选择最佳稳定同位素混合模型以估算大黄石生态系统中灰熊的饮食。
Selecting the best stable isotope mixing model to estimate grizzly bear diets in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
作者信息
Hopkins John B, Ferguson Jake M, Tyers Daniel B, Kurle Carolyn M
机构信息
School of Biodiversity Conservation, Unity College, Unity, Maine, United States of America.
Division of Biological Sciences, Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution Section, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America.
出版信息
PLoS One. 2017 May 11;12(5):e0174903. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0174903. eCollection 2017.
Past research indicates that whitebark pine seeds are a critical food source for Threatened grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). In recent decades, whitebark pine forests have declined markedly due to pine beetle infestation, invasive blister rust, and landscape-level fires. To date, no study has reliably estimated the contribution of whitebark pine seeds to the diets of grizzlies through time. We used stable isotope ratios (expressed as δ13C, δ15N, and δ34S values) measured in grizzly bear hair and their major food sources to estimate the diets of grizzlies sampled in Cooke City Basin, Montana. We found that stable isotope mixing models that included different combinations of stable isotope values for bears and their foods generated similar proportional dietary contributions. Estimates generated by our top model suggest that whitebark pine seeds (35±10%) and other plant foods (56±10%) were more important than meat (9±8%) to grizzly bears sampled in the study area. Stable isotope values measured in bear hair collected elsewhere in the GYE and North America support our conclusions about plant-based foraging. We recommend that researchers consider model selection when estimating the diets of animals using stable isotope mixing models. We also urge researchers to use the new statistical framework described here to estimate the dietary responses of grizzlies to declines in whitebark pine seeds and other important food sources through time in the GYE (e.g., cutthroat trout), as such information could be useful in predicting how the population will adapt to future environmental change.
过去的研究表明,白皮松种子是大黄石生态系统(GYE)中濒危的灰熊(棕熊)的关键食物来源。近几十年来,由于松甲虫侵害、侵入性疱锈病和景观级火灾,白皮松林显著减少。迄今为止,尚无研究可靠地估计出随着时间推移白皮松种子对灰熊饮食的贡献。我们利用在灰熊毛发及其主要食物来源中测得的稳定同位素比率(以δ13C、δ15N和δ34S值表示)来估计在蒙大拿州库克城盆地采集样本的灰熊的饮食。我们发现,包含熊及其食物不同稳定同位素值组合的稳定同位素混合模型产生了相似的比例饮食贡献。我们的顶级模型得出的估计结果表明,对于在研究区域采集样本的灰熊而言,白皮松种子(35±10%)和其他植物性食物(56±10%)比肉类(9±8%)更为重要。在大黄石生态系统其他地方及北美采集的熊毛中测得的稳定同位素值支持了我们关于以植物为基础觅食的结论。我们建议研究人员在使用稳定同位素混合模型估计动物饮食时考虑模型选择。我们还敦促研究人员利用此处描述的新统计框架来估计随着时间推移灰熊对大黄石生态系统中白皮松种子及其他重要食物来源(如溪鳟)减少的饮食反应,因为此类信息可能有助于预测该种群将如何适应未来的环境变化。
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