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65 results for “stable isotope analysis”

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dryad36/100

Data from: Toward a standardised protocol for the stable isotope analysis of scleractinian corals

Rationale: The stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen is a powerful tool in many ecological studies, but different sample treatments may affect stable isotope ratios and hamper comparisons among studies. The goal of this study was to determine whether treatments that are commonly used to prepare scleractinian coral samples for stable isotope analysis yield different δ15N and δ13C values, and to provide guidelines toward a standardised protocol. Methods: The animal tissues and Symbiodiniaceae of two symbiotic scleractinian coral species (Stylophora pistillata and Porites lutea) were divided into subsamples to test the effects of the drying method, lipid extraction, acidification treatment and water washing. All the subsamples were analysed for their δ15N and δ13C values, using continuous flow elemental analyser/isotope ratio mass spectrometry. Results: The drying method and lipid extraction treatment had no substantial effects on the δ15N and δ13C values of Symbiodiniaceae and animal tissues. Acid treatment did cause significant differences in δ13C values (mean differences ≤0.5‰, with individual samples becoming up to 2.0‰ more negative), whereas no ecologically significant differences were observed in δ15N values. Animal tissue δ13C values may vary depending on whether samples are washed or not. Conclusions: To move towards a standardised protocol in coral research, we recommend using an available drying method (as they are equally acceptable) for the stable isotope analysis of scleractinian corals, examining the need for lipid extraction on a case‐by‐case basis, performing a direct acidification of Symbiodiniaceae and animal tissues, and avoiding washing animal tissue with distilled water.

opencc-zeroFeb 2020View details →

zenodo36/100

Research trends in stable isotope analysis: a revision on unconsolidated intertidal ecosystems Supplementary Material 2

Supplementary material corresponding to document "Research trends in stable isotope analysis: a revision on unconsolidated intertidal ecosystems".

opencc-by-4.0Oct 2024View details →

dryad36/100

Using protein isolation on elasmobranch blood plasma for ecological research and stable isotope analysis

Stable isotope analysis is a useful tool for studying the ecology of elasmobranchs. Analysis of elasmobranch blood plasma provides insight into an individual's ecology on a small temporal scale. However, plasma is a systemic transport vessel containing many dissolved constituents in variable amounts, which may bias analyses and ecological conclusions based on that data. In this study, we develop a new method of protein precipitation using ethanol and acetonitrile to isolate the protein fraction of plasma from Sandbar Sharks, and examine its effects on carbon and nitrogen stable isotope values. We also tested these solvent precipitations on bovine serum albumin as a control to assess the introduction of exogenous sources of C and N. Protein isolation resulted in a significant decrease in δ13C values and a significant increase in C:N compared to untreated plasma. Isolated proteins were not significantly different in δ15N value compared to untreated plasma. We observed no change in isotope composition in bovine serum albumin samples, indicating protein precipitation does not itself affect isotope analysis. These results suggest that the preparation of blood plasma is necessary for stable isotope analysis, to eliminate the biasing effects of other dissolved compounds. We find that solvent precipitation is an effective method of isolating proteins for stable isotope studies.

opencc-zeroMar 2024View details →

dryad36/100

Data from: Dietary partitioning among three cryptobentic reef fish mesopredators revealed by visual analysis, metabarcoding of gut content, and stable isotope analysis

Understanding how mesopredators partition their diet and the identity of consumed prey can assist in understanding the ecological role predators and prey play in ecosystem trophodynamics. Here, we assessed the diet of three common coral reef mesopredators; Pseudochromis flavivertex, Pseudochromis fridmani, and Pseudochromis olivaceus from the family Pseudochromidae, commonly known as dottybacks, using a combination of i) visual stomach content analysis, ii) stomach content DNA metabarcoding (18S, COI), and iii) stable isotope analysis (δ15N, δ13C). In addition, P. flavivertex is found in two distinct color morphs in the Red Sea, providing an opportunity to analyze intra-morph differences. These techniques revealed partitioning in the dietary composition and resource use among species. Arthropods comprised the main dietary component of P. flavivertex (18S > 60%; COI > 10%), and P. olivaceus (18S = 57.2%) while P. fridmani ingested predominantly mollusks (18S = 51.3%, COI = 24.6%). Despite being small predators, microplastics were found in the gut content of some of these fishes. Stable isotope analysis showed differences in species' isotopic niche breadth and trophic position. Pseudochromis olivaceus presented the largest isotopic niche (SEAC = 1.61‰2), while P. fridmani showed the smallest isotopic niche (SEAC = 0.45‰2) among species. Although the two techniques used for stomach content analysis did not show differences in the diet within color morphs of P. flavivertex, they differed in the isotopic niche and resource use. Despite our limited sampling, our findings provide evidence of species-specific differences in the trophic ecology of dottybacks and demonstrate their important role as predators of cryptic invertebrates and small fishes. This study highlights the importance of combining several approaches (short-term: visual analysis and DNA metabarcoding; and long-term: isotope analysis) when assessing the feeding habits of coral reef fish, as they provide complementary information necessary to delimit their niches and understand the role that small mesopredators play in coral reef ecosystems.

