Tissue‐ and diet‐dependent stable carbon and nitrogen isotope discrimination: a calibration study in a captive shorebird species
In ecology, stable-isotope ratios are widely used to determine diets of organisms and reconstruct food webs. This is usually done by analyzing the stable-isotope ratios of nitrogen (δ15N), which increase with increasing trophic level, and those of carbon (δ 13 C), which correlate with the δ13C value...
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ftnioz:oai:imis.nioz.nl:365614 2023-07-30T04:02:47+02:00 Tissue‐ and diet‐dependent stable carbon and nitrogen isotope discrimination: a calibration study in a captive shorebird species Oortwijn, T. de Monte, L. Varley, D.P. van der Meer, M.T.J. van Gils, J.A. 2023 application/pdf https://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/34/391034.pdf en eng info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/doi.org/10.1111/jav.03094 https://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/34/391034.pdf info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess %3Ci%3EJ.+Avian+Biol.+early+view%3C%2Fi%3E.+%3Ca+href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%2Fjav.03094%22+target%3D%22_blank%22%3Ehttps%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%2Fjav.03094%3C%2Fa%3E info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 2023 ftnioz https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.03094 2023-07-12T22:21:21Z In ecology, stable-isotope ratios are widely used to determine diets of organisms and reconstruct food webs. This is usually done by analyzing the stable-isotope ratios of nitrogen (δ15N), which increase with increasing trophic level, and those of carbon (δ 13 C), which correlate with the δ13C value of food source(s) and generally differ between terrestrial and marine food sources. Assimilation of food changes stable-isotope ratios, resulting in different values between the food source and its consumer. These differences are known as isotope trophic discrimination factors and, if known, can be used to determine from the stable-isotope ratios in the consumer's tissue what the consumer has been eating. What is often ignored is that discrimination factors can differ between consumer's food sources and also between tissue types. Therefore, we performed a controlled feeding study in red knots Calidris canutus to determine discrimination factors between different food sources and red knot tissues. We kept two groups of red knots in captivity on a stable diet, one group feeding on mudsnails and the other on Trouvit pellets, for several months, during which the birds molted their feathers. We analyzed δ 13C and δ 15N in both food sources and in five red knot tissues (blood cells, blood plasma and three feather types) and subsequently calculated the isotope discrimination factors. We confirmed that the discrimination factors differed between tissues, and also between diets. Our values deviated from general averages reported in reviews on a wide range of animals/birds, but were very similar to values from previous red knot and dunlin studies. We therefore think that our discrimination factors can be used in future stable isotope studies, not only on red knots, but also on other marine shorebird species and plea for careful consideration of using the right discrimination factors. Article in Journal/Newspaper Calidris canutus Dunlin Red Knot NIOZ Repository (Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research) Journal of Avian Biology |
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Open Polar |
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NIOZ Repository (Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research) |
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ftnioz |
language |
English |
description |
In ecology, stable-isotope ratios are widely used to determine diets of organisms and reconstruct food webs. This is usually done by analyzing the stable-isotope ratios of nitrogen (δ15N), which increase with increasing trophic level, and those of carbon (δ 13 C), which correlate with the δ13C value of food source(s) and generally differ between terrestrial and marine food sources. Assimilation of food changes stable-isotope ratios, resulting in different values between the food source and its consumer. These differences are known as isotope trophic discrimination factors and, if known, can be used to determine from the stable-isotope ratios in the consumer's tissue what the consumer has been eating. What is often ignored is that discrimination factors can differ between consumer's food sources and also between tissue types. Therefore, we performed a controlled feeding study in red knots Calidris canutus to determine discrimination factors between different food sources and red knot tissues. We kept two groups of red knots in captivity on a stable diet, one group feeding on mudsnails and the other on Trouvit pellets, for several months, during which the birds molted their feathers. We analyzed δ 13C and δ 15N in both food sources and in five red knot tissues (blood cells, blood plasma and three feather types) and subsequently calculated the isotope discrimination factors. We confirmed that the discrimination factors differed between tissues, and also between diets. Our values deviated from general averages reported in reviews on a wide range of animals/birds, but were very similar to values from previous red knot and dunlin studies. We therefore think that our discrimination factors can be used in future stable isotope studies, not only on red knots, but also on other marine shorebird species and plea for careful consideration of using the right discrimination factors. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Oortwijn, T. de Monte, L. Varley, D.P. van der Meer, M.T.J. van Gils, J.A. |
spellingShingle |
Oortwijn, T. de Monte, L. Varley, D.P. van der Meer, M.T.J. van Gils, J.A. Tissue‐ and diet‐dependent stable carbon and nitrogen isotope discrimination: a calibration study in a captive shorebird species |
author_facet |
Oortwijn, T. de Monte, L. Varley, D.P. van der Meer, M.T.J. van Gils, J.A. |
author_sort |
Oortwijn, T. |
title |
Tissue‐ and diet‐dependent stable carbon and nitrogen isotope discrimination: a calibration study in a captive shorebird species |
title_short |
Tissue‐ and diet‐dependent stable carbon and nitrogen isotope discrimination: a calibration study in a captive shorebird species |
title_full |
Tissue‐ and diet‐dependent stable carbon and nitrogen isotope discrimination: a calibration study in a captive shorebird species |
title_fullStr |
Tissue‐ and diet‐dependent stable carbon and nitrogen isotope discrimination: a calibration study in a captive shorebird species |
title_full_unstemmed |
Tissue‐ and diet‐dependent stable carbon and nitrogen isotope discrimination: a calibration study in a captive shorebird species |
title_sort |
tissue‐ and diet‐dependent stable carbon and nitrogen isotope discrimination: a calibration study in a captive shorebird species |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/34/391034.pdf |
genre |
Calidris canutus Dunlin Red Knot |
genre_facet |
Calidris canutus Dunlin Red Knot |
op_source |
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op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/doi.org/10.1111/jav.03094 https://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/34/391034.pdf |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.03094 |
container_title |
Journal of Avian Biology |
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1772813605229559808 |