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Muñoz-Abril L, Valle CA, Alava JJ, Janssen SE, Sunderland EM, Rubianes-Landázuri F, Emslie SD. Elevated Mercury Concentrations and Isotope Signatures (N, C, Hg) in Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares) from the Galápagos Marine Reserve and Waters off Ecuador. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2022; 41:2732-2744. [PMID: 35975428 DOI: 10.1002/etc.5458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
We examined how dietary factors recorded by C and N influence Hg uptake in 347 individuals of yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), an important subsistence resource from the Galápagos Marine Reserve (Ecuador) and the Ecuadorian mainland coast in 2015-2016. We found no differences in total Hg (THg) measured in red muscle between the two regions and no seasonal differences, likely due to the age of the fish and slow elimination rates of Hg. Our THg concentrations are comparable to those of other studies in the Pacific (0.20-9.60 mg/kg wet wt), but a subset of individuals exhibited the highest Hg concentrations yet reported in yellowfin tuna. Mercury isotope values differed between Δ199 Hg and δ202Hg in both regions (Δ199 Hg = 2.86 ± 0.04‰ vs. Δ199 Hg = 2.33 ± 0.07‰), likely related to shifting food webs and differing photochemical processing of Hg prior to entry into the food web. There were significantly lower values of both δ15 N and δ13 C in tuna from Galápagos Marine Reserve (δ15 N: 8.5-14.2‰, δ13 C: -18.5 to -16.1‰) compared with those from the Ecuadorian mainland coast (δ15 N: 8.3-14.4‰, δ13 C: -19.4 to -11.9‰), of which δ13 C values suggest spatially constrained movements of tuna. Results from the pooled analysis, without considering region, indicated that variations in δ13 C and δ15 N values tracked changes of Hg stable isotopes. Our data indicate that the individual tuna we used were resident fish of each region and were heavily influenced by upwellings related to the eastern Pacific oxygen minimum zone and the Humboldt Current System. The isotopes C, N, and Hg reflect foraging behavior mainly on epipelagic prey in shallow waters and that food web shifts drive Hg variations between these populations of tuna. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:2732-2744. © 2022 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laia Muñoz-Abril
- Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
- Galápagos Science Center, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, Ecuador
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, USA
| | - Carlos A Valle
- Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
- Galápagos Science Center, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, Ecuador
| | - Juan José Alava
- Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Sarah E Janssen
- Upper Midwest Water Science Center, US Geological Survey, Middleton, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Elsie M Sunderland
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Francisco Rubianes-Landázuri
- Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
- Galápagos Science Center, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, Ecuador
| | - Steven D Emslie
- Department of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina, Wilmington, North Carolina, USA
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Connan M, Bonnevie B, McQuaid C. Ontogeny, tissue, and species but not sex influence stable isotopic values of three albatross species. Polar Biol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-018-2276-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Darling AF, Bayne EM. The potential of stable isotope (δ13C, δ15N) analyses for measuring foraging behaviour of animals in disturbed boreal forest. ECOSCIENCE 2015. [DOI: 10.2980/17-1-3287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Delibes M, Blazquez MC, Fedriani JM, Granados A, Soriano L, Delgado A. Isotopic niche variation in a higher trophic level ectotherm: highlighting the role of succulent plants in desert food webs. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0126814. [PMID: 25973609 PMCID: PMC4431868 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0126814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2014] [Accepted: 04/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Stable isotope analysis of animal tissues allows description of isotopic niches, whose axes in an n-dimensional space are the isotopic ratios, compared to a standard, of different isotope systems (e.g. δ13C, δ15N). Isotopic niches are informative about where an animal, population or species lives and about what it consumes. Here we describe inter- and intrapopulation isotopic niche (bidimensional δ13C-δ15N space) of the Orange-throated whiptail (Aspidoscelis hyperythra), an arthropodivorous small lizard, in ten localities of Baja California Sur (Mexico). These localities range from extreme arid to subtropical conditions. Between 13 and 20 individuals were sampled at each locality and 1 cm of tail-tip was collected for isotope analysis. As expected, interpopulation niche width variation was much larger than intrapopulation one. Besides, isotopic variation was not related to age, sex or individual size of lizards. This suggests geographic variation of the isotopic niche was related to changes in the basal resources that fuel the trophic web at each locality. The position of Bayesian isotope ellipses in the δ-space indicated that whiptails in more arid localities were enriched in 13C, suggesting most of the carbon they ingested came from CAM succulent plants (cacti, agaves) and in minor degree in C4 grasses. Contrarily, whiptails in subtropical areas were depleted in 13C, as they received more carbon from C3 scrubs and trees. Localities closer to sea-level tended to be enriched in 15N, but a clear influence of marine subsidies was detected only at individual level. The study contributes to identify the origin and pathways through which energy flows across the trophic webs of North American deserts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Delibes
