E-scape: consumer-specific landscapes of energetic resources derived from stable isotope analysis and remote sensing

<p>Energetic resources and habitat distribution are inherently linked. Energetic resource availability is a major driver of the distribution of consumers, but estimating how much specific habitats contribute to the energetic resource needs of a consumer can be problematic.</p> <p>We present a new approach that combines remote sensing information and stable isotope ecology to produce maps of energetic resources (<i>E</i>-scapes). <i>E</i>-scapes project species-specific resource use information onto the landscape to classify areas based on energetic importance.</p> <p>Using our <i>E</i>-scapes, we investigated the relationship between energetic resource distribution and white shrimp distribution and how the scale used to generate the <i>E</i>-scape mediated this relationship.</p> <p><i>E</i>-scapes successfully predicted the size, abundance, biomass, and total energy of a consumer in salt marsh habitats in coastal Louisiana, USA at scales relevant to the movement of the consumer.</p> <p>Our <i>E</i>-scape maps can be used alone or in combination with existing models to improve habitat management and restoration practices and have potential to be used to test fundamental movement theory. </p>