On the Use of Stable Isotopes in Trophic Ecology

Boecklen, William J.; Yarnes, Christopher T.; Cook, Bethany; James, Andrew

doi:10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-102209-144726

Cited by 842 publications

(755 citation statements)

References 176 publications

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“…Stable isotope ratios of animals are influenced by many ecological, physiological, and environmental factors (Boecklen et al 2011). Among those, factors involving (1) differences in consumer foraging ecology and trophic resource exploitation and (2) baseline shifts and variation in primary producers and/or organic matter pool isotopic composition are likely to have strong effects on consumer isotopic composition.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trophic plasticity of Antarctic echinoids under contrasted environmental conditions

et al. 2015

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Echinoids are common members of Antarctic zoobenthos, and different groups can show important trophic diversity. As part of the ANT-XXIX/3 cruise of RV Polarstern, trophic plasticity of sea urchins was studied in three neighbouring regions (Drake Passage, Bransfield Strait and Weddell Sea) featuring several depth-related habitats offering different trophic environments to benthic consumers. Three families with contrasting feeding habits (Cidaridae, Echinidae and Schizasteridae) were studied. Gut content examination and stable isotopes ratios of C and N suggest that each of the studied families showed a different response to variation in environmental and food conditions. Schizasteridae trophic plasticity was low, and these sea urchins were bulk sediment feeders relying on sediment-associated organic matter in all regions and/or depth-related habitats. Cidaridae consumed the most animal-derived material. Their diet varied according to the considered area, as sea urchins from Bransfield Strait relied mostly on living and/or dead animal material, while specimens from Weddell Sea fed on a mixture of dead animal material and other detritus. Echinidae also showed important trophic plasticity. They fed on various detrital items in Bransfield Strait, and selectivity of ingested material varied across depth-related habitats. In Weddell Sea, stable isotopes revealed that they mostly relied on highly 13 C-enriched food items, presumably microbially reworked benthic detritus. The differences in adaptive strategies could lead to family-specific responses of Antarctic echinoids to environmental and food-related changes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trophic plasticity of Antarctic echinoids under contrasted environmental conditions

et al. 2015

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“…The quantitative evaluation of contributions from breast milk, weaning foods, and adult foods in subadult diet requires knowledge of these elemental routings. Problems related to the routing of elements from dietary components to body tissues have been extensively discussed in isotope ecology (reviewed by Crawford et al, 2008;Martı nez del Rio et al 2009;Wolf et al, 2009;Boecklen et al, 2011). While carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur atoms in tissue protein mainly reflect those in dietary proteins, carbon atoms in tissue apatite reflect those from the entire diet (Krueger and Sullivan, 1984;Ambrose and Norr, 1993;Tieszen and Fagre, 1993;Podlesak and McWilliams, 2006;Kellner and Schoeninger, 2010;Froehle et al, 2012).…”

Section: Routing Of Isotopes and Trace Elementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reconstruction of breastfeeding and weaning practices using stable isotope and trace element analyses: A review

Tsutaya

Yoneda

2014

American J Phys Anthropol

193

188

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Biogeochemical methods using stable isotopes and trace elements have been increasingly developed and applied to reconstruct modern and ancient breastfeeding and weaning practices of mammals, including humans, because they offer direct proxies for the dietary intake of subadults. Carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen isotopes have been used to evaluate breast milk lipid, protein, and water intake, respectively. Carbon and sulfur isotopes have been used to estimate the content of weaning foods. The elemental concentrations of Sr and Ba in subadult tissues differ because of the dietary change during the weaning process. For analyses, various tissues have been used, such as hair, nail, blood, and feces for modern mammals and bone and teeth for ancient ones. Of these, trace element analysis of tooth enamel offers a good opportunity for the reconstruction of breastfeeding and weaning practices of the more distant past at finer resolution, although further understanding of the metabolism of trace elements is necessary. There are various tissue-and element-specific advantages and disadvantages, and a combination of different proxies can illuminate practices from various viewpoints. Finally, applying the geochemical reconstruction of breastfeeding and weaning practices to human ecology, primatology, and paleoanthropology is important; basic studies of the underlying physiological mechanisms and technical improvements in the analyses will further highlight avenues for future research. Yrbk Phys Anthropol 156:2-21, 2015. V C 2014 American Association of Physical AnthropologistsThe reconstruction of breastfeeding and weaning practices (BWPs) of ancient human and other mammalian species is one of the most important fields in anthropology, archaeology, evolutionary biology, and history. Infant feeding practices affect the overall health of the population because diet, health status, and growth at a young age have profound effects on an individual's later life (Dettwyler and Fishman, 1992;Katzenberg et al., 1996;WHO, 1998WHO, , 2009Lewis, 2007). Breastfeeding and weaning practices can be viewed from the evolutionary perspectives of life history theory, parental investment, child development, social system, and reproductive strat-

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“…In recent years, food web ecologists have been taken advantage of natural variation in isotope composition of food items to reconstruct the diets of several species (Boecklen et al, 2011;Peterson and Fry, 1987;Post, 2002). Stable isotopes ratios of carbon and nitrogen have been proved to be able to discriminate among various primary producers that did support the food web in several coastal regions (Baeta et al, 2009;Bergamino et al, 2011;Epstein, 1978, 1980).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Niche segregation amongst sympatric species at exposed sandy shores with contrasting wrack availabilities illustrated by stable isotopic analysis

Bessa

Baeta

Marques

2014

Ecological Indicators

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a b s t r a c tWrack supplies (macroalgae, seagrasses and carrion) are a common feature of sandy beaches worldwide. These allochthonous inputs are a potential high-quality food subsidy for beach fauna, but little is known about the feeding ecology and niche segregation strategies of these species in beaches with limited wrack availabilities. We used stable isotopic ratios of nitrogen and carbon to examine the diets and niche segregation among three sympatric crustaceans, the amphipods Talitrus saltator and Talorchestia brito, and the isopod Tylos europaeus, in two temperate beaches, Cabedelo and Quiaios, on the Portuguese Atlantic coast, with contrasting wrack availabilities, over winter and summer. In the beach with limited wrack (Quiaios), consumers showed significantly different interspecific and temporal isotopic signatures, suggesting a distinct foraging habitat and niche differentiation. Mixing models outputs (SIAR) revealed in this case a seasonal shift in the diet of consumers from terrestrial sources in winter towards marinebased sources (phytoplankton) in the summer. In contrast, at Cabedelo, consumers showed clear overlap in isotopic signatures, with similar contributions of the available wrack to their diets. As a whole, an opportunistic and generalist feeding behaviour was described for these species, namely for T. saltator. Isotopic profiles support the occurrence of spatial overlap during summer but different foraging strategies of the three species in these beaches during winter. Our results show that on temperate beaches with ephemeral wrack supplies, consumers might need to adopt different foraging strategies and niche segregation for their subsistence, and additionally illustrate the viability of using stable isotopes to capture subtle changes in trophic niches.

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On the Use of Stable Isotopes in Trophic Ecology

Cited by 842 publications

References 176 publications

Trophic plasticity of Antarctic echinoids under contrasted environmental conditions

Trophic plasticity of Antarctic echinoids under contrasted environmental conditions

Reconstruction of breastfeeding and weaning practices using stable isotope and trace element analyses: A review

Niche segregation amongst sympatric species at exposed sandy shores with contrasting wrack availabilities illustrated by stable isotopic analysis

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