Stable isotopes differentiate bottlenose dolphins off west-central Florida
Stable isotopes differentiate bottlenose dolphins off west-central Florida
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DOI：
10.1111/j.1748-7692.2009.00315.x
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发表时间：
2010-04-01
影响因子：
2.3
通讯作者：
Wells, R. S.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Barros, Nelio B.;Ostrom, P. H.;Wells, R. S.
在连续分布的沿海小型鲸类中区分离散的种群单位是具有挑战性的，也是保护的关键。我们通过分析搁浅海豚牙齿胶原的碳、氮和硫同位素值（δ 13C、δ 15N和δ 34S），评估了稳定同位素在评估佛罗里达中西部宽吻海豚（Tursiops truncatus）群体成员资格方面的效用。个体来源于三个假定的一般种群单位：萨拉索塔湾（SB）、近岸墨西哥湾（Gulf）和近海水域（OFF）。已知历史的动物（SB）对来自墨西哥湾的未知历史动物（Gulf， OFF）的方法起到了奠定真理的作用。各组海豚在每种同位素上差异显著。利用海草生态系统的SB海豚的平均δ 13C值（-10.6 ppm）与GULF （-11.9 ppm）和OFF （-11.9 ppm）不同。GULF和OFF的平均δ 15N值分别为12.7和13.2，高于SB海豚的11.9，这与猎物营养水平的差异一致。三角洲34S值在SB海豚（7.1‰）、GULF海豚（11.3‰）和OFF海豚（16.5‰）之间显示出明显的差异。这是首次将同位素应用于墨西哥湾宽吻海豚的种群分配，结果表明同位素可能为小型鲸目动物的保护提供有力的工具。
P>Distinguishing discrete population units among continuously distributed coastal small cetaceans is challenging and crucial to conservation. We evaluated the utility of stable isotopes in assessing group membership in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) off west-central Florida by analyzing carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur isotope values (delta 13C, delta 15N, and delta 34S) of tooth collagen from stranded dolphins. Individuals derived from three putative general population units: Sarasota Bay (SB), nearshore Gulf of Mexico (GULF), and offshore waters (OFF). Animals of known history (SB) served to ground truth the approach against animals of unknown history from the Gulf of Mexico (GULF, OFF). Dolphin groups differed significantly for each isotope. Average delta 13C values from SB dolphins (-10.6 parts per thousand) utilizing sea grass ecosystems differed from those of GULF (-11.9 parts per thousand) and OFF (-11.9 parts per thousand). Average delta 15N values of GULF (12.7 parts per thousand) and OFF (13.2 parts per thousand) were higher than those of SB dolphins (11.9 parts per thousand), consistent with differences in prey trophic levels. delta 34S values showed definitive differences among SB (7.1 parts per thousand), GULF (11.3 parts per thousand), and OFF (16.5 parts per thousand) dolphins. This is the first application of isotopes to population assignment of bottlenose dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico and results suggest that isotopes may provide a powerful tool in the conservation of small cetaceans.