Diet and foraging areas of Southern Ocean seabirds and their prey inferred from stable isotopes: review and case study of Wilson’s storm-petrel ...

• Main Authors: Quillfeldt, Petra, McGill, Rona A.R., Furness, Robert W., Justus Liebig University Giessen
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Universitätsbibliothek Gießen 2005
• Subjects: Stable isotopes; Diet; Foraging area; Oceanites oceanicus; Prey; ddc570; ddc590; King George Island; South Shetland Islands; Southern Ocean
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.22029/jlupub-218; https://jlupub.ub.uni-giessen.de//handle/jlupub/271

Analysis of stable isotope ratios in animal tissues has emerged as a powerful tool for determining the trophic level and composition of prey and foraging location. We summarize here data on the stepwise trophic enrichment in δ15N and latitudinal gradient in δ13C in the Southern Ocean, and derive a regression equation to estimate latitudes from δ13C values. We analysed isotope ratios of feathers of the small, pelagic seabird Wilson’s storm-petrel Oceanites oceanicus, in different breeding stages, in comparison to isotope ratios of 4 other seabird species breeding in close vicinity on King George Island, South Shetland Islands. δ15N analysis of feathers and albumen from Wilson’s storm-petrels indicated a shift in diet from mainly crustaceans during egg formation to an increased proportion of fish during chick-feeding and moulting. δ15N values of Wilson’s storm-petrels during the chick-rearing season were closer to the mainly piscivorous-carnivorous skuas than to krill-feeding penguins, confirming that fish is ...