopic compositions of individual animals are similar to those of modern individuals of the same species. During the earlier Holocene, when the climate was wetter than at present, the δ15N and δ13C values are lower than those for their modern counterparts. When diagenetic factors can be discounted and adequate modern comparative data are available, stable isotope analysis of herbivore teeth and bones can be used to evaluate prehistoric climate and habitat conditions.

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Diets of impala from Kruger National Park: evidence from stable carbon isotopes

Koedoe ◽

10.4102/koedoe.v46i1.43 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 46 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

M. Sponheimer ◽

C.C. Grant ◽

D.J. De Ruiter ◽

J.A. Lee-Thorp ◽

D.M. Codron ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stable Isotope ◽

Carbon Isotopes ◽

Stable Isotope Analysis ◽

National Park ◽

Stable Carbon Isotopes ◽

Isotope Analysis ◽

Kruger National Park ◽

Stable Carbon ◽

Dietary Flexibility ◽

Males And Females

Impala are known to exhibit dietary flexibility, relying primarily on browse in some areas and graze in others. In this study we use stable isotope analysis of faeces and hair to examine the diets of Impala in Kruger National Park. As expected, the data show that Impala are mixed-feeders and highly distinct from grazing buffalo and browsing kudu. Moreover, Impala, Buffalo, and Kudu faeces contain 2.1 %, 1.4 %, and 2.9 % nitrogen respectively, suggesting that Impala diets are of intermediate quality. There are also marked differences between Impala populations in the northern and southern regions of the park. The northern Impala graze less than their southern counterparts. This difference probably reflects decreased availability of herbaceous forage in the mopane-dominated north. Males and females also have different diets, with males grazing more than females.

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Using stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopes to infer trophic relationships among black and grizzly bears in the upper Columbia River basin, British Columbia

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z00-069 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 78 (8) ◽

pp. 1332-1339 ◽

Cited By ~ 69

Author(s):

Keith A Hobson ◽

Bruce N McLellan ◽

John G Woods

Keyword(s):

British Columbia ◽

Stable Isotope ◽

Stable Isotope Analysis ◽

Isotope Analysis ◽

Columbia River ◽

Black Bears ◽

Columbia River Basin ◽

Grizzly Bears ◽

Stable Carbon ◽

Convenient Means

Ecological segregation of species is difficult to determine using conventional dietary analysis techniques. However, stable-isotope analysis may provide a convenient means of establishing trophic segregation of species and of groups of animals within a species in the same area. We measured stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope values in hair of black bears (Ursus americanus) and grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) inhabiting the upper Columbia River basin in southeastern British Columbia, together with samples of potential foods ranging from plant material through invertebrates and ungulate meat. We found extensive overlap in both δ15N and δ13C values of hair from male grizzly bears and black bears of both sexes. Female grizzly bears, however, had lower δ15N values in their hair than the other groups of bears, indicating either less animal protein in their diet or a reliance on foods more depleted in 15N, possibly related to altitude. Our isotopic model generally confirmed a herbivorous diet for both bear species (a mean estimated plant contribution of 91%). Bears showing the highest δ15N values were those captured because they posed a management problem. We suggest that the slope of the relationship between tissue δ15N and δ13C values might provide a convenient means of evaluating the occurrence of consumption of animal protein in populations, regardless of local isotopic end-points for dietary samples. We examined three black bear cubs from dens and found them to be about a trophic level higher than adult females, reflecting their dependence on mother's milk, a result generally confirmed by an analysis of eight mother-cub pairs from Minnesota. Our study demonstrates how stable-isotope analysis of bear tissue can be used to monitor the feeding habits of populations, as well as provide dietary histories that may reveal dietary specializations among individuals.

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Diet and society in Poland before the state: stable isotope evidence from a Wielbark population (2nd c. AD)

Anthropological Review ◽

10.2478/anre-2013-0010 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 76 (1) ◽

pp. 1-22 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Laurie J. Reitsema ◽

Tomasz Kozłowski

Keyword(s):

Stable Isotope ◽

Stable Isotope Analysis ◽

Isotope Analysis ◽

Nitrogen Isotope ◽

Stable Carbon ◽

Human Diet ◽

North Central ◽

Carbon And Nitrogen ◽

Daily Food ◽

Isotope Evidence

Abstract The 1st-4th c. AD Wielbark culture of Eastern Europe is relatively understudied bioarchaeologically due to the fragmentary nature of its cemeteries. Here, we report the first stable isotope analysis of Wielbark diet using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope signatures from both collagen and carbonate of 30 individuals from Rogowo, a 2nd c. Wielbark cemetery in North-Central Poland. Diet at Rogowo was primarily based on terrestrial foods and included millet, a C4 plant cultivated by many Slavic populations in Europe. Anadromous fish likely supplemented the diet, which is clarified when considering collagen and carbonate data in tandem. Stable isotope differences between the sexes indicate that men and women may have consumed different foods, although there is a possibility that women immigrated to Rogowo from an isotopically different region of Europe. No significant differences are noted in δ13C or δ15N of women with and without grave goods, suggesting little social differentiation within the Wielbark culture, at least in terms of daily food access. Reconstructing human diet in Europe through stable isotope analysis is problematic because of the relative isotopic homogeneity in this region of the world. This study further demonstrates the utility of using both carbonate and collagen stable isotope data in tandem to reconstruct past European diet.

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