Open AccessStable isotopic signatures in modern wood bison (Bison bison athabascae) hairs as telltale biomarkers of nutritional stress
Author(s) -
Juliette Funck,
Cade Kellam,
C. Tom Seaton,
Matthew J. Wooller
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
canadian journal of zoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.607
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1480-3283
pISSN - 0008-4301
DOI - 10.1139/cjz-2019-0185
Subject(s) - bison bison , biology , wildlife , ecology , δ13c , isotope analysis , δ15n , captivity , zoology , stable isotope ratio , physics , quantum mechanics
Assessing the challenges faced by wildlife populations is key to providing effective management but is problematic when dealing with populations in remote locations. Analyses of the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope composition (expressed as δ 13 C and δ 15 N values) of sequentially grown tissues, such as hairs, can be used to track changes in the eco-physiology of organisms. We generated δ 13 C and δ 15 N values from sequentially sampled (n = 465) hairs taken from wood bison (Bison bison athabascae Rhoads, 1898) (n = 27). Samples were taken from individuals prior to and after their release from captivity into the lower Innoko–Yukon river area of Alaska in 2015. Twenty months after release, individuals had a distinct seasonal pattern in δ 13 C values. Hairs from individuals that experienced food scarcity or long-distance movement were sampled as case studies. Nutritional stress in these cases lead to a rise in δ 15 N values and a decrease in δ 13 C values. Applications of δ 13 C and δ 15 N analyses of bison tail hairs could provide wildlife managers a valuable and minimally invasive tool to better understand bison seasonal metabolic status and determine the historical health and behavior of living and dead individuals.