Isotopic signatures (δ 13C and δ15N) of muscle, carapace and claw in Phrynops geoffroanus (Testudines: Chelidae)

Marques, Thiago S.; Tassoni-Filho, Maurício; Ferronato, Bruno O.; Guardia, Isabela; Verdade, Luciano Martins; Camargo, Plínio Barbosa de

doi:10.1590/s1984-46702011000300016

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Enrichment of δ 15 N in muscle tissue has been reported by others and is often attributed to recent dietary switches or differences in turnover, assimilation rates, or amino acids incorporated (Sholto-Douglas et al, 1991, Bearhop et al, 2002, Stenroth et al, 2005, Mateo et al, 2008, Marques et al, 2011, Malpica-Cruz et al, 2013, Perkins et al 2013, and Svensson et al, 2014). Additionally, the enrichment of δ 13 C in muscle tissue observed in this study can be attributed to differences in tissue lipid content, since lipids are depleted in δ 13 C compared to carbohydrates and protein (DeNiro and Epstein, 1978, Stenroth et al, 2006 and Mateo et al, 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Influence of sample preparation on estuarine macrofauna stable isotope signatures in the context of contaminant bioaccumulation studies

Curtis

Buggé

Buckman

et al. 2017

Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology

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The ratios of stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen provide important information on food sources of aquatic organisms and trophic structure of aquatic food webs. For many studies, trophic position and food source are linked to bioaccumulation and trophic transfer of contaminants from prey to predators. In these cases, it is useful to use measurements on whole organisms to make direct comparisons of contaminant bioaccumulation and food web attributes. There is a great deal of variation in methods used for stable isotope analysis, particularly in the selection of tissue type and sample preparation prior to stable isotope analysis. While there have been aquatic studies that examined methodological differences, few have focused on estuarine organisms. In this study, the effects of depuration and tissue dissection on the stable isotope enrichment of common estuarine invertebrates and fish were examined. Homogenized tissues of non-depurated whole organisms were compared to dissected muscle tissue or depurated whole organisms. A 24 h depuration did not change the mean δ15N and δ13C values for most species examined. Additionally, as expected, significant differences in carbon and nitrogen signatures were found when muscle tissues were compared to whole organisms. However, differences were small enough that food source as inferred by δ13C or trophic level as inferred from δ15N would not be inaccurately represented (differences of <1.9‰ for δ13C and <1.2‰ for δ15N). The results of this study suggest that for these common estuarine fish and macroinvertebrates, stable isotopes ratios of samples can be analyzed without depuration in the same way as samples for contaminant analysis, but differences in tissue types must be taken into account when combining data from different sources.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Influence of sample preparation on estuarine macrofauna stable isotope signatures in the context of contaminant bioaccumulation studies

Curtis

Buggé

Buckman

et al. 2017

Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology

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“…Analyses of variance indicated that there were no significant differences between the stable isotope values for claw and muscle tissues for either species (d 13 C: T. scripta, P 5 0.66; P. floridana, P 5 0.78; d 15 N: T. scripta, P 5 0.13; P. floridana, P 5 0.45). In comparison, Marques et al (2011) found that muscle and claw tissue in Geoffroy's side-necked turtle (Phrynops geoffroanus) did not differ for d 13 C but that claw was more depleted for d 15 N than muscle.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 88%

Trophic Interactions of Turtles in a North Florida Lake Food Web: Prevalence of Omnivory

Aresco

Travis

Macrae

2015

Copeia

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Omnivory is ubiquitous in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and may increase stability of food webs. Turtles are longlived and among the most abundant organisms in lentic aquatic habitats. Many species are omnivores and thus may be especially important in regulating ecosystem dynamics in these systems. Turtles are also one of the most threatened vertebrate groups in the world; if they indeed play pivotal roles in lentic ecosystems, their declines may disrupt or even destabilize those ecosystems. In order to assess the role of turtles in an aquatic ecosystem, we examined sources of primary production, trophic structure, and ontogenetic diet shifts of five species of turtles, other herpetofauna, and fish in a large shallow lake in northern Florida. Stable isotope analyses (d 13 C and d 15 N) of 42 species of animals and five sources of primary productivity revealed that macroalgae and/or particulate organic matter were the foundation of the food web. Trophic structure of the herpetofauna and fish indicated a high degree of omnivory (TPs of 3-4), few specialists at high trophic levels (TP $ 4.0), and few strict primary consumers (TP = 2.0). Several predatory fish (Micropterus salmoides, Lepomis gulosus, and Pomoxis nigromaculatus) and herpetological predators (e.g., Alligator, Nerodia) were functionally trophic omnivores with trophic positions lowered by predation on primary and low trophic position secondary consumers. We found two major divisions in the trophic structure of turtles-an herbivore (Pseudemys floridana) and four omnivores (Apalone ferox, Chelydra serpentina, Sternotherus odoratus, and Trachemys scripta). There were at least three types of omnivores, species that are generalist feeders throughout their life (e.g., C. serpentina, S. odoratus), species that change their trophic position during ontogeny (e.g., A. ferox), and species with the same trophic position through ontogeny but resulting from different diet composition as juveniles and adults (e.g., T. scripta). Trophic position of some species indicated that even when turtles are primarily predatory, they also function as vegetative consumers and facultative scavengers (e.g., T. scripta, S. odoratus, A. ferox). Given that omnivory is a critical process that can stabilize food webs, there will certainly be dramatic shifts in how energy and nutrients flow through these lentic ecosystems if turtle populations decline.

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“…It is now virtually replaced by non-destructively sampled tissues in vertebrates, such as fish fins and scales (e.g. Jardine et al, 2011;Fincel et al, 2012;Hette-Tronquart et al, 2012), bird claws (Bearhop et al, 2003), reptile claws (Marques et al, 2011) and cetacean fins (Todd et al, 1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fins are relevant non-lethal surrogates for muscle to measure stable isotopes in amphibians

Bélouard

Petit

Huteau

et al. 2019

Knowl. Manag. Aquat. Ecosyst.

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Stable isotope analyses (SIA) are now widely used in ecology research to quantify the trophic implications of a large range of ecological processes. Non-destructive sampling methods have been successfully developed for most vertebrates, but the validation of such methods is missing in amphibians. Filling this methodological gap is critical to reduce the significant lack of knowledge on the trophic ecology of this imperilled group. The relevance of tail fin as a surrogate for muscle, a tissue routinely used for SIA, was assessed in four amphibian species, including tadpoles and adult newts, by (1) testing the link between the isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen in fin and muscle, and addressing the additional practical issues of (2) the effects of a topical anaesthetic on isotope ratios, and (3) the minimum quantities of fin needed for SIA to limit the severity of sampling. The isotope ratios were highly correlated between the two tissues in all four species. Equations were provided to predict muscle estimates from fin values for each species separately and grouped by their taxonomic order (anurans or urodeles), which represent a valuable solution for any other species. Topical anaesthetics had little influence on isotope ratios, and the surface of tail fin needed for SIA was small. We conclude that the tail fin of amphibians can be used as a non-lethal surrogate for muscle in SIA, and this offers promising prospects for research on the trophic ecology of amphibians, and potentially on their conservation.

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Isotopic signatures (δ 13C and δ15N) of muscle, carapace and claw in Phrynops geoffroanus (Testudines: Chelidae)

Cited by 6 publications

References 13 publications

Influence of sample preparation on estuarine macrofauna stable isotope signatures in the context of contaminant bioaccumulation studies

Influence of sample preparation on estuarine macrofauna stable isotope signatures in the context of contaminant bioaccumulation studies

Trophic Interactions of Turtles in a North Florida Lake Food Web: Prevalence of Omnivory

Fins are relevant non-lethal surrogates for muscle to measure stable isotopes in amphibians

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