Stable isotope analysis of the origins of zooplankton carbon in lakes of differing trophic state

Carbon stable isotope analysis was carried out on zooplankton from 24 United Kingdom lakes to examine the hypothesis that zooplankton dependence on allochthonous sources of organic carbon declines with increasing lake trophy. Stable isotope analysis was also carried out on particulate and dissolved organic matter (POM and DOM) and, in 11 of the lakes, of phytoplankton isolates. In 21 of the 24 lakes, the zooplankton were depleted in ¹³C relative to bulk POM, consistent with previous reports. δ¹³C for POM showed relatively little variation between lakes compared to high variation in values for DOM and phytoplankton. δ¹³C values for phytoplankton and POM converged with increasing lake trophy, consistent with the expected greater contribution of autochthonous production to the total organic matter pool in eutrophic lakes. The difference between δ¹³C for zooplankton and that for POM was also greatest in oligotrophic lakes and reduced in mesotrophic lakes, in accordance with the hypothesis that increasing lake trophic state leads to greater dependence of zooplankton on phytoplankton production. However, the difference increased again in hypertrophic lakes, where higher δ¹³C values for POM may have been due to greater inputs of ¹³C-enriched organic matter from the littoral zone. The very wide variation in phytoplankton δ¹³C between lakes of all trophic categories made it difficult to detect robust patterns in the variation in δ¹³C for zooplankton. Received: 2 November 1998 / Accepted: 3 December 1999     

Variation in the thermal ecology of an endemic iguana from Mexico reduces its vulnerability to global warming

The persistence of reptile populations in a specific location is influenced by individuals’ capacity to regulate their body temperatures, among other factors. Anthropogenic climate change may pose a risk to the survival of ectothermic animals due to their dependence on external heat sources to thermoregulate. In this study, we calculated indices of thermal habitat quality, thermoregulatory precision, and thermoregulatory effectiveness for the endemic spiny-tailed iguana Ctenosaura oaxacana. We evaluated these indices and the thermoregulatory behavior of the iguanas in the four types of vegetation that provide the most favorable conditions for thermoregulation. We also performed our experiments during both the wet and dry seasons to capture the full range of thermal conditions available to C. oaxacana over the course of a year. Finally, we evaluated the potential niche for the iguana in the years 2020, 2050, and 2080. Thermoregulation depends on both seasonal and environmental factors in this species. We found that thermoregulation effectiveness in both wet and dry seasons depends not only on the thermal conditions of the immediate environment, but also on the cover vegetation and habitat structure available across the range of habitats the species uses. Thus, heterogeneous habitats with dispersed vegetation may be most suitable for this species’ thermoregulatory strategy. Likewise, niche modeling results suggested that suitable habitat for our study species may continue to be available for the next few decades, despite global warming tendencies, as long as cover vegetation remains unaltered. Our results suggest that thermoregulation is a complex process that cannot be generalized for all ectothermic species inhabiting a given region. We also found that temperature changes are not the only factor one must consider when estimating the risk of species loss. To understand the necessary thermal conditions and extinction risk for any ectothermic species, it is necessary to focus studies on the species’ general ecology.     

Stable carbon isotope analysis reveals widespread drought stress in boreal black spruce forests

Unprecedented rates of climate warming over the past century have resulted in increased forest stress and mortality worldwide. Decreased tree growth in association with increasing temperatures is generally accepted as a signal of temperature‐induced drought stress. However, variations in tree growth alone do not reveal the physiological mechanisms behind recent changes in tree growth. Examining stable carbon isotope composition of tree rings in addition to tree growth can provide a secondary line of evidence for physiological drought stress. In this study, we examined patterns of black spruce growth and carbon isotopic composition in tree rings in response to climate warming and drying in the boreal forest of interior Alaska. We examined trees at three nested scales: landscape, toposequence, and a subsample of trees within the toposequence. At each scale, we studied the potential effects of differences in microclimate and moisture availability by sampling on northern and southern aspects. We found that black spruce radial growth responded negatively to monthly metrics of temperature at all examined scales, and we examined ?¹³C responses on a subsample of trees as representative of the wider region. The negative ?¹³C responses to temperature reveal that black spruce trees are experiencing moisture stress on both northern and southern aspects. Contrary to our expectations, ?¹³C from trees on the northern aspect exhibited the strongest drought signal. Our results highlight the prominence of drought stress in the boreal forest of interior Alaska. We conclude that if temperatures continue to warm, we can expect drought‐induced productivity declines across large regions of the boreal forest, even for trees located in cool and moist landscape positions.     

