How animals respond to seasonal resource availability has profound implications for their dietary flexibility and realized ecological niches.We sought to understand seasonal dietary niche partitioning in extant Africa...How animals respond to seasonal resource availability has profound implications for their dietary flexibility and realized ecological niches.We sought to understand seasonal dietary niche partitioning in extant African suids using intra-tooth stable isotope analysis of enamel.We collected enamel samples from canines of red river hogs/bushpigs(Potamochoerus spp.)and third molars of warthogs(Phacochoerus spp.)in 3 different regions of central and eastern Africa.We analyzed multiple samples from each tooth and used variations in stable carbon and oxygen isotope ratios(δ^(13)C andδ^(18)O)and covariances between them to infer seasonal dietary changes.We found that most Phacochoerus display C_(4)-dominated diets,while most Potamochoerus display C_(3)-dominated diets.Phacochoerus and Potamochoerus that co-occur in the same region display no overlap in intra-toothδ^(13)C,which suggests dietary niche partitioning.They also show divergingδ^(13)C values as the dry seasons progress and convergingδ^(13)C values during the peak of the rainy seasons,which suggests a greater dietary niche separation during the dry seasons when resources are scarce than during the rainy season.We found statistically significant cross-correlations between intra-toothδ^(13)C andδ^(18)O in most specimens.We also observed a temporal lag betweenδ^(13)C andδ^(18)O in some specimens.This study demonstrates that intra-tooth stable isotope analysis is a promising approach to investigate seasonal dietary niche variation.However,large inter-individual variations inδ^(18)O at certain localities can be challenging to interpret.Future studies that expand the intra-tooth stable isotope surveys or include controlled feeding experiments will improve its application in ecological studies.展开更多
基金supported by the Leakey Foundation,Sigma Xi Grants in Aid of Research[G2017031588721189]the National Science Fountation-Inter University Training in Continental Scale Ecology(EF-1137336)through a research-in-residence program at the University of Utah,the Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences of Stony Brook University+2 种基金the Turkana Basin Institutesupported by the French government in the framework of the University of Bordeaux’s IdEx“Investments for the Future”program/GPR“Human Past.”partially supported by the Center for Climate Life and the Vetlesen Foundation while at Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory。
文摘How animals respond to seasonal resource availability has profound implications for their dietary flexibility and realized ecological niches.We sought to understand seasonal dietary niche partitioning in extant African suids using intra-tooth stable isotope analysis of enamel.We collected enamel samples from canines of red river hogs/bushpigs(Potamochoerus spp.)and third molars of warthogs(Phacochoerus spp.)in 3 different regions of central and eastern Africa.We analyzed multiple samples from each tooth and used variations in stable carbon and oxygen isotope ratios(δ^(13)C andδ^(18)O)and covariances between them to infer seasonal dietary changes.We found that most Phacochoerus display C_(4)-dominated diets,while most Potamochoerus display C_(3)-dominated diets.Phacochoerus and Potamochoerus that co-occur in the same region display no overlap in intra-toothδ^(13)C,which suggests dietary niche partitioning.They also show divergingδ^(13)C values as the dry seasons progress and convergingδ^(13)C values during the peak of the rainy seasons,which suggests a greater dietary niche separation during the dry seasons when resources are scarce than during the rainy season.We found statistically significant cross-correlations between intra-toothδ^(13)C andδ^(18)O in most specimens.We also observed a temporal lag betweenδ^(13)C andδ^(18)O in some specimens.This study demonstrates that intra-tooth stable isotope analysis is a promising approach to investigate seasonal dietary niche variation.However,large inter-individual variations inδ^(18)O at certain localities can be challenging to interpret.Future studies that expand the intra-tooth stable isotope surveys or include controlled feeding experiments will improve its application in ecological studies.
