Testing Assumptions for Stable Isotope Analysis of Marine Mammal Dentin Growth Layer Groups.

ABSTRACT:

Rationale

Stable isotope analysis of growth layer groups (GLGs) in mammal dentin is an increasingly prevalent and noninvasive approach to study animal foraging ecology. However, empirical evidence to support assumed proper methodologies for sampling GLGs is lacking. Here, we examine the effects of intratooth and intertooth variations with respect to targeted GLGs, as well as the effects of common pretreatments (e.g., formic acid and graphite) to enhance GLG visibility, on stable isotope values (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) from dentin.

Methods

We measured the δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values of killer whale (Orcinus orca) dentin. We used dentin from 37 teeth to compare stable carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) isotope values from multip

SUBMITTER: Bowen KR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11791386 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature