Whisker growth in Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) and applications for stable isotope studies

Ecosphere

Marie R. G. Attard¹  Tracey L. Rogers²  Anna Lewis²  Stephen Wroe³  Channing Hughes⁴ 

[1] Department of Biological Sciences Royal Holloway University of London Egham TW20 0EX UK;Evolution and Ecology Research Centre School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia;Function, Evolution and Anatomy Research Laboratory School of Environmental and Rural Science University of New England Armidale New South Wales Australia;The Carnivore Conservancy Ulverstone Tasmania Australia;

关键词: biomarkers;    diet;    foraging ecology;    growth models;    keratin;    Sarcophilus harrisii;   

DOI  :  10.1002/ecs2.3846

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Abstract Individual longitudinal records of diet, movement, and physiological state of endangered Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) are needed for effective management of wild populations, yet most traditional techniques are expensive or labor‐intensive. Stable isotope analysis of inert tissue, such as vibrissae (whiskers), provides a viable and minimally invasive solution to chronologically record the foraging ecology and habitat use of individuals. Species‐specific information on whisker growth (i.e., time‐position growth of isotopic signatures), retention time, and arrangement on the face is required before the implementation of stable isotope analysis in wild populations. Here, whiskers of six captive Tasmanian devils were internally marked with 13C‐ and 15N‐labeled glycine at three‐month intervals followed by isotopic analysis of the longest whisker to provide a time stamp for whisker growth and estimate retention time. Intradermal and extradermal lengths of wild Tasmanian devil whiskers were used to assess the arrangement and relative length of whiskers on the face. We found that whiskers can record at least nine months of an animal's ecological history and that whisker growth is not linear, the growth gradually slows down as the whisker lengthens. Our findings demonstrate that sequentially sampled whiskers have the potential to track monthly and seasonal isotopic changes of an individual animal in the wild, both within its historical range and in areas to which it has recently been introduced. Such information can be used to identify temporal shifts in habitat and prey preferences within populations and help select suitable individuals for translocations. We recommend that the longest mystacial whiskers, positioned posteriorly at the third and fourth row, should be preferentially used for stable isotope studies in this species. The timeframe represented by the root of the whisker (˜3–63 d) can be used to adjust the base of cut whiskers to the correct time period.

【 授权许可】

Unknown