Variation in δ 15 N and δ 13 C stable isotope values in common dolphins ( Delphinus spp.) worldwide, with particular emphasis on the eastern North Atlantic populations
Rationale Distinguishing population units of small cetaceans continuously distributed in a widespread area is challenging but critical for their conservation and management. The use of chemical markers allows the investigation of foraging ecology and inter‐specific variability, in order to detect po...
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crwiley:10.1002/rcm.7173 2024-06-02T08:11:38+00:00 Variation in δ 15 N and δ 13 C stable isotope values in common dolphins ( Delphinus spp.) worldwide, with particular emphasis on the eastern North Atlantic populations Pinela, A. M. Borrell, A. Aguilar, A. 2015 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/rcm.7173 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Frcm.7173 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/rcm.7173 en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry volume 29, issue 9, page 855-863 ISSN 0951-4198 1097-0231 journal-article 2015 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.7173 2024-05-03T10:39:22Z Rationale Distinguishing population units of small cetaceans continuously distributed in a widespread area is challenging but critical for their conservation and management. The use of chemical markers allows the investigation of foraging ecology and inter‐specific variability, in order to detect population structure and niche segregation in the common dolphin ( Delphinus spp.). Methods The stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ 13 C values) and nitrogen (δ 15 N values) were measured in the bone tissue of common dolphins accidentally by‐caught or stranded along the north‐eastern and eastern Subtropical Atlantic Ocean, by means of continuous flow elemental analyser/isotope ratio mass spectrometry. Trophic positions were determined and compared, taking into account the local ecosystem trophic baseline for each study area. Data obtained for the study areas were qualitatively compared with those for common dolphin species/populations distributed worldwide. Results The δ 13 C and δ 15 N values were higher in the eastern Subtropical Atlantic as a consequence of the coexistence in the area of the common dolphin short‐ and long‐beaked morphotypes. Individuals from the north‐eastern Atlantic displayed lower δ 15 N values, reflecting dissimilarities in diet and variation in local isotopic baselines. Comparisons with other areas around the world suggest that the species is extremely adaptive and feeds at different trophic levels to adapt to local variations. Conclusions Stable isotopes are a useful tool to investigate population structure and trophic niche segregation. The trophic behaviour of worldwide populations of common dolphins was fruitfully analysed and revealed substantial differences, probably reflective of both adaptive strategies of the genus and dissimilarities in the structure of the ecosystems. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Article in Journal/Newspaper North Atlantic Wiley Online Library Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 29 9 855 863 |
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English |
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Rationale Distinguishing population units of small cetaceans continuously distributed in a widespread area is challenging but critical for their conservation and management. The use of chemical markers allows the investigation of foraging ecology and inter‐specific variability, in order to detect population structure and niche segregation in the common dolphin ( Delphinus spp.). Methods The stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ 13 C values) and nitrogen (δ 15 N values) were measured in the bone tissue of common dolphins accidentally by‐caught or stranded along the north‐eastern and eastern Subtropical Atlantic Ocean, by means of continuous flow elemental analyser/isotope ratio mass spectrometry. Trophic positions were determined and compared, taking into account the local ecosystem trophic baseline for each study area. Data obtained for the study areas were qualitatively compared with those for common dolphin species/populations distributed worldwide. Results The δ 13 C and δ 15 N values were higher in the eastern Subtropical Atlantic as a consequence of the coexistence in the area of the common dolphin short‐ and long‐beaked morphotypes. Individuals from the north‐eastern Atlantic displayed lower δ 15 N values, reflecting dissimilarities in diet and variation in local isotopic baselines. Comparisons with other areas around the world suggest that the species is extremely adaptive and feeds at different trophic levels to adapt to local variations. Conclusions Stable isotopes are a useful tool to investigate population structure and trophic niche segregation. The trophic behaviour of worldwide populations of common dolphins was fruitfully analysed and revealed substantial differences, probably reflective of both adaptive strategies of the genus and dissimilarities in the structure of the ecosystems. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Pinela, A. M. Borrell, A. Aguilar, A. |
spellingShingle |
Pinela, A. M. Borrell, A. Aguilar, A. Variation in δ 15 N and δ 13 C stable isotope values in common dolphins ( Delphinus spp.) worldwide, with particular emphasis on the eastern North Atlantic populations |
author_facet |
Pinela, A. M. Borrell, A. Aguilar, A. |
author_sort |
Pinela, A. M. |
title |
Variation in δ 15 N and δ 13 C stable isotope values in common dolphins ( Delphinus spp.) worldwide, with particular emphasis on the eastern North Atlantic populations |
title_short |
Variation in δ 15 N and δ 13 C stable isotope values in common dolphins ( Delphinus spp.) worldwide, with particular emphasis on the eastern North Atlantic populations |
title_full |
Variation in δ 15 N and δ 13 C stable isotope values in common dolphins ( Delphinus spp.) worldwide, with particular emphasis on the eastern North Atlantic populations |
title_fullStr |
Variation in δ 15 N and δ 13 C stable isotope values in common dolphins ( Delphinus spp.) worldwide, with particular emphasis on the eastern North Atlantic populations |
title_full_unstemmed |
Variation in δ 15 N and δ 13 C stable isotope values in common dolphins ( Delphinus spp.) worldwide, with particular emphasis on the eastern North Atlantic populations |
title_sort |
variation in δ 15 n and δ 13 c stable isotope values in common dolphins ( delphinus spp.) worldwide, with particular emphasis on the eastern north atlantic populations |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/rcm.7173 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Frcm.7173 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/rcm.7173 |
genre |
North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic |
op_source |
Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry volume 29, issue 9, page 855-863 ISSN 0951-4198 1097-0231 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.7173 |
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Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry |
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29 |
container_issue |
9 |
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855 |
op_container_end_page |
863 |
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1800757852841705472 |