Diet of spotted bats (Euderma maculatum) in Arizona as indicated by fecal analysis and stable isotopes

2009 ◽  
Vol 87 (10) ◽  
pp. 865-875 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. L. Painter ◽  
C. L. Chambers ◽  
M. Siders ◽  
R. R. Doucett ◽  
J. O. Whitaker, Jr. ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Latitudinal Gradient ◽  
Visual Analysis ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Stable Carbon ◽  
Fecal Analysis ◽  
Insect Prey ◽  
Wing Hair

We assessed diet of spotted bats ( Euderma maculatum (J.A. Allen, 1891)) by visual analysis of bat feces and stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope analysis of bat feces, wing, hair, and insect prey. We collected 33 fecal samples from spotted bats and trapped 3755 insects where bats foraged. Lepidopterans averaged 99.6% of feces by volume; other insects were not a major component of diet. The δ13C and δ15N values of bat feces were similar to those of moths from families Noctuidae (N), Lasiocampidae (L), and Geometridae (G), but differed from Arctiidae (A) and Sphingidae (S). We used a mixing model to reconstruct diet; three families (N, L, G) represented the majority (88%–100%) of the diet with A + S representing 0%–12%. Although we compared δ13C and δ15N values of wing, hair, and feces of spotted bats, feces best represented recent diet; wing and hair were more enriched than feces by 3‰ and 6‰, respectively. This pattern was consistent with that reported for other bat species. We suggest that spotted bats persist across a wide latitudinal gradient partly because they can forage on a variety of noctuid, geometrid, and lasiocampid moths. Using visual fecal inspection with stable isotope analysis provided information on families of moths consumed by an uncommon bat species.

scholarly journals Isotopic reconstruction of Proboscidean habitats and diets on enigmatic island of Sulawesi

2021 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 79-80
Author(s):  
Mika Rizki Puspaningrum ◽  
Allan R. Chivas ◽  
Iwan Kurniawan ◽  
Unggul P. Wibowo ◽  
Yahdi Zaim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Early Pleistocene ◽  
Stable Carbon ◽  
Faunal Assemblage ◽  
Biogeographic History ◽  
Closed Canopy ◽  
Pleistocene Sediment

Sulawesi is known for its complex geological and biogeographic history, which is reflected in their extinct and extant faunal assemblage. Evidence of oldest terrestrial fauna in Sulawesi was found in the Early Pleistocene sediment and evolved since then. Despite being mostly isolated from the mainland Southeast Asia; four successive Proboscidean taxa have been found from the southern part of the island. The four taxa are: Stegoloxodon celebensis, Stegodon sompoensis, Stegodon sp. B, and cf. Palaeoloxodon namadicus, in which respective taxa are included in successive faunal stages. The aim of this research is to reconstruct the diet and palaeoenvironment of these Proboscidean taxa by incorporating stable isotope analysis with the fossil faunal record, geology, and stratigraphy. Stable carbon (δ13C) and oxygen (δ18O) isotope analysis were especially used in this study. Our result suggests that Stegoloxodon celebensis and Stegodon sompoensis were flexible feeders and were able to adapt to different niches, from closed canopy forest to open vegetation, while the diets of Stegodon sp. B, Celebochoerus heekereni and cf. Palaeoloxodon namadicus suggest that they were more specialized.

Stable Isotopes

Anthropology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Bartelink
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Tooth Enamel ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Serial Sections ◽  
Major Area ◽  
Travel History ◽  
Mineral Fraction

Stable isotope analysis refers broadly to a series of chemical methods used to study phenomena such as earth systems, the hydrological cycle, and ecology. The use of stable isotopes in anthropology traces its beginnings to the late 1970s. Originally focused on geological, hydrological, and ecological problems, stable isotope analysis now is a major component of the anthropologist’s toolkit. Current applications within anthropology draw from the core scientific disciplines but adapt these methods for specific research questions within archaeology, bioarchaeology, paleoanthropology, and forensic anthropology. One major area of study is dietary reconstruction, which focuses on isotope analysis of human skeletons to examine temporal and regional dietary patterns, as well as variation associated with sex, age, mortuary patterns, and social status. More specialized approaches examine weaning and childhood diet patterns using serial sections of tooth enamel and dentin. Another major area of isotope research in anthropology is the study of past residence patterns (e.g., migration and mobility). Some stable isotopes record information about the local water and geology, and thus provide information regarding the place of origin or travel history of an individual. By examining multiple isotopes in different tissues, anthropologists can reconstruct changes in residence patterns. For example, isotopes in enamel bioapatite (mineral fraction) do not change throughout life, so teeth provide a record of where a person lived when a particular tooth formed. Bone collagen (organic fraction) and bioapatite (mineral fraction), in contrast, are constantly replaced through remodeling; thus, if a person moved to a new geographic region, the isotope values in their bones will shift toward the new location over time. By comparing the isotopes in teeth versus bones, anthropologists can detect whether a person was local or nonlocal to the area where they died. In instances where hair or nails are preserved (e.g., mummies, modern forensic cases), serial sections of these tissues can be used to provide a detailed record of diet or travel history in the months prior to death. More recently, forensic anthropologists have begun to examine stable isotopes in modern human remains to aid with medicolegal identification. These methods are especially useful when a decedent is nonlocal to the area where they died (for example, a recent traveler or foreign-born individual).

A perspective on the evolving role of stable isotope analysis and the emergence of cavity enhanced spectroscopy as a potent tool

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanchi Maithani ◽  
Abhijit Maity ◽  
Manik Pradhan
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Isotopic Ratio ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Geological Samples ◽  
Vast Array

The investigation of stable isotopes finds applications in a vast array of fields. The measurement of isotopic ratio in natural environments such as oceans, atmosphere and geological samples assists in...