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, Avda. Américo Vespucio s/n, 41092, Seville, Spain
| | - Ma Carmen Blazquez
- Centro Investigaciones Biológicas Noroeste, Avda. Politécnico Nacional 195, 23090, La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico
- * E-mail:
| | - Jose Maria Fedriani
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, Avda. Américo Vespucio s/n, 41092, Seville, Spain
- Department of Ecological Modelling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH—UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
- Technical University of Lisbon, Institute of Agronomy, Centre for Applied Ecology, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349–017, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Arsenio Granados
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, CSIC-Universidad de Granada, Camino del Jueves s/n, 18100, Armilla, Granada, Spain
| | - Laura Soriano
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, Avda. Américo Vespucio s/n, 41092, Seville, Spain
| | - Antonio Delgado
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, CSIC-Universidad de Granada, Camino del Jueves s/n, 18100, Armilla, Granada, Spain
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Jaeger A, Goutte A, Lecomte VJ, Richard P, Chastel O, Barbraud C, Weimerskirch H, Cherel Y. Age, sex, and breeding status shape a complex foraging pattern in an extremely long-lived seabird. Ecology 2014; 95:2324-33. [DOI: 10.1890/13-1376.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Kurle CM, Koch PL, Tershy BR, Croll DA. The effects of sex, tissue type, and dietary components on stable isotope discrimination factors (Δ13C and Δ15N) in mammalian omnivores. ISOTOPES IN ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH STUDIES 2014; 50:307-321. [PMID: 24787278 DOI: 10.1080/10256016.2014.908872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
We tested the effects of sex, tissue, and diet on stable isotope discrimination factors (Δ(13)C and Δ(15)N) for six tissues from rats fed four diets with varied C and N sources, but comparable protein quality and quantity. The Δ(13)C and Δ(15)N values ranged from 1.7-4.1‰ and 0.4-4.3‰, respectively. Females had higher Δ(15)N values than males because males grew larger, whereas Δ(13)C values did not differ between sexes. Differences in Δ(13)C values among tissue types increased with increasing variability in dietary carbon sources. The Δ(15)N values increased with increasing dietary δ(15)N values for all tissues except liver and serum, which have fast stable isotope turnover times, and differences in Δ(15)N values among tissue types decreased with increasing dietary animal protein. Our results demonstrate that variability in dietary sources can affect Δ(13)C values, protein source affects Δ(15)N values even when protein quality and quantity are controlled, and the isotope turnover rate of a tissue can influence the degree to which diet affects Δ(15)N values.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn M Kurle
- a Division of Biological Sciences , University of California , San Diego, La Jolla , CA , USA
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Lowther AD, Harcourt RG, Page B, Goldsworthy SD. Steady as he goes: at-sea movement of adult male Australian sea lions in a dynamic marine environment. PLoS One 2013; 8:e74348. [PMID: 24086338 PMCID: PMC3783424 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0074348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2013] [Accepted: 08/01/2013] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The southern coastline of Australia forms part of the worlds' only northern boundary current system. The Bonney Upwelling occurs every austral summer along the south-eastern South Australian coastline, a region that hosts over 80% of the worlds population of an endangered endemic otariid, the Australian sea lion. We present the first data on the movement characteristics and foraging behaviour of adult male Australian sea lions across their South Australian range. Synthesizing telemetric, oceanographic and isotopic datasets collected from seven individuals enabled us to characterise individual foraging behaviour over an approximate two year time period. Data suggested seasonal variability in stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes that could not be otherwise explained by changes in animal movement patterns. Similarly, animals did not change their foraging patterns despite fine-scale spatial and temporal variability of the upwelling event. Individual males tended to return to the same colony at which they were tagged and utilized the same at-sea regions for foraging irrespective of oceanographic conditions or time of year. Our study contrasts current general assumptions that male otariid life history strategies should result in greater dispersal, with adult male Australian sea lions displaying central place foraging behaviour similar to males of other otariid species in the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D. Lowther
