Stable isotope ecology of the common hippopotamus

Journal of Zoology - Tập 276 Số 2 - Trang 204-212 - 2008
Thure E. Cerling1, John Harris2, John Hart3, Prince Kaleme4, Hans Klingel5, Meave G. Leakey6, Naomi E. Levin1, RL Lewison7, Benjamin H. Passey1
1Department of Geology and Geophysics; University of Utah; Salt Lake City UT USA
2Los Angeles County Museum, Los Angeles, CA, USA
3Wildlife Conservation Society, Kinshasa, DR Congo
4c/o ICCN‐PNKB, Cyangugu, Rwanda
5Zoology Department, Technische Universität, Braunschweig, Germany
6National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
7Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA

Tóm tắt

AbstractThe diet of African hippopotamids can be documented through stable carbon isotope ratios (13C/12C) analyses of enamel and other tissues. The common hippopotamus Hippopotamus amphibius is widely assumed to be a pure grazer; however, the 13C/12C ratios of modern H. amphibius show a higher fraction of dietary C3 biomass than estimated from traditional observations. Isotope profiles of modern hair and modern tooth enamel confirm that H. amphibius has a variable diet in both the short‐ (seasonal) and long‐ (sub‐decadal) time scales. Isotopic analyses of extant mammals from the same parks as the analyzed hippos provide comparative examples for diets of C3‐browsers and C4‐grazers. Oxygen isotope ratios (18O/16O) show that the hippo is consistently the most 18O‐depleted mammal in any one ecosystem; this directly reflects its semi‐aquatic habitat.

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Thông tin xuất bản

Journal of Zoology

Tập 276 Số 2

204-212

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