Climate and Habitat Reconstruction Using Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotope Ratios of Collagen in Prehistoric Herbivore Teeth from Kenya

1989 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 407-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stanley H. Ambrose ◽  
Michael J. DeNiro
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Analytical Methods ◽  
Rift Valley ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Isotope Ratios ◽  
Habitat Conditions ◽  
Stable Carbon ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen

AbstractStable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios have been determined for tooth collagen of 27 prehistoric herbivores from a rock shelter in the central Rift Valley of Kenya. Collagen samples whose isotope ratios were not altered by diagenesis were identified using several analytical methods. During the later Holocene, when the climate was as dry or drier than at present, the isotopic compositions of individual animals are similar to those of modern individuals of the same species. During the earlier Holocene, when the climate was wetter than at present, the δ15N and δ13C values are lower than those for their modern counterparts. When diagenetic factors can be discounted and adequate modern comparative data are available, stable isotope analysis of herbivore teeth and bones can be used to evaluate prehistoric climate and habitat conditions.

Stable isotopes and the seasonality of the Oronsay middens

Antiquity ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 72 (275) ◽  
pp. 178-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. P. Richards ◽  
P. A. Mellars
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Marine Resources ◽  
Mixed Diet ◽  
Shell Middens ◽  
Site Occupation ◽  
Human Bones ◽  
Late Mesolithic

Research on six late Mesolithic shell middens on the small Hebridean island of Oronsay address questions of permanent and seasonal occupation. Stable isotope analysis of human bones shows marine resources providing the majority of protein, supporting year-round occupation of Oronsay. One individual, however, demonstrated a mixed diet of marine and terrestrial protein, suggesting seasonal visits and different patterns of site occupation.

scholarly journals Bone stable isotope evidence for infant feeding in Mediaeval England

Antiquity ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (293) ◽  
pp. 654-656 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.A. Mays ◽  
M.P. Richards ◽  
B.T. Fuller
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Infant Feeding ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Nitrogen Stable Isotope ◽  
Documentary Sources ◽  
Isotope Evidence ◽  
Duration Of Breastfeeding

This paper is a first study of duration of breastfeeding using bone stable isotopes in infants in a British palaeopopulation, from the deserted Mediaeval village of Wharram Percy, England. Nitrogen stable isotope analysis suggests cessation of breastfeeding between 1 and 2 years of age. Comparison with Mediaeval documentary sources suggests that recommendations of physicians regarding infant feeding may have influenced common practice in this period.

scholarly journals Diets of impala from Kruger National Park: evidence from stable carbon isotopes

Koedoe ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Sponheimer ◽  
C.C. Grant ◽  
D.J. De Ruiter ◽  
J.A. Lee-Thorp ◽  
D.M. Codron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Carbon Isotopes ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
National Park ◽  
Stable Carbon Isotopes ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Kruger National Park ◽  
Stable Carbon ◽  
Dietary Flexibility ◽  
Males And Females

Impala are known to exhibit dietary flexibility, relying primarily on browse in some areas and graze in others. In this study we use stable isotope analysis of faeces and hair to examine the diets of Impala in Kruger National Park. As expected, the data show that Impala are mixed-feeders and highly distinct from grazing buffalo and browsing kudu. Moreover, Impala, Buffalo, and Kudu faeces contain 2.1 %, 1.4 %, and 2.9 % nitrogen respectively, suggesting that Impala diets are of intermediate quality. There are also marked differences between Impala populations in the northern and southern regions of the park. The northern Impala graze less than their southern counterparts. This difference probably reflects decreased availability of herbaceous forage in the mopane-dominated north. Males and females also have different diets, with males grazing more than females.

Using stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopes to infer trophic relationships among black and grizzly bears in the upper Columbia River basin, British Columbia

2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (8) ◽  
pp. 1332-1339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith A Hobson ◽  
Bruce N McLellan ◽  
John G Woods
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Columbia River ◽  
Black Bears ◽  
Columbia River Basin ◽  
Grizzly Bears ◽  
Stable Carbon ◽  
Convenient Means

Ecological segregation of species is difficult to determine using conventional dietary analysis techniques. However, stable-isotope analysis may provide a convenient means of establishing trophic segregation of species and of groups of animals within a species in the same area. We measured stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope values in hair of black bears (Ursus americanus) and grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) inhabiting the upper Columbia River basin in southeastern British Columbia, together with samples of potential foods ranging from plant material through invertebrates and ungulate meat. We found extensive overlap in both δ15N and δ13C values of hair from male grizzly bears and black bears of both sexes. Female grizzly bears, however, had lower δ15N values in their hair than the other groups of bears, indicating either less animal protein in their diet or a reliance on foods more depleted in 15N, possibly related to altitude. Our isotopic model generally confirmed a herbivorous diet for both bear species (a mean estimated plant contribution of 91%). Bears showing the highest δ15N values were those captured because they posed a management problem. We suggest that the slope of the relationship between tissue δ15N and δ13C values might provide a convenient means of evaluating the occurrence of consumption of animal protein in populations, regardless of local isotopic end-points for dietary samples. We examined three black bear cubs from dens and found them to be about a trophic level higher than adult females, reflecting their dependence on mother's milk, a result generally confirmed by an analysis of eight mother-cub pairs from Minnesota. Our study demonstrates how stable-isotope analysis of bear tissue can be used to monitor the feeding habits of populations, as well as provide dietary histories that may reveal dietary specializations among individuals.

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