Linking hydrogen (δ2H) isotopes in feathers and precipitation: sources of variance and consequences for assignment to isoscapes.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Tracking small migrant organisms worldwide has been hampered by technological and recovery limitations and sampling bias inherent in exogenous markers. Naturally occurring stable isotopes of H (δ(2)H) in feathers provide an alternative intrinsic marker of animal origin due to the predictable spatial linkage to underlying hydrologically driven flow of H isotopes into foodwebs. This approach can assess the likelihood that a migrant animal originated from a given location(s) within a continent but requires a robust algorithm linking H isotopes in tissues of interest to an appropriate hydrological isotopic spatio-temporal pattern, such as weighted-annual rainfall. However, a number of factors contribute to or alter expected isotopic patterns in animals. We present results of

SUBMITTER: Hobson KA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3324428 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature