scholarly journals C3 plant isotopic variability in a boreal mixed woodland: implications for bison and other herbivores

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e12167
Author(s):  
Jessica Z. Metcalfe
Keyword(s):  
Niche Partitioning ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Isotopic Niche ◽  
C3 Plant ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Plant Parts ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Animal Diet ◽  
Dietary Plants ◽  
Reporting Data

Plant isotopic baselines are critical for accurately reconstructing ancient diets and environments and for using stable isotopes to monitor ecosystem conservation. This study examines the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions (δ13C, δ15N) of terrestrial C3 plants in Elk Island National Park (EINP), Alberta, Canada, with a focus on plants consumed by grazers. EINP is located in a boreal mixed woodland ecozone close to the transition area between historic wood and plains bison habitats, and is currently home to separate herds of wood and plains bison. For this study, 165 C3 plant samples (grasses, sedges, forbs, shrubs, and horsetail) were collected from three habitat types (open, closed, and wet) during two seasons (summer and fall). There were no statistically significant differences in the δ13C or δ15N values of grasses, sedges, shrubs and forbs. On the other hand, plant δ13C and δ15N values varied among habitats and plant parts, and the values increased from summer to fall. These results have several implications for interpreting herbivore tissue isotopic compositions: (1) consuming different proportions of grasses, sedges, shrubs, and forbs might not result in isotopic niche partitioning, (2) feeding in different microhabitats or selecting different parts of the same types of plants could result in isotopic niche partitioning, and (3) seasonal isotopic changes in herbivore tissues could reflect seasonal isotopic changes in dietary plants rather than (or in addition to) changes in animal diet or physiology. In addition, the positively skewed plant δ15N distributions highlight the need for researchers to carefully evaluate the characteristics of their distributions prior to reporting data (e.g., means, standard deviations) or applying statistical models (e.g., parametric tests that assume normality). Overall, this study reiterates the importance of accessing ecosystem-specific isotopic baselines for addressing research questions in archaeology, paleontology, and ecology.

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis at Neolithic Çatalhöyük: evidence for human and animal diet and their relationship to households

2015 ◽  
Vol 57 ◽  
pp. 69-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica A. Pearson ◽  
Amy Bogaard ◽  
Mike Charles ◽  
Simon W. Hillson ◽  
Clark Spencer Larsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Stable Carbon ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope Analysis ◽  
Animal Diet

scholarly journals ISOTOPIC CHARACTERIZATION OF ORGANIC MATERIALS LEACHED FROM LEAVES IN WATER OF MUNDARING WEIR DAM

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-68
Author(s):  
Markus Heryanto Langsa
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Original Material ◽  
Terrestrial Plants ◽  
Plant Materials ◽  
C3 Plant ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Isotopic Characterization

This study examined the organic constituents aquatically leached from leaf components of two tree species (wandoo eucalyptus and pinus radiate). In particular this study aimed to assess the stable isotope composition behaviour of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from the residue leaves after leaching over five months. The changes in the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions of the leached leaves materials were investigated using an elemental analyzer-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (EA-irMS). The stable isotope compositions were found to vary according to microbially-mediated alteration and decomposition. The average  d13C content of the raw plant elements was consistent with the  d13C values of terrestrial plants using a C3 photosynthetic pathway. The isotope compositions of leached materials of wandoo eucalyptus fresh leaf were continually depleted in d13C over the leaching period of three months. These variations correlated well with its DOC profile. Changes in  d13C values may also relate to the differential leaching of the macromolecular precursors of the original material. Lignin, for example, has a typically low  d13C and probably contributed to the decrease of  d13C in residue of the plant materials.   Keywords: isotope composition, leached materials, C3 plant

scholarly journals Temporally varying isotopic niche overlap of the invasive ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi with other zooplanktivores in the western Dutch Wadden Sea

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lodewijk van Walraven ◽  
Wouter van Looijengoed ◽  
A. Sarina Jung ◽  
Victor T. Langenberg ◽  
Henk W. van der Veer
Keyword(s):  
Fish Species ◽  
Wadden Sea ◽  
Niche Overlap ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Gelatinous Zooplankton ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Mnemiopsis Leidyi ◽  
Isotopic Niche ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen

AbstractThe invasive ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi can be a major predator of zooplankton in areas where it has been introduced. In this study, the possible competition of M. leidyi with native macroplankton and nekton in the western Dutch Wadden Sea was investigated in March–August, 2011 by determining and comparing isotopic niches of zooplanktivores. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope signatures were determined from tissue samples of fish, scyphozoa, hydromedusa, ctenophores, crustaceans and cephalopods. δ15N of M. leidyi was positively related to ctenophore size, suggesting that small ctenophores occupied a lower trophic level than large ones. A cluster analysis showed that in the spring and early summer period, when M. leidyi densities are low, average δ13C and δ15N ratios of the invasive M. leidyi were similar to those of most other gelatinous zooplankton and pelagic fish species sampled. At the beginning of the bloom period in August there was no overlap in isotopic niche of M. leidyi with that of any other pelagic zooplanktivore. During this month the population consisted mainly of larvae and juveniles with lower δ15N ratios. At present, M. leidyi appears not to be a significant competitor for other gelatinous zooplankton and fish species because the period of high diet overlap with other consumers was also the period in which M. leidyi was least abundant.

scholarly journals Trophic niche partitioning in marine wood-borers revealed by stable isotope analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 33-43
Author(s):  
F Charles ◽  
P Riera ◽  
PG Sauriau ◽  
F Lantoine ◽  
B Lebreton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Niche Partitioning ◽  
Nitrogen Sources ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Trophic Niche ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Decaying Wood ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Wood Boring ◽  
Trophic Niches

Marine wood-borers often live in sympatry, sharing deadwood scattered at sea, both as food and habitat. In this study, carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions were determined to test the hypothesis that the trophic niches of Chelura terebrans, Limnoria quadripunctata, and Nototeredo norvagica obtained from softwood boards maintained in running, unfiltered seawater are different. Comparison of isotope compositions supports niche partitioning, with N. norvagica foraging primarily on wood, and crustaceans foraging on decaying wood. Needs and acquisition routes for nitrogen determine the trophic behavior of the species. Results presented here are valuable for assessing the impact of wood-boring species on each other, but also for evaluating the effect of the separation of carbon and nitrogen sources on the diversity of the interactions between co-existing species belonging to the same trophic guild.

