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A forensic approach to understanding diet and habitat use from stable isotope analysis of (avian) claw material
Author(s) -
Bearhop S.,
Furness R. W.,
Hilton G. M.,
Votier S. C.,
Waldron S.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
functional ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.272
H-Index - 154
eISSN - 1365-2435
pISSN - 0269-8463
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2435.2003.00725.x
Subject(s) - claw , feather , biology , habitat , stable isotope ratio , isotope analysis , ecology , isotopes of nitrogen , zoology , physics , quantum mechanics
Summary1 The potential of using stable isotope signatures of avian claws in order to infer diet and habitat use was investigated. 2 Highly significant relationships observed between stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios (δ 13 C, δ 15 N) in the claws and body feathers of resident birds were expected since it was predicted that they were synthesized in the same habitat and approximately the same time of year. 3 Likewise the non‐significant relationships observed between δ 13 C and δ 15 N in the claws and tertial feathers of neotropical migrant birds were also predicted since the claws were synthesized in the wintering area and the tertials in the breeding area. 4 The growth rates measured in the claws of five species of palearctic passerines provide evidence that this tissue should integrate dietary and habitat information over a medium temporal scale (probably weeks to months). 5 It is suggested that claws may offer a unique combination of attributes to the isotope ecologist: they are non‐invasively sampled; metabolically inert but grow continuously, and are therefore a more flexible tool than feathers. 6 It is also suggested that that the stable isotope signatures in the claws of mammals and reptiles may provide similar information.