opencc-zeroApr 2024View details →

dryad36/100

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

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. We present a new approach that combines remote sensing information and stable isotope ecology to produce maps of energetic resources (E-scapes). E-scapes project species-specific resource use information onto the landscape to classify areas based on energetic importance. Using our E-scapes, we investigated the relationship between energetic resource distribution and white shrimp distribution and how the scale used to generate the E-scape mediated this relationship. E-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. Our E-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.

opencc-zeroNov 2021View details →

dryad36/100

Diet analysis of David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus) based on stable isotope technology

Faecal stable isotopic analysis is now commonly used to investigate diets of mammal herbivores as samples are easy to obtain and reveal short-term dietary trends. In the Jiangsu Dafeng David's Deer National Nature Reserve, supplemental feed has been provided year round for free-ranging deer (Elaphurus davidianus) to survive from food shortages. Plant species are isotopically distinct in the free-ranging area. We assessed the plant species utilization by deer under supplemental feed condition. Diet-faeces trophic shift of deer was obtained in the semi-captive area. Faeces in both areas were collected and faecal δ13C values revealed more variable diets of free-ranging deer than semi-captive deer in different months. Mixing model showed that C4 plants were important food source for free-ranging deer when supplemental feed was provided. We suggest that efficiency and impacts of long-term supplemental feed should be considered for degraded habitat restoration.

opencc-zeroJul 2022View details →

dryad36/100

Data for: Two is better than one: Coupling DNA metabarcoding and stable isotope analysis improves dietary characterizations for a riparian-obligate, migratory songbird

While an increasing number of studies are adopting molecular and chemical methods for dietary characterization, these studies often employ only one of these laboratory-based techniques; an approach which may yield an incomplete, or even biased, understanding of diet due to each method's inherent limitations. To explore the utility of coupling molecular and chemical techniques for dietary characterizations, we applied DNA metabarcoding alongside stable isotope analysis to characterize the dietary niche of breeding Louisiana waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla), a migratory songbird hypothesized to preferentially provision their offspring with pollution-intolerant, aquatic arthropod prey. While DNA metabarcoding was unable to determine if waterthrush provision aquatic and terrestrial prey in different abundances, we found that specific aquatic taxa were more likely to be detected in successive seasons than their terrestrial counterparts, thus supporting the aquatic specialization hypothesis. Our isotopic analysis added greater context to this hypothesis by concluding that breeding waterthrush provisioned Ephemeroptera and Plecoptera, two pollution-intolerant, aquatic orders, in higher quantities than other prey groups, and expanded their functional trophic niche when such prey were not abundantly provisioned. Finally, we found that the dietary characterizations from each approach were often uncorrelated, indicating that the results gleaned from a diet study can be particularly sensitive to the applied methodologies. Our findings contribute to a growing body of work indicating the importance of high-quality, aquatic habitats for both consumers and their pollution-intolerant prey, while also demonstrating how the application of multiple, laboratory-based techniques can provide insights not offered by either technique alone.

opencc-zeroSep 2022View details →

zenodo36/100

Raw data for: Stable Isotope Trajectory Analysis (SITA): A new approach to quantify and visualize dynamics in stable isotope studies. Sturbois et al., in revision in Ecological Monographs

These data sets are used as ecological applications in Sturbois et al., in revision, Stable Isotope Trajectory Analysis (SITA): A new approach to quantify and visualize dynamics in stable isotope studies. submitted in Ecological Monographs. - DataS1_furseals.Rdata originates from:  Kernaléguen, L., Cazelles, B., Arnould, J.P.Y., Richard, P., Guinet, C., Cherel, Y., 2012. Long-Term Species, Sexual and Individual Variations in Foraging Strategies of Fur Seals Revealed by Stable Isotopes in Whiskers. PLoS ONE 7, e32916. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0032916 - DataS2_Pike.Rdata  originates from: Cucherousset, J., Paillisson, J.-M., Roussel, J.-M., 2013. Natal departure timing from spatially varying environments is dependent of individual ontogenetic status. Naturwissenschaften 100, 761–768. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-013-1073-y - DataS4_GT1.Rdata and DataS5_GT2.Rdata originate from: Quillien, N., Nordström, M.C., Schaal, G., Bonsdorff, E., Grall, J., 2016. Opportunistic basal resource simplifies food web structure and functioning of a highly dynamic marine environment. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 477, 92–102. - DataS6_Lakes.Rdata originates from: Zhao, T., Villéger, S., Cucherousset, J., 2019. Accounting for intraspecific diversity when examining relationships between non-native species and functional diversity. Oecologia 189, 171–183. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-018-4311-3 Information about respective sampling strategies and sample preparation are available in these original articles. All use of this data sets must cite original article as well as the SITA article.

opencc-by-4.0Sep 2021View details →

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