内蒙古东南部战国时期的农业经济及人群融合

内蒙古东南部是辽西地区粟作农业起源地的中心区域,也是历史时期农、牧民族反复争夺的战略要地。战国早中期,该地主要为北方民族聚居地,具有多元的族群文化和复杂的经济类型;战国晚期,随燕文化的北扩,中原地区的文化与农耕技术促使此地的文化与人群趋于统一。纵观战国时期,农耕经济在内蒙古东南部先民的生存方式中居于何种地位,对不同人群及文化的融合又起到了怎样的积极作用,仍缺乏深入的探讨。为此,本文以赤峰地区战国时代水泉和大山前墓地出土的67例人骨及牙齿为研究对象,开展了C、N稳定同位素分析。结果显示:先民主要摄食C₄类,包括粟、黍等作物和(或)以粟类副产品为食的动物,反映了其生存方式为以种植粟类作物为基础的农业和家畜饲养业。部分先民的同位素数据,表明也存在着渔猎经济。结合该区域已发表的人骨C、N稳定同位素数据,我们发现,粟作农业始终在该地先民生存方式中发挥重要作用,为不同人群及文化的融合奠定了物质基础。     

Stable nitrogen and carbon isotope discrimination between juveniles and adults in an income-breeding small mammal (Peromyscus maniculatus)

We investigated the stable nitrogen- and carbon-isotope compositions of blood, liver, muscle and hair of income breeding deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) to determine the extent to which stable isotope compositions of mothers and offspring differed. We found small differences between the δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C values of dependent offspring and adult tissues (by a magnitude of −0.8‰ to 1.1‰ for ¹⁵N and 0.3–0.9‰ for ¹³C), and limited ¹⁵N discrimination between juvenile tissues and milk, which explains the small mother-offspring trophic effects in isotopic composition. Discrimination of ¹⁵N between offspring and adults was greater than expected but smaller than known for capital breeding mammals, suggesting that different biochemical pathways for milk production and processing may affect the discrimination of ¹⁵N in these systems.     

Latitudinal variation of life-history traits of an exotic and a native impatiens species in Europe

Understanding the responses of invasive and native populations to environmental change is crucial for reliable predictions of invasions in the face of global change. While comparisons of responses across invasive species with different life histories have been performed before, comparing functional traits of congeneric native and invasive species may help to reveal driving factors associated with invasion. Here we compared morphological functional trait patterns of an invasive species (Impatiens parviflora) with its congeneric native species (I. noli-tangere) along an approximately 1600 km European latitudinal gradient from France (49°34′N) to Norway (63°40′N). Soil nitrogen was recorded during six weeks of the growing season, and light, soil moisture, and nutrient availability were estimated for each sampled population using community weighted means of indicator values for co-occurring species. Temperature data were gathered from nearby weather stations.Both the native and invasive species are taller at higher latitudes and this response is strongest in the invasive species. Seed mass and number of seeds per capsule increase in I. noli-tangere but decrease in I. parviflora towards higher latitudes. Surprisingly, plant height in the invasive I. parviflora decreases with increasing soil nitrogen availability. The latitudinal pattern in seed mass is positively related to temperature in I. noli-tangere and negatively in I. parviflora. Leaf area of both species decreases with increasing Ellenberg indicator values for nitrogen and light but increases with increasing soil moisture. Soil nitrogen concentrations and Ellenberg indicator values for nitrogen have significant positive (I. noli-tangere) and negative (I. parviflora) effects on the number of seeds per capsule. Our results show that the native I. noli-tangere has efficient reproduction at its range edge while the invasive I. parviflora shows a marked decrease in seed size and seed number per capsule. These patterns are unrelated to the growth and obtained size of the plants: even low soil nitrogen availability in the north seemed not to limit plant growth and size. Our results suggest that the invasive I. parviflora tends to become more invasive at lower latitudes by producing heavier seeds and more seeds per capsule.     

