Stable isotope differences between sea lions (Zalophus) from the gulf of California and Gaĺpagos Islands

David Aurioles-Gamboa, Seth D. Newsome, Sandie Salazar-Pico, Paul L. Koch

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

35 Scopus citations

Abstract

Spatial or temporal isotopic variation, or both, in primary producers must be controlled for when investigating the foraging and trophic ecology of top consumers using isotopic data. Populations of the sister species Zalophus californianus and Z. wollebaeki are separated by approximately 3,350 km in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, which prevents contact and mixing between the 2 populations. To explore differences in trophic ecology between these species, as well as the impact of differences in baseline food-web isotope values between the 2 regions, we compared conventional dietary data derived from analyses of scat contents to isotopic values of hair collected from pups at 13 rookeries in the Gulf of California (Z. californianus) and 11 rookeries on the Galpagos Islands (Z. wollebaeki). Mean ± 1 SD δ13C and δ15N values were -15.9‰ ± 0.5‰ and 21.8 ± 0.7‰ in the Gulf of California, whereas for the Galpagos they were -14.5‰ ± 0.5‰ and 13.1‰ ± 0.5‰. Examination of scat data suggested overlap in 6 of the 10 most common prey consumed by sea lions. Trophic level (TL) derived from scat analysis was positively related with δ15N values for the Gulf of California rookeries, but estimates of TL for each region were similar (4.4 for Galpagos and 4.1 for Gulf of California), suggesting that foraging behavior makes a limited contribution to the large difference in δ15N value between the 2 populations. Particulate organic matter δ15N values near the Galpagos Islands are ∼5.3‰ lower than values in the Gulf of California, suggesting that the baseline food-web values account for approximately two-thirds of the observed difference in pup hair δ15N values. This study may provide clues to better understand isotopic values of marine top predators migrating across the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1410-1420
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of Mammalogy
Volume90
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 15 Dec 2009
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Carbon
  • Feeding habits
  • Nitrogen
  • Sea lions
  • Stable isotopes
  • Trophic level

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