- Threatened, Endangered and Protected Species, SARDI Aquatic Sciences, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- * E-mail:
| | - Robert G. Harcourt
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Bradley Page
- Science, Monitoring and Knowledge Branch, Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Simon D. Goldsworthy
- Threatened, Endangered and Protected Species, SARDI Aquatic Sciences, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
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Lowther A, Harcourt R, Goldsworthy S, Stow A. Population structure of adult female Australian sea lions is driven by fine-scale foraging site fidelity. Anim Behav 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2011.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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Suryan RM, Fischer KN. Stable isotope analysis and satellite tracking reveal interspecific resource partitioning of nonbreeding albatrosses off Alaska. CAN J ZOOL 2010. [DOI: 10.1139/z10-002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Albatrosses (Diomedeidae) are the most threatened family of birds globally. The three North Pacific species ( Phoebastria Reichenbach, 1853) are listed as either endangered or vulnerable, with the population of Short-tailed Albatross ( Phoebastria albatrus (Pallas, 1769)) less than 1% of its historical size. All North Pacific albatross species do not currently breed sympatrically, yet they do co-occur at-sea during the nonbreeding season. We incorporated stable isotope analysis with the first simultaneous satellite-tracking study of all three North Pacific albatross species while sympatric on summer (nonbreeding season) foraging grounds off Alaska. Carbon isotope ratios and tracking data identify differences in primary foraging domains of continental shelf and slope waters for Short-tailed Albatrosses and Black-footed Albatrosses ( Phoebastria nigripes (Audubon, 1839)) versus oceanic waters for Laysan Albatrosses ( Phoebastria immutabilis (Rothschild, 1893)). Short-tailed and Black-footed albatrosses also fed at higher trophic levels than Laysan Albatrosses. The relative trophic position of Black-footed and Laysan albatrosses, however, appears to differ between nonbreeding and breeding seasons. Spatial segregation also occurred at a broader geographic scale, with Short-tailed Albatrosses ranging more north into the Bering Sea than Black-footed Albatrosses, which ranged more to the southeast, and Laysan Albatrosses more to the southwest. Differences in carbon isotope ratios among North Pacific albatross species during the nonbreeding season likely reflect the relative proportion of neritic (more carbon enriched) versus oceanic (carbon depleted) derived nutrients, and possible differential use of fishery discards, rather than latitudinal differences in distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert M. Suryan
- Oregon State University, Hatfield Marine Science Center, 2030 Southeast Marine Science Drive, Newport, OR 97365, USA
- U.S. Geological Survey – Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, 104 Nash Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Karen N. Fischer
- Oregon State University, Hatfield Marine Science Center, 2030 Southeast Marine Science Drive, Newport, OR 97365, USA
- U.S. Geological Survey – Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, 104 Nash Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
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Beaulieu M, Spée M, Lazin D, Ropert-Coudert Y, le Maho Y, Ancel A, Raclot T. Ecophysiological response of Adélie penguins facing an experimental increase in breeding constraints. J Exp Biol 2010; 213:33-9. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.035378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARY
Foraging strategies play a key role in breeding effort. Little is known, however, about their connection with hormonal and nutritional states, especially when breeding constraints vary. Here, we experimentally increased foraging costs and thus breeding constraints by handicapping Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) with dummy devices representing 3–4% of the penguins' cross-sectional area. We examined food-related stress (via plasma corticosterone concentration) and nutritional state (via metabolite levels). Concurrently, we investigated the use of ecological niches via the isotopic signature of red blood cells indicating the trophic position (δ15N) and the spatial distribution (δ13C) of penguins. Handicapped birds performed ∼70% longer foraging trips and lost ∼60% more body mass than controls and their partners. However, corticosterone levels and the nutritional state were unchanged. The isotopic signature revealed that males and females differed in their foraging behaviour: upper trophic levels contributed more in the males' diet, who foraged in more pelagic areas. Handicapped and partner birds adopted the same strategy at sea: a shift towards higher δ13C values suggested that they foraged in more coastal areas than controls. This change in foraging decisions may optimize feeding time by decreasing travelling time. This may partly compensate for the presumed lower foraging efficiency of handicapped birds and for the energetic debt of their partners who had to fast ∼70% longer on the nest. We propose that this flexible use of ecological niches may allow birds facing increased breeding constraints to avoid chronic stress and to minimize the impact on their body condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Beaulieu
