Application of stable isotope analysis for detecting filial cannibalism
2017
