Using stable isotopes of nitrogen and carbon to study seabird ecology: applications in the Mediterranean seabird community*

By Manuel Guillermo Forero, Keith A. Hobson. 2003

84 citations recorded by the source corpus.

SUMMARY: The application of the stable isotope technique to ecological studies is becoming increasingly widespread. In the case of seabirds, stable isotopes of nitrogen and carbon have been mainly used as dietary tracers. This approach relies on the fact that foodweb isotopic signatures are reflected in the tissues of the consumer. In addition to the study of trophic ecology, stable isotopes have been used to track the movement of seabirds across isotopic gradients, as individuals moving between isotopically distinct foodwebs can carry with them information on the location of previous feeding areas. Studies applying the stable isotope methodology to the study of seabird ecology show a clear evolution from broad and descriptive approaches to detailed and individual-based analyses. The purpose of this article is to show the different fields of application of stable isotopes to the study of the seabird ecology. Finally, we illustrate the utility of this technique by considering the particularities of the Mediterranean seabird community, suggesting different ecological questions and conservation problems that could be addressed by using the stable isotope approach in this community.

Subfields: Ecology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/4faffe9abcbd1bb65b8966cca18adf28de29c6c3

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In Ecology

Citations in the corpus

Seasonal changes in the diet of a critically endangered seabird and the importance of trawling discards (2009, background): “Stable carbon isotope values ( 13C) give information on primary production and are useful to trace origin of the prey consumed (Forero and Hobson 2003).”
From lavage to lipids: Estimating diets of seabirds (2012, unknown): “Several authors have provided over - views of the use of stable isotope methods in seabird investigations (Forero & Hobson 2003, Barrett et al. 2007, Bond & Jones 2009) or more general use of stable isotope techniques in avian or mammalian ecology (Inger & Bearhop 2008, Tollit et al. 2010, Hobson…”
Stable isotopes reveal trophic segregation by sex and age in the southern giant petrel in two different food webs (2005, background): “During the last decade, stable-isotope analysis (SIA) has become an increasingly popular tool to study the trophic ecology of seabirds (see review in Forero & Hobson 2003), often complementing and extending traditional studies.”
Age and sexual differences in the exploitation of two anthropogenic food resources for an opportunistic seabird (2010, background): “For marine ecosystems, &13C and &15N values can discriminate the type of food consumed in relation to their benthic and pelagic origin (Forero and Hobson 2003; Navarro et al. 2009) or the use of marine or terrestrial food (Ramos et al.”
Short-term effects of data-loggers on Cory’s shearwater (Calonectris diomedea) (2005, background): “In marine ecosystems the measurement of stable isotope ratios in consumers can provide trophic (d15N) and inshore versus offshore foraging information (d13C) (Michener and Schell 1994; reviewed by Forero and Hobson 2003).”