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC), Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie (DEPE), UMR 7178 CNRS-UdS, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg, France
| | - M. Spée
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC), Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie (DEPE), UMR 7178 CNRS-UdS, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg, France
| | - D. Lazin
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC), Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie (DEPE), UMR 7178 CNRS-UdS, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg, France
| | - Y. Ropert-Coudert
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC), Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie (DEPE), UMR 7178 CNRS-UdS, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg, France
| | - Y. le Maho
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC), Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie (DEPE), UMR 7178 CNRS-UdS, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg, France
| | - A. Ancel
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC), Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie (DEPE), UMR 7178 CNRS-UdS, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg, France
| | - T. Raclot
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC), Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie (DEPE), UMR 7178 CNRS-UdS, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg, France
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Stable isotopes reveal individual variation in migration strategies and habitat preferences in a suite of seabirds during the nonbreeding period. Oecologia 2009; 160:795-806. [PMID: 19377898 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-009-1342-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2008] [Accepted: 03/16/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Information on predator and prey distributions is integral to our understanding of migratory connectivity, food web dynamics and ecosystem structure. In marine systems, although large animals that return to land can be fitted with tracking devices, minimum instrument sizes preclude deployments on small seabirds that may nevertheless be highly abundant and hence major consumers. An increasingly popular approach is to use N and C stable isotope analysis of feathers sampled at colonies to provide information on distribution and trophic level for the preceding, and generally little-known, nonbreeding period. Despite the burgeoning of this research, there have been few attempts to verify such relationships. In this study, we demonstrate a clear correspondence between isotope ratios of feathers and nonbreeding distributions of seven species from South Georgia tracked using loggers. This generated a rudimentary isoscape that was used to infer the habitat preferences of eight other species ranging in size from storm petrels to albatrosses, and which could be applied, with caveats, in other studies. Differences in inferred distribution within and between species had major implications for relative exposure to anthropogenic threats, including climate change and fisheries. Although there were no differences in isotope values between sexes in any of the smaller petrels, mean stable C (delta(13)C), but not stable N isotope ratios (delta(15)N), tended to be greater in females than males of the larger, and more sexually size-dimorphic species. This indicates a difference in C source (distribution), rather than trophic level, and a correspondence between the degree of sexual size dimorphism in Procellariiformes and the level of between-sex niche segregation.
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Abstract
Unrelated same-sex individuals pairing together and cooperating to raise offspring over many years is a rare occurrence in the animal kingdom. Cooperative breeding, in which animals help raise offspring that are not their own, is often attributed to kin selection when individuals are related, or altruism when individuals are unrelated. Here we document long-term pairing of unrelated female Laysan albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) and show how cooperation may have arisen as a result of a skewed sex ratio in this species. Thirty-one per cent of Laysan albatross pairs on Oahu were female-female, and the overall sex ratio was 59% females as a result of female-biased immigration. Female-female pairs fledged fewer offspring than male-female pairs, but this was a better alternative than not breeding. In most female-female pairs that raised a chick in more than 1 year, at least one offspring was genetically related to each female, indicating that both females had opportunities to reproduce. These results demonstrate how changes in the sex ratio of a population can shift the social structure and cause cooperative behaviour to arise in a monogamous species, and they also underscore the importance of genetically sexing monomorphic species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay C Young
- Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology Program, Department of Zoology, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
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