La Tour du Valat

Institut de recherche pour la conservation des zones humides méditerranéennes

Titre :	Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic discrimination in whole blood of red-throated ant tanagers Habia fuscicauda
Auteurs :	L. Gerardo Herrera, Auteur ; Julio C. Reyna E, Auteur
Type de document :	Article
Dans :	Journal of Ornithology (148(2) APR 2007)
Article en page(s) :	235-240
Langues:	Anglais
Résumé :	Analysis of stable isotope ratios is increasingly used to reconstruct diets in passerine birds, but studies of diet-tissue isotopic discrimination for this avian group are scarce. We determined N-15 and C-13 diet-tissue discrimination factors on whole blood in the red-throated ant tanager (Habia fuscicauda), an insectivorous-frugivorous passerine. Birds were fed an isotopically uniform, semi-synthetic diet of dog puppy dry food, soy protein isolate, wheat germ, and other ingredients, during 92 days. Average (+/- SD) diet-tissue discrimination was 2.6 +/- 0.2 parts per thousand for N and 2.2 +/- 0.1 parts per thousand for C. Nitrogen diet-tissue discrimination was similar to the values found previously in other passerines fed animal protein and it can probably be used to accurately reconstruct protein dietary origin in passerines feeding on animal protein (e.g., insects). In the case of C, diet reconstruction might be affected by metabolic routing of dietary nutrients.

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