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Stable isotopes are quantitative indicators of trophic niche
Author(s) -
Marshall Harry H.,
Inger Richard,
Jackson Andrew L.,
McDonald Robbie A.,
Thompson Faye J.,
Cant Michael A.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
ecology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.852
H-Index - 265
eISSN - 1461-0248
pISSN - 1461-023X
DOI - 10.1111/ele.13374
Subject(s) - trophic level , niche , ecology , context (archaeology) , stable isotope ratio , ecological niche , isotope analysis , isotope , geography , biology , habitat , physics , archaeology , quantum mechanics
Hette‐Tronquart (2019, Ecol. Lett.) raises three concerns about our interpretation of stable isotope data in Sheppard et al . (2018, Ecol. Lett., 21, 665). We feel that these concerns are based on comparisons that are unreasonable or ignore the ecological context from which the data were collected. Stable isotope ratios provide a quantitative indication of, rather than being exactly equivalent to, trophic niche.