Nitrogen and carbon stable isotope analysis sheds light on trophic competition between two syntopic land iguana species from Galapagos.

ABSTRACT: Coexistence between closely related species can lead to intense competition for resources. Stable isotope analysis (SIA) is a reliable tool to estimate the extent of species competition. We employed SIA to evaluate niche partitioning among two syntopic species of Galápagos land iguanas: Conolophus subcristatus and C. marthae. Samples were collected on Wolf Volcano, Isabela Island, where C. marthae is endemic and syntopic with C. subcristatus. We determined δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N ratios and described the isotopic niche of each species using corrected standard ellipse area (SEA_c). We tested for differentiation between the isotopic niches, while controlling for sex, body size, spatial location of samples and mean annual primary productivity at capture points, using biv

SUBMITTER: Gargano M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9546867 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature