Dataset Information

Isotopic niche variation in a higher trophic level ectotherm: highlighting the role of succulent plants in desert food webs.

ABSTRACT: Stable isotope analysis of animal tissues allows description of isotopic niches, whose axes in an n-dimensional space are the isotopic ratios, compared to a standard, of different isotope systems (e.g. ?(13)C, ?(15)N). Isotopic niches are informative about where an animal, population or species lives and about what it consumes. Here we describe inter- and intrapopulation isotopic niche (bidimensional ?(13)C-?(15)N space) of the Orange-throated whiptail (Aspidoscelis hyperythra), an arthropodivorous small lizard, in ten localities of Baja California Sur (Mexico). These localities range from extreme arid to subtropical conditions. Between 13 and 20 individuals were sampled at each locality and 1 cm of tail-tip was collected for isotope analysis. As expected, interpopulation niche width variation was much larger than intrapopulation one. Besides, isotopic variation was not related to age, sex or individual size of lizards. This suggests geographic variation of the isotopic niche was related to changes in the basal resources that fuel the trophic web at each locality. The position of Bayesian isotope ellipses in the ?-space indicated that whiptails in more arid localities were enriched in 13C, suggesting most of the carbon they ingested came from CAM succulent plants (cacti, agaves) and in minor degree in C4 grasses. Contrarily, whiptails in subtropical areas were depleted in 13C, as they received more carbon from C3 scrubs and trees. Localities closer to sea-level tended to be enriched in 15N, but a clear influence of marine subsidies was detected only at individual level. The study contributes to identify the origin and pathways through which energy flows across the trophic webs of North American deserts.

SUBMITTER: Delibes M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4431868 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Isotopic niche variation in a higher trophic level ectotherm: highlighting the role of succulent plants in desert food webs.

Delibes Miguel M Blazquez Ma Carmen MC Fedriani Jose Maria JM Granados Arsenio A Soriano Laura L Delgado Antonio A

PloS one 20150514 5

Stable isotope analysis of animal tissues allows description of isotopic niches, whose axes in an n-dimensional space are the isotopic ratios, compared to a standard, of different isotope systems (e.g. δ(13)C, δ(15)N). Isotopic niches are informative about where an animal, population or species lives and about what it consumes. Here we describe inter- and intrapopulation isotopic niche (bidimensional δ(13)C-δ(15)N space) of the Orange-throated whiptail (Aspidoscelis hyperythra), an arthropodivor ...[more]

PMID: 25973609

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Project description:Detritivory is the dominant trophic paradigm in most terrestrial, aquatic, and marine ecosystems, yet accurate measurement of consumer trophic position within detrital (="brown") food webs has remained unresolved. Measurement of detritivore trophic position is complicated by the fact that detritus is suffused with microbes, creating a detrital complex of living and nonliving biomass. Given that microbes and metazoans are trophic analogues of each other, animals feeding on detrital complexes are ingesting other detritivores (microbes), which should elevate metazoan trophic position and should be rampant within brown food webs. We tested these hypotheses using isotopic (15N) analyses of amino acids extracted from wild and laboratory-cultured consumers. Vertebrate (fish) and invertebrate detritivores (beetles and moths) were reared on detritus, with and without microbial colonization. In the field, detritivorous animal specimens were collected and analyzed to compare trophic identities among laboratory-reared and free-roaming detritivores. When colonized by bacteria or fungi, the trophic positions of detrital complexes increased significantly over time. The magnitude of trophic inflation was mediated by the extent of microbial consumption of detrital substrates. When detrital complexes were fed to vertebrate and invertebrate animals, the consumers registered similar degrees of trophic inflation, albeit one trophic level higher than their diets. The wild-collected detritivore fauna in our study exhibited significantly elevated trophic positions. Our findings suggest that the trophic positions of detrital complexes rise predictably as microbes convert nonliving organic matter into living microbial biomass. Animals consuming such detrital complexes exhibit similar trophic inflation, directly attributable to the assimilation of microbe-derived amino acids. Our data demonstrate that detritivorous microbes elevate metazoan trophic position, suggesting that detritivory among animals is, functionally, omnivory. By quantifying the impacts of microbivory on the trophic positions of detritivorous animals and then tracking how these effects propagate "up" food chains, we reveal the degree to which microbes influence consumer groups within trophic hierarchies. The trophic inflation observed among our field-collected fauna further suggests that microbial proteins represent an immense contribution to metazoan biomass. Collectively, these findings provide an empirical basis to interpret detritivore trophic identity, and further illuminate the magnitude of microbial contributions to food webs.

Dataset Information

Isotopic niche variation in a higher trophic level ectotherm: highlighting the role of succulent plants in desert food webs.

Publications

Isotopic niche variation in a higher trophic level ectotherm: highlighting the role of succulent plants in desert food webs.

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