Linked Life Data

18837063

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/18837063

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
21
pubmed:dateCreated
2008-10-15
pubmed:abstractText
We report results obtained using a new technique developed to measure the stable-isotope composition of uric acid isolated from bird excreta (guano). Results from a diet-switch feeding trial using zebra finches suggest that the delta(13)C of uric acid in the guano equilibrates with the diet of the bird within 3 days of a change in diet, while the equilibration time for delta(15)N may be longer. The average carbon isotope discrimination between uric acid and food before the diet switch was +0.34 +/- 1 per thousand (1sigma) while after the diet switch this increased slightly to +0.83 +/- 0.7 per thousand (1sigma). Nitrogen isotope discrimination was +1.3 +/- 0.3 per thousand (1sigma) and +0.3 +/- 0.3 per thousand (1sigma) before and after the diet switch; however, it is possible that the nitrogen isotope values did not fully equilibrate with diet switch over the course of the experiment. Analyses of other chemical fractions of the guano (organic residue after uric acid extraction and non-uric acid organics solubilised during extraction) suggest a total range of up to 3 per thousand for both delta(13)C and delta(15)N values in individual components of a single bulk guano sample. The analysis of natural samples from a range of terrestrial and marine species demonstrates that the technique yields isotopic compositions consistent with the known diets of the birds. The results from natural samples further demonstrate that multiple samples from the same species collected from the same location yield similar results, while different species from the same location exhibit a range of isotopic compositions indicative of different dietary preferences. Given that many samples of guano can be rapidly collected without any requirement to capture specimens for invasive sampling, the stable-isotope analysis of uric acid offers a new, simple and potentially powerful tool for studying avian ecology and metabolism.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Nov
pubmed:issn
0951-4198
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
22
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
3393-400
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2008
pubmed:articleTitle
Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of avian uric acid.
pubmed:affiliation
School of Geography and Geosciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9AL, Scotland, UK. Michael.bird@st-andrew.ac.uk
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't