La Tour du Valat

Institut de recherche pour la conservation des zones humides méditerranéennes

Titre :	Feeding environments of New Zealand's extinct merganser revealed by stable isotope analyses
Auteurs :	Murray Williams, Auteur ; Richard N. Holdaway, Auteur ; Karyne M. Rogers, Auteur
Type de document :	Article
Dans :	Wildfowl (62 2012)
Article en page(s) :	190-203
Langues:	Anglais
Résumé :	The likely feeding environments of individuals from each of the three populations of New Zealand's extinct merganser Mergus australis were interpreted from stable isotope ratios of carbon (C-13/C-12) and nitrogen (N-15/N-14) in fossil bones and tissue from preserved skins. Analyses of feather and claws from 10 specimens from Auckland Islands indicated the birds fed predominantly on marine prey but that some freshwater-sourced foods may also have been consumed. Stable isotope values from three bones of mergansers from Chatham Island strongly suggest a marine feeding habit while those from two mainland New Zealand bones indicated the birds fed mostly in fresh water. Merganser bones found at a New Zealand lake (Poukawa) suggest this species occupied mainland New Zealand's fresh waters at the time of First human settlement.

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