Fecal carbon and nitrogen isotopic analysis as an indicator of diet in Kanyawara chimpanzees, Kibale National Park, Uganda

Phillips, Caroline A.; O’Connell, Tamsin C.

doi:10.1002/ajpa.23073

Cited by 13 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 114 publications

(163 reference statements)

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“…To a lesser extent, both δ 13 C and δ 15 N values in plants reflect temporal and spatial differences in habitats, 23,24 and δ 13 C values, like δ 15 N values, have been informative of weaning 20,21,25 . The elemental composition (carbon and nitrogen content; %C and %N) of feces also is informative of diet; for example, fecal %N is a proxy measure of dietary protein content 16,21,26–29 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Isotopic and elemental corroborates for wild bearded capuchin (Sapajus libidinosus) omnivorous dietary adaptation at Fazenda Boa Vista, Brazil

Reitsema

Jones

Gilbert

et al. 2020

Rapid Comm Mass Spectrometry

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Rationale This study analyzes variability in the diets of wild bearded capuchin monkeys, Sapajus libidinosus, by analyzing stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope ratios and elemental concentrations (%C and %N) of fecal samples and food items. Developing isotopic and elemental correlates for diets of habituated subjects is a necessary step towards applying similar methods to interpret diets of unhabituated or cryptic subjects. Methods Fecal samples from wild capuchins and their foods were collected at Fazenda Boa Vista, Brazil. Fecal samples from laboratory‐housed Sapajus spp. and their foods were analyzed to establish diet‐feces offsets for δ13C, δ15N, %C, and %N. Samples were dried, powdered, and measured for isotopic and elemental values. A Bayesian mixing model commutes isotopic and elemental data from wild capuchins into likely proportions of different food categories. Results The captive study shows small diet‐feces spaces for Sapajus spp. of −0.8 ± 0.7‰ for δ13C, −0.2 ± 0.4‰ for δ15N, −6.1 ± 1.7% for %C, and −1.0 ± 0.6% for %N. The wild study shows omnivorous diets based on C3, C4, and CAM plants, and fauna. Subject diets are highly varied within and between days. Fecal data show age‐related differences in diet and crop‐raiding. There is no consistent isotopic or elemental difference between mothers and infants. Conclusions Fecal stable isotope and elemental evidence employed in a Bayesian mixing model reflects the highly varied diets of capuchin monkeys in an isotopically heterogeneous environment. The isotopic and elemental variability reported here will aid similar diet reconstructions among unhabituated subjects in the future, but precludes tracking weaning isotopically among capuchins in this environment.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Capuchin feces chiefly represent foods eaten during the preceding 6–12 h 32 . Despite potentially over‐representing undigested components of diet, fecal stable isotope ratios have been shown to reflect the isotope ratios of foods consumed for a variety of animal taxa 28,33–37 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Isotopic and elemental corroborates for wild bearded capuchin (Sapajus libidinosus) omnivorous dietary adaptation at Fazenda Boa Vista, Brazil

Reitsema

Jones

Gilbert

et al. 2020

Rapid Comm Mass Spectrometry

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“…for Japanese macaques. Fecal offset values are from Phillips and O'Connell for chimpanzees in Kibale, Blumenthal et al . for gorillas, Kuhnle et al .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although the number of isotopic studies concerning chimpanzees ( Pan trogrodytes ) has increased in recent years, the isotopic offset values in chimpanzees have never been investigated. In wild chimpanzee populations, dietary difference with habitat type, dietary difference with age and sex, meat eating, dietary difference between sympatric gorilla, ecological differences among populations, and seasonal dietary differences have been studied using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses. In addition, there have been systematic studies on the isotopic signatures of chimpanzees' food sources .…”

Section: Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopic Offset Values (As ‰) Between DImentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In fact, when [25] for humans in Fiji, Huelsemann et al [26] for humans in Germany, Minagawa [23] for humans in Japan, and Nakashita et al [32] for Japanese macaques. Fecal offset values are from Phillips and O'Connell [18] for chimpanzees in Kibale, Blumenthal et al [30] for gorillas, Kuhnle et al [28] for humans in the UK, and Reitsema [31] for François' langurs. food items differ in their digestibility, the isotope ratios of feces tend to over-represent the less digestible items.…”

Section: Factors Affecting the Offset Valuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic offsets between diet and hair/feces in captive chimpanzees

Tsutaya

Fujimori

Hayashi

et al. 2016

Rapid Comm Mass Spectrometry

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A skew in poo: Biases in primate fecal isotope analysis and recommendations for standardized sample preparation

Oelze

O'Neal

Wittig

et al. 2022

American J Primatol

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Feces are a treasure trove in the study of animal behavior and ecology. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis allows to assess the dietary niches of elusive primate species and primate breastfeeding behavior. However, some fecal isotope data may unwillingly be biased toward the isotope ratios of undigested plant matter, requiring more consistent sample preparation protocols. We assess the impact of this potential data skew in 114 fecal samples of wild bonobos (Pan paniscus) by measuring the isotope differences (Δ13C, Δ15N) between bulk fecal samples containing larger particles (>1 mm) and filtered samples containing only small particles (<1 mm). We assess the influence of fecal carbon and nitrogen content (ΔC:N) and sample donor age (subadult, adult) on the resulting Δ13C, Δ15N values (n = 228). Additionally, we measure the isotope ratios in three systematically sieved fecal samples of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus), with particle sizes ranging from 20 μm to 8 mm (n = 30). We found differences in fecal carbon and nitrogen content, with the smaller fecal fraction containing more nitrogen on average. While the Δ13C values were small and not affected by age or ΔC:N, the Δ15N values were significantly influenced by fecal ΔC:N, possibly resulting from the differing proportions of undigested plant macroparticles. Significant relationships between carbon stable isotope ratios (δ13C) values and %C in large fecal fractions of both age groups corroborated this assessment. Δ15N values were significantly larger in adults than subadults, which should be of concern in isotope studies comparing adult females with infants to assess breastfeeding. We found a random variation of up to 3.0‰ in δ13C and 2.0‰ in nitrogen stable isotope ratios within the chimpanzee fecal samples separated by particle sizes. We show that particle size influences isotope ratios and propose a simple, cost‐effective filtration method for primate feces to exclude larger undigested food particles from the analysis, which can easily be adopted by labs worldwide.

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Fecal carbon and nitrogen isotopic analysis as an indicator of diet in Kanyawara chimpanzees, Kibale National Park, Uganda

Cited by 13 publications

References 114 publications

Isotopic and elemental corroborates for wild bearded capuchin (Sapajus libidinosus) omnivorous dietary adaptation at Fazenda Boa Vista, Brazil

Isotopic and elemental corroborates for wild bearded capuchin (Sapajus libidinosus) omnivorous dietary adaptation at Fazenda Boa Vista, Brazil

Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic offsets between diet and hair/feces in captive chimpanzees

A skew in poo: Biases in primate fecal isotope analysis and recommendations for standardized sample preparation

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