Carbon and Nitrogen Isotope Composition of the Wood of Pinus sylvestris, Betula pendula and Populus tremula

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (8) ◽  
pp. 819-824
Author(s):  
P. Yu. Voronin ◽  
V. A. Mukhin ◽  
T. A. Velivetskaya ◽  
A. V. Ignatiev ◽  
Vl. V. Kuznetsov
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Sylvestris ◽  
Betula Pendula ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Populus Tremula ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope Composition

scholarly journals Inter-Specific and Intra-Specific Competition of Two Sympatrically Breeding Seabirds, Chinstrap and Gentoo Penguins, at Two Neighboring Colonies

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 482
Author(s):  
Won Young Lee ◽  
Seongseop Park ◽  
Kil Won Kim ◽  
Jeong-Hoon Kim ◽  
Jong-Ku Gal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Niche Partitioning ◽  
Limited Resources ◽  
Isotopic Niche ◽  
Seabird Species ◽  
Δ13c And Δ15n ◽  
Foraging Area ◽  
Colonial Seabird ◽  
Gps Tracks ◽  
Colony Level

Theory predicts that sympatric predators compete for food under conditions of limited resources. Competition would occur even within the same species, between neighboring populations, because of overlapping foraging habits. Thus, neighboring populations of the same species are hypothesized to face strong competition. To test the hypothesis that intra-specific competition is more intense than inter-specific competition owing to a lack of niche partitioning, we estimated the foraging area and diving depths of two colonial seabird species at two neighboring colonies. Using GPS and time-depth recorders, we tracked foraging space use of sympatric breeding Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins at Ardley Island (AI) and Narębski Point (NP) at King George Island, Antarctica. GPS tracks showed that there was a larger overlap in the foraging areas between the two species than within each species. In dive parameters, Gentoo penguins performed deeper and longer dives than Chinstrap penguins at the same colonies. At the colony level, Gentoo penguins from NP undertook deeper and longer dives than those at AI, whereas Chinstrap penguins did not show such intra-specific differences in dives. Stable isotope analysis of δ13C and δ15N isotopes in blood demonstrated both inter- and intra-specific differences. Both species of penguin at AI exhibited higher δ13C and δ15N values than those at NP, and in both locations, Gentoo penguins had higher δ13C and lower δ15N values than Chinstrap penguins. Isotopic niches showed that there were lower inter-specific overlaps than intra-specific overlaps. This suggests that, despite the low intra-specific spatial overlap, diets of conspecifics from different colonies remained more similar, resulting in the higher isotopic niche overlaps. Collectively, our results support the hypothesis that intra-specific competition is higher than inter-specific competition, leading to spatial segregation of the neighboring populations of the same species.

Responses of natural 15N abundance in cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L. var. botrytis) and soil to the application of organic and chemical fertilizers

2016 ◽  
Vol 96 (5) ◽  
pp. 819-827 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Wang ◽  
Guoqing Hu ◽  
Yanhong Lou ◽  
Zhihui Su ◽  
Yuping Zhuge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brassica Oleracea ◽  
Plant Root ◽  
Organic Fertilizer ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Organic Fertilizers ◽  
Chemical Fertilizers ◽  
Plant Parts ◽  
Brassica Oleracea L ◽  
15N Abundance

Natural nitrogen isotope abundance (δ15N) has been suggested as a potential indicator for discriminating organic vegetables from their conventional counterparts. However, little is known about the δ15N characteristic of cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L. var. botrytis) under organic production and how the application of chemical fertilizers could affect this characteristic. In this study, δ15N characteristics of cauliflower (including the intra-plant δ15N characteristic) and soil under different fertilization treatments were investigated under field conditions. Five treatments were laid out: control, chemical fertilizers (F4M0), organic fertilizer (F0M4), and chemical fertilizer in combination with organic fertilizer at the ratio of 3:1 (F3M1) and 1:3 (F1M3). Results showed that plant δ15N was positively correlated with fertilizer δ15N and plant root/flower was more sensitive to changes of fertilizer δ15N and soil δ15N than leaf/stem. Distribution of δ15N in different plant parts (especially in flower and leaf) was significantly changed when organic fertilizers were partially or totally substituted by chemical fertilizers, suggesting a comparison of flower δ15N and leaf δ15N might be applicable for the organic identification of marketed cauliflowers. Our results provide fundamental data for the soil- and fertilizer-specific crop δ15N database and indicate that the intra-plant δ15N characteristic could be helpful for organic cauliflower identification.

A carbon and nitrogen isotope perspective on ancient human diet in the British Isles

2022 ◽  
Vol 137 ◽  
pp. 105516
Author(s):  
Michael I. Bird ◽  
Jordahna Haig ◽  
Sean Ulm ◽  
Christopher Wurster
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
British Isles ◽  
Human Diet ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen
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