Journalartikel

Jahr der Veröffentlichung: 2015

Seiten: 703-709

Zeitschrift: European Journal of Wildlife Research

Bandnummer: 61

Heftnummer: 5

ISSN: 1612-4642

eISSN: 1439-0574

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-015-0944-2

Verlag: Springer

Abstract: 
Stable isotope ratios, especially of carbon (delta C-13) and nitrogen (delta N-15), are often used to make predictions of an animal's diet. Next to the isotope ratios of the studied animal and its diet, two factors are important for the interpretation of stable isotope data: the discrimination factor and the turnover rate. Both parameters are species- and tissue-specific but sparsely reported, especially for insectivorous bats. We determined the diet-tissue discrimination factors (Delta C-13(tissue) and Delta N-15(tissue)) for the insectivorous common noctule bat (Nyctalus noctula) in hairs and wing membranes. No sex-related differences in discrimination of C-13 and N-15 could be detected, but wing membranes were significantly less enriched in C-13 (4.0 +/- 0.6 aEuro degrees) than hairs (5.9 +/- 1.3 aEuro degrees). However, tissues were not significantly different in Delta N-15(tissue) (Delta N-15(wing) 3.7 +/- 0.6 aEuro degrees and Delta N-15(hair) 3.4 +/- 0.6 aEuro degrees). Furthermore, we compared delta N-15 and delta C-13 of wing membranes and hairs from individuals feeding on a mealworm diet for 7 weeks (a (TM) Euroa (TM) Euro(short) and a (TM),a (TM),(short)) and for an average of 124 weeks (range 27-298; a (TM) Euroa (TM) Euro(long) and a (TM),a (TM),(long)). As for a (TM) Euroa (TM) Euro(short) and a (TM),a (TM),(short), no molting occurred after the dietary switch; we assumed that hairs still reflect the isotopic signature of their natural diet. The metabolically more active wing membranes, however, should have incorporated, at least partly, the isotopic signature of the mealworms. Values of delta N-15 and delta C-13 indicate that a dietary switch after 7 weeks is reflected in wing membranes but not in hair. This provides further evidence that the turnover rate of wing membranes of insectivorous bats is only a few weeks.

Harvard-Zitierstil: Roswag, A., Becker, N. and Encarnacao, J. (2015) Isotopic discrimination and indications for turnover in hair and wing membranes of the temperate bat Nyctalus noctula, European Journal of Wildlife Research, 61(5), pp. 703-709. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-015-0944-2

APA-Zitierstil: Roswag, A., Becker, N., & Encarnacao, J. (2015). Isotopic discrimination and indications for turnover in hair and wing membranes of the temperate bat Nyctalus noctula. European Journal of Wildlife Research. 61(5), 703-709. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-015-0944-2