Stable Isotopes of Carbon and Nitrogen in Female Qamanirjuaq Caribou (<i>Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus</i>) Antlers in Relation to Diet and Physiology.

ABSTRACT: Populations of Arctic barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) have fluctuated over the past few decades but are currently in decline. To support conservation efforts of caribou, it is integral to develop both historical and modern datasets; these datasets allow us to understand how caribou have adapted to past climatic shifts and may respond to future change. Caribou are the only extant species in which both males and females grow antlers each year, providing unique sex-specific isotope datasets. Isotopic study of antlers is proving to be a source of annualized data on caribou diet and migration, but uncertainty remains in the magnitude and drivers of isotopic changes across individual antlers. Nitrogen (δ¹⁵N_Col) in male antlers from the Qamanir

SUBMITTER: Brenning M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12502633 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature