Koch P L, Heisinger J, Moss C, Carlson R W, Fogel M L, Behrensmeyer A K
Science. 1995 Mar 3;267(5202):1340-3. doi: 10.1126/science.267.5202.1340.
The carbon, nitrogen, and strontium isotope compositions of elephants in Amboseli Park, Kenya, were measured to examine changes in diet and habitat use since the 1960s. Carbon isotope ratios, which reflect the photosynthetic pathway of food plants, record a shift in diet from trees and shrubs to grass. Strontium isotope ratios, which reflect the geologic age of bedrock, document the concentration of elephants within the park. The high isotopic variability produced by behavioral and ecological shifts, if it is representative of other East African elephant populations, may complicate the use of isotopes as indicators of the source region of ivory.
对肯尼亚安博塞利国家公园大象的碳、氮和锶同位素组成进行了测量，以研究自20世纪60年代以来它们饮食和栖息地使用情况的变化。碳同位素比率反映了食用植物的光合作用途径，记录了大象饮食从树木和灌木向草的转变。锶同位素比率反映了基岩的地质年代，记录了公园内大象的聚集情况。行为和生态变化产生的高同位素变异性，如果它代表其他东非大象种群的情况，可能会使将同位素用作象牙来源地指标的做法变得复杂。