Stable isotope analysis of vertebrae reveals ontogenetic changes in habitat in an endothermic pelagic shark

Ontogenetic changes in habitat are driven by shifting life-history requirements and play an important role in population dynamics. However, large portions of the life history of many pelagic species are still poorly understood or unknown. We used a novel combination of stable isotope analysis of vertebral annuli, Bayesian mixing models, isoscapes and electronic tag data to reconstruct ontogenetic patterns of habitat and resource use in a pelagic apex predator, the salmon shark (Lamna ditropis). Results identified the North Pacific Transition Zone as the major nursery area for salmon sharks and revealed an ontogenetic shift around the age of maturity from oceanic to increased use of neritic habitats. The nursery habitat may reflect trade-offs between prey availability, predation pressure and thermal constraints on juvenile endothermic sharks. The ontogenetic shift in habitat coincided with a reduction of isotopic niche, possibly reflecting specialization upon particular prey or habitats. Using tagging data to inform Bayesian isotopic mixing models revealed that adult sharks primarily use neritic habitats of Alaska yet receive a trophic subsidy from oceanic habitats. Integrating the multiple methods used here provides a powerful approach to retrospectively study the ecology and life history of migratory species throughout their ontogeny.     

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope discrimination in soft tissues of the leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea): Insights for trophic studies of marine turtles

The trophic ecology of marine vertebrates has been increasingly studied via stable isotope analysis of body tissues. However, the theoretical basis for using stable isotopes to elucidate consumer–prey relationships remains poorly validated for most taxa despite numerous studies using this technique in natural systems. In this study, we measured stable carbon and stable nitrogen diet-tissue discrimination (Δ_dt) in whole blood, red blood cells, blood plasma solutes, and skin of leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea; N = 7) maintained in captivity for up to 424 days and fed an isotopically consistent control diet with a mean C:N ratio of 2.94:1.00 and an energetic content of 20.16 ± 0.39 kJ g^− 1 Dry Mass. We used a random-effect repeated measure model to evaluate isotopic consistency among tissue samples collected on days 276, 348, and 424. Both δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N remained consistent among sampling events in all tissues (all 95% posterior intervals for the slopes of a linear model included zero), indicating that all tissues had fully integrated diet-derived stable isotope compositions. Mean tissue-specific δ¹³C ranged from − 18.30 ± 0.16‰ (plasma solutes) to − 15.54 ± 0.14‰ (skin), whereas mean δ¹⁵N was from 10.06 ± 0.22‰ (whole blood) to 11.46 ± 0.10‰ (plasma solutes). The computed Δ_dt factors for carbon ranged from − 0.58‰ (plasma solutes) to + 2.25‰ (skin), whereas Δ_dt for nitrogen was from + 1.49 (red blood cells) to + 2.85 (plasma solutes). As the only discrimination factors available for leatherback turtles, our data will be useful for future interpretations of field-derived stable isotope data for this species. The inherent variability in Δ_dt values among individuals was low, which supports the value of these data for dietary reconstructions. However, it is important to note that tissue-specific discrimination factors for leatherbacks contrast with the widely accepted values for endothermic species (0–1‰ for C, 3–5‰ for N), and are also different from values established for hard-shelled turtles. This underscores the need for species- and tissue-specific discrimination factors before interpreting trophic studies of wild animals, including marine turtles.     

Using coalescent simulations to test the impact of quaternary climate cycles on divergence in an alpine plant-insect association

The Quaternary climate cycles forced species to repeatedly migrate across a continually changing landscape. How these shifts in distribution impacted the evolution of unrelated but ecologically associated taxa has remained elusive due to the stochastic nature of the evolutionary process and variation in species-specific biological characteristics and environmental constraints. To account for the uncertainty in genealogical estimates, we adopted a coalescent approach for testing hypotheses of population divergence in coevolving taxa. We compared genealogies of a specialized herbivorous insect, Parnassius smintheus (Papilionidae), and its host plant, Sedum lanceolatum (Crassulaceae), from the alpine tundra of the Rocky Mountains to null distributions from coalescent simulations to test whether tightly associated taxa shared a common response to the paleoclimatic cycles. Explicit phylogeographic models were generated from geologic and biogeographic data and evaluated over a wide range of divergence times given calibrated mutation rates for both species. Our analyses suggest that the insect and its host plant responded similarly but independently to the climate cycles. By promoting habitat expansion and mixing among alpine populations, glacial periods repeatedly reset the distributions of genetic variation in each species and inhibited continual codivergence among pairs of interacting species.     

Influence of timing of fishing on trophic levels and diets of typical fish and invertebrate species in the Bohai Strait over a single year based on carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis

Fishing is the most widespread human exploitation of marine resources, which has an annual cyclical influence on aquatic species in Chinese offshore waters. This study used carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios as tracers to reveal the changes in trophic level and dietary composition of offshore organisms during four cruises in March, June, August and November 2014. The results indicated that the trophic levels of fishes declined during two fishing periods, from March (average trophic level = 3.36) to June (3.01), and from August (2.99) to November (2.57), while most invertebrates did not show this trend. The self-restoring ability of this ecosystem was reflected in the trophic level changes after the closed fishing season (from June 1 to September 1). The trophic levels of fishes remained stable, and some species even recovered such as Enchelyopus elongates (trophic level increased from 2.84 in June to 2.86 in August), Cryptocentrus filifer (from 3.10 to 3.12), and Ernogrammus hexagrammus (from 2.91 to 2.96). According to the trophic results, we selected the invertebrates Octopus minor and Asterias amurensis from the top trophic levels for dietary composition analysis. The composition of their diets changed significantly after fishing periods, and the proportions of some smaller and “non-commercial” species increased, such as Notoacmea schrenckii and Chlorostoma rustica. After the closed fishing season, the larger and “commercial” species contributed a greater proportion to their diet composition. These results indicated that the closed fishing season should be prolonged to give the ecosystem enough time to restore itself and further halt the trend of this fishery towards environment deterioration.     

Effects of tree competition on corn and soybean photosynthesis, growth, and yield in a temperate tree-based agroforestry intercropping system in southern Ontario, Canada

In 1987, the University of Guelph established a large tree-based intercropping system on 30 ha of prime agricultural land in southern Ontario, Canada. The purpose was to investigate various aspects of intercropping trees with prime agricultural crops. In this study, objectives were to investigate tree competitive effects (i.e., shading and competition for soil moisture) on under-story crop net assimilation (NA), growth, and yield. The effects of tree competition on corn (C4 plant) and soybean (C3 plant) photosynthesis and productivity in the intercropped system were studied during the 1997 and 1998 growing seasons. Corn and soybeans were intercropped with hybrid poplar (clone-DN-177) and silver maple (Acer sacharrinum) at a within-row spacing of 6 m and between-row spacing of 12.5 or 15 m. Trees were absent from control rows. Tree rows were oriented approximately north and south. Twelve crop locations were sampled around each tree. These were at 2 and 6 m east and west of the tree, located along a primary axis running through the tree trunk and perpendicular to the tree row, and at 2 m north and south of each location along the primary axis. Net assimilation and plant water deficit measurements were made three times daily (morning, noon, afternoon) on sampling days in July. Generally, tree competition significantly reduced photosynthetic radiation (PAR), net assimilation (NA), and growth and yield of individual soybean or corn plants growing nearer (2 m) to tree rows in both years and soil moisture in 1998. NA was highly correlated with growth and yield of both crops. These correlations were higher for corn than soybeans in both years, with corn, rather than soybeans being more adversely impacted by tree shading. In 1997, poplar, rather than maple, had the greatest competitive effect on NA. In 1997, the lowest plant water deficits, for soybeans and for corn, were observed for the maple treatment. Nonetheless, in both years, daily plant water deficits were non-significantly and poorly correlated with NA and growth and yield of both crops. However, soil moisture (5 and 15 cm depth) was significantly correlated with soybeans yield in 1998. Possible remediation strategies are discussed to reduce tree competitive interactions on agricultural crops.