Stable Isotope Ecology

Jason Newton, Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, East Kilbride, UK

Published online: January 2010

DOI: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0021231

Stable isotope geochemistry has proved to be an extremely useful tool in elucidating many ecological problems, with stable isotope ecology comprising the theme of a series of international conferences (http://www.isoecol.org). Stable isotopes can be used as biological tracers in the following ways: (i) to identify sources, for instance in determining the identity of basal carbon in a food web; (ii) to distinguish sources, for example to determine whether a breeding animal is using local resources or its own reserves; (iii) to quantify relative inputs in a system, for example determining the proportions of different prey items to a consumer's diet. When utilized carefully, stable isotope geochemistry provides some advantages over conventional methods, and provides an additional device for the ecologist. The following article provides a short reference for ecologists considering the inclusion of stable isotope analysis as part of their methodology.

Key concepts:

  • Stable isotopes are useful tracers of ecological processes.
  • Carbon stable isotopes are useful for tracing carbon sources and plant physiology.
  • Nitrogen stable isotope ratios in animal tissues are useful indicators of trophic level.
  • Combined carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in animal tissues elucidate food webs and trophic niche.
  • Hydrogen and oxygen isotope ratios in animals reflect those of local precipitation.

Keywords: stable isotopes; ecology; food webs; diet; migration

Figure 1. Schematic food web in which 15N (and 13C) represent the trophic enrichment factor. See text for further explanation.
Figure 2. Hypothetical diet switch experiment. The animal is fed a C3 plant-based diet for some time, then switched to a C4 plant-based diet at time=0. Analysis of tissue for 13C is carried out every 10 days. The time for complete carbon turnover is in excess of 100 days.
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Related Sub-Topics:

Ecological Methods | Food Webs
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Article Title: Stable Isotope Ecology
 
How to Cite close
Newton, Jason(Jan 2010) Stable Isotope Ecology. In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester. http://www.els.net [doi: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0021231]