Growth rate and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope trophic discrimination factors of lion and leopard whiskers

Mutirwara, Ruwimbo; Radloff, Frans G. T.; Codron, Daryl

doi:10.1002/rcm.8003

Cited by 7 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 86 publications

(269 reference statements)

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“…We used the stable isotope record of whisker increments as a proxy for the dietary history and the level of specialization in leopards on commercial farmland in Namibia. We used whiskers of approximately 8–10 cm length, which integrate over a period of approximately 150 days when assuming a growth rate of 0.65 mm per day reported for a single captive leopard (Mutirwara et al ., ). Growth rates of free‐ranging leopard may deviate from this measurement.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Here, we studied the isotopic specialization of an apex predator in an African ecosystem, the leopard ( Panthera pardus ), by analyzing the variation in stable isotope ratios in incrementing segments of whiskers obtained from a total of 36 individuals. In leopards, whiskers grow at 0.65 mm per day (Mutirwara, Radloff & Codron, ), i.e. a 10 cm whisker would be produced over approximately 154 days.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sex‐specific dietary specialization in a terrestrial apex predator, the leopard, revealed by stable isotope analysis

et al. 2018

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Apex predators in terrestrial ecosystems, such as leopards in the African savanna, feed on a wide variety of prey species, yet it is unknown whether individuals specialize on certain prey, and whether specialization changes with body traits. Here, we asked whether individual specialization of adult leopards (Panthera pardus) varies with sex, body mass, body length and age classes. We used the variation of stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in 643 segments of whiskers as a temporal record of past diets and established isotopic dietary niches for 36 adult leopards (18 males, 18 females). Based on a variance analysis for stable carbon isotope ratios, we found that between-individual variation was larger than within-individual variation, indicating a high degree of overall specialization within the studied leopards. Female adult leopards exhibited larger isotopic dietary niche widths than male adult leopards. Isotopic niche width did not vary with body mass, body length or age. Our data suggest a difference in the level of specialization between the sexes, which might be explained by more opportunistic feeding of small-sized female leopards, most likely connected with a higher use of small prey species of different isotopic composition. Inter-sexual resource partitioning likely facilitates territory sharing between the sexes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex‐specific dietary specialization in a terrestrial apex predator, the leopard, revealed by stable isotope analysis

et al. 2018

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“…'D, E' are donkey (meat) samples from Namibia (Voigt et al 2014) and donkey (bone/tooth collagen) samples from Kenya (Ambrose and DeNiro 1986). 'F' is a chicken (meat, non-lipid extracted) sample from Pretoria, South Africa (Mutirwara et al 2018). All dietary data have added discrimination factors of ?…”

Section: Interlaboratory Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differentiating captive and wild African lion (Panthera leo) populations in South Africa, using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis

Hutchinson

Roberts

2020

Biodivers Conserv

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The international trade in lion (Panthera leo) products, particularly bone, has increased substantially over the last decade. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has established a zero-export quota for wildorigin lion bones. Whilst the trade of lion bone is permittable from captive-bred South African populations, there is no established method to differentiate between captive and wild-sourced lion derivatives in trade. This study acts as a preliminary investigation, by examining the stable carbon (d 13 C) and nitrogen (d 15 N) isotope composition of hair from wild and captive lion populations as well as wild prey animals in South Africa, to judge the accuracy and applicability of this method for future bone analysis. Isotopic values for d 15 N are found to be significantly enriched in some wild populations, however it is not possible to discriminate between captive and wild populations using d 13 C analysis alone. Using the classification algorithm k-Nearest Neighbour, the origin of simulated data was identified with 70% accuracy. When using the model to test the origin of seized samples, 63% were classified as of wild origin. Our study indicates the potential for stable isotope analysis to discriminate between captive and wild populations. Additional study of captive husbandry, and analysis of bone samples from populations of a known origin and feeding regime is recommended to improve the utility of this method for maintaining transparency in trade. Keywords CITES Á Forensic tool Á Hair analysis Á Lion-bone trade Á Wildlife crime Communicated by Adeline Loyau. This article belongs to the Topical Collection: Biodiversity exploitation and use.

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“…Moreover, in cases where ethical considerations prevent collection or euthanizing large numbers of animals, small subsamples of tissues can be used for SIA. Common examples include feathers in birds (Pekarsky et al, ; Prochazka, Wilgenburg, Neto, Yosef, & Hobson, ; Rubenstein & Hobson, ), fur or whiskers in large carnivores (Mutirwara, Radloff, & Codron, ; Voigt et al, ; Yeakel et al, ), or baleen of whales (Aguilar, Gimenez, Gomez‐Campos, Cardona, & Borrell, ; Schell, Saupe, & Haubenstock, ). As discussed below, SIA can even be used to track dispersal patterns of plant seeds.…”

Section: Dispersalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using stable isotope analysis to answer fundamental questions in invasion ecology: Progress and prospects

et al. 2019

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1. What makes some species successful invaders while others fail, and why some invaders have major impacts in invaded ecosystems are pivotal questions that are attracting major research effort. The increasing availability of high resolution, georeferenced stable isotope landscapes ('isoscapes'), coupled with the commercialization of stable isotope-enriched tracer molecules and the development of new analytical approaches, is facilitating novel applications of stable isotope techniques in ecology.We can now address ecological questions that were previously intractable.2. We review and discuss how stable isotope analysis (SIA) can complement fundamental research themes in the study of biological invasions, especially in answering questions relating to the physiological and ecological mechanisms underlying invasion processes and invader impacts.3. SIA was first used for simply describing the diet of invaders but, more recently, SIA-informed metrics of population and community trophic structure have been advanced. These approaches now permit the comparison of diets across space and time and provide quantitative tools to compare food webs across different stages of invasion.4. SIA has also been pivotal in quantifying competition for resources between native and non-native species (e.g. competition for food, water, or nutrient use). Specific questions related to modes of dispersal (e.g. origin and distance/direction travelled) and mechanisms of establishment can also be addressed using SIA in diverse taxa.5. An overarching goal is to highlight examples of recent studies that have used SIA in key areas of invasion ecology and use these to synthesize testable predictions where SIA could be applied to future studies. We conclude by highlighting several paths forward and describing how unresolved challenges in quantifying the rates, impacts, and mechanisms underlying invasions could potentially benefit from the use of SIA. | 197Methods in Ecology and Evoluঞon MCCUE Et al.

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Growth rate and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope trophic discrimination factors of lion and leopard whiskers

Abstract: The whisker growth rate and δ C and δ N lion whisker-diet TDFs obtained in this study can be applied in future studies to assign dietary information contained in analysed felid whiskers to the correct time period and improve deductions of prey species consumed by wild felids.

Cited by 7 publications

References 86 publications

Sex‐specific dietary specialization in a terrestrial apex predator, the leopard, revealed by stable isotope analysis

Sex‐specific dietary specialization in a terrestrial apex predator, the leopard, revealed by stable isotope analysis

Differentiating captive and wild African lion (Panthera leo) populations in South Africa, using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis

Using stable isotope analysis to answer fundamental questions in invasion ecology: Progress and prospects

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