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Studying Animal Diets In Situ Using Portable Stable Isotope Analyzers
Author(s) -
Voigt Christian C.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
biotropica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.813
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1744-7429
pISSN - 0006-3606
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2009.00509.x
Subject(s) - stable isotope ratio , isotope , isotope analysis , desmodus rotundus , isotopes of carbon , δ13c , in situ , environmental chemistry , chemistry , biology , food science , ecology , environmental science , zoology , total organic carbon , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , virology , rabies
I assessed the usefulness of a portable stable isotope analyzer for assigning animals to food chains of tropical ecosystems. Based on the stable carbon isotope ratio of the animals’ breath (δ 13 C breath ), it was possible to distinguish between the isotopically distinct food chains of fruit‐eating bats and blood‐eating vampire bats. Portable instruments for the analysis of δ 13 C breath may improve our ability to quantify animal diets, because they are accurate and cheap, and most importantly they can be used in situ .