Variation in stable carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) isotope compositions along antlers of Qamanirjuaq caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus).

ABSTRACT: Annual antler growth begins in the spring and is completed by late summer for male caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) from the Qamanirjuaq herd (Nunavut, Canada), aligned with both the spring migration and a seasonal dietary shift. Antlers may provide a non-lethal means of studying short- and long-term changes in caribou ecology through incorporated isotopes of carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N). We sampled the antlers of 12 male caribou from the Qamanirjuaq herd culled in September 1967. We predicted that serial sampling of antlers would reflect the known seasonal dietary change from lichen to grass-like and shrub diet based on rumen contents from individuals culled during the same period. The δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N were analyzed in food sou

SUBMITTER: Brenning M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10945312 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature