ISOTOPIC TRACKING OF CHANGE IN DIET AND HABITAT USE IN AFRICAN ELEPHANTS

被引：183

作者：

KOCH, PL

HEISINGER, J

MOSS, C

CARLSON, RW

FOGEL, ML

BEHRENSMEYER, AK

机构：

[1] AFRICAN WILDLIFE FDN, NAIROBI, KENYA

[2] CARNEGIE INST WASHINGTON, DEPT TERR MAGNETISM, WASHINGTON, DC 20015 USA

[3] CARNEGIE INST WASHINGTON, GEOPHYS LAB, WASHINGTON, DC 20015 USA

[4] SMITHSONIAN INST, DEPT PALEOBIOL, NATL MUSEUM NAT HIST, WASHINGTON, DC 20560 USA

来源：

SCIENCE | 1995年 / 267卷 / 5202期

关键词：

D O I：

10.1126/science.267.5202.1340

中图分类号：

O [数理科学和化学]; P [天文学、地球科学]; Q [生物科学]; N [自然科学总论];

学科分类号：

07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;

摘要：

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.

引用

页码：1340 / 1343

页数：4

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