Stable isotope series from elephant ivory reveal lifetime histories of a true dietary generalist.

Proceedings. Biological Sciences
Jacqueline CodronJulia A Lee-Thorp

Abstract

Longitudinal studies have revealed how variation in resource use within consumer populations can impact their dynamics and functional significance in communities. Here, we investigate multi-decadal diet variations within individuals of a keystone megaherbivore species, the African elephant (Loxodonta africana), using serial stable isotope analysis of tusks from the Kruger National Park, South Africa. These records, representing the longest continuous diet histories documented for any extant species, reveal extensive seasonal and annual variations in isotopic--and hence dietary--niches of individuals, but little variation between them. Lack of niche distinction across individuals contrasts several recent studies, which found relatively high levels of individual niche specialization in various taxa. Our result is consistent with theory that individual mammal herbivores are nutritionally constrained to maintain broad diet niches. Individual diet specialization would also be a costly strategy for large-bodied taxa foraging over wide areas in spatio-temporally heterogeneous environments. High levels of within-individual diet variability occurred within and across seasons, and persisted despite an overall increase in inferred C(4) gr...Continue Reading

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Citations

Apr 19, 2016·Ecology and Evolution·Matt Davis, Silvia Pineda Munoz
Sep 29, 2015·Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry : RCM·Calandra N Turner TomaszewiczCarolyn M Kurle
Feb 28, 2016·Head and Neck Pathology·Erich J Raubenheimer, Hilde D Miniggio
Sep 2, 2016·Journal of Comparative Physiology. B, Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology·Carolin BoehlkeOliver Zierau
Nov 1, 2018·Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry : RCM·Holly MillerNaomi Sykes
Jan 24, 2018·Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry : RCM·Isabella von HolsteinMatthew J Collins
Aug 29, 2018·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Erwin González-GuardaFlorent Rivals
Jul 9, 2021·Journal of Comparative Physiology. B, Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology·Carolin BoehlkeChristian Hannig

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