Stable isotope methods in biological and ecological studies of arthropods

Abstract

This is an eclectic review and analysis of contemporary and promising stable isotope methodologies to study the biology and ecology of arthropods. It is augmented with literature from other disciplines, indicative of the potential for knowledge transfer. It is demonstrated that stable isotopes can be used to understand fundamental processes in the biology and ecology of arthropods, which range from nutrition and resource allocation to dispersal, food-web structure, predation, etc. It is concluded that falling costs and reduced complexity of isotope analysis, besides the emergence of new analytical methods, are likely to improve access to isotope technology for arthropod studies still further. Stable isotopes pose no environmental threat and do not change the chemistry or biology of the target organism or system. These therefore represent ideal tracers for field and ecophysiological studies, thereby avoiding reductionist experimentation and encouraging more holistic approaches. Considering (i) the ease with which insects and other arthropods can be marked, (ii) minimal impact of the label on their behaviour, physiology, and ecology, and (iii) environmental safety, we advocate more widespread application of stable isotope technology in arthropod studies and present a variety of potential uses.

MarkingBactrocera dorsalis(Diptera: Tephritidae) with Fluorescent Pigments: Effects of Pigment Colour and Concentration

“…The use of MRR to study dispersal involves the collection of insects from either the field or a laboratory culture, and the application of identifying marks before their release into the field. A proportion of the insects are then recaptured from the field after a specified period and/or within a specified geographical range, and their distribution is assumed to be representative of all those released (Hagler & Jackson 2001;Hood-Nowotny & Knols 2007). In MRR studies, the ability to accurately identify released insects is essential.…”

What Can Larval Ecology Tell Us About the Success ofAedes albopictus(Diptera: Culicidae) Within the United States?: Table 1.

“…Thus, an analysis of mosquito elemental composition and variation (i.e., stoichiometry) can inform not only of differences among species, but also where those elements come from (Kaufman et al 2010, Winters and Yee 2012, Yee et al 2015b. Besides stoichiometry, which deals specifically with nutrient composition and allocation patterns of elements like carbon, phosphorus, and nitrogen, stable isotopes, which use the rarer isotopic forms of common biological elements to assess diet and tropic position, also have the potential to lead to a deeper understanding of insect and mosquito ecology (Hood-Nowotny and Knols 2007). Stable isotopes can be used for both understanding natural variation in isotopes and in enrichment studies to assess movement of elements among resources and consumers (Hood-Nowotny and Knols 2007).…”

Tracing prey origins, proportions and feeding periods for predatory beetles from agricultural systems using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses

“…Methodologies for determining the nutritional source fed upon by a herbivore or predator include direct observation of feeding insects (Petelle et al, 1979), gut content analysis (Isely and Alexander, 1949;Marples, 1966), antigen-antibody reaction measurement (Dempster, 1960), radioisotope (Marples, 1966) or biological pigment tracer studies (Putman, 1965) and intrinsic markers (such as naturally occurring stable isotopes, molecular DNA and fatty acid profiles) in animal tissues (Hobson, 1999). Stable isotope analyses are safe since they are non-radioactive, and they can reflect the long-term feeding behavior of animals, which make them useful natural tracers (Hood-Nowotny and Knols, 2007;Peterson and Fry, 1987;Schmidt et al, 1999).…”

“…Tracing diet origins and migration or movement of natural enemies, represents a fundamental aspect for their effective conservation and a precondition for their biological control (Hobson, 1999;Hood-Nowotny and Knols, 2007). Methodologies for determining the nutritional source fed upon by a herbivore or predator include direct observation of feeding insects (Petelle et al, 1979), gut content analysis (Isely and Alexander, 1949;Marples, 1966), antigen-antibody reaction measurement (Dempster, 1960), radioisotope (Marples, 1966) or biological pigment tracer studies (Putman, 1965) and intrinsic markers (such as naturally occurring stable isotopes, molecular DNA and fatty acid profiles) in animal tissues (Hobson, 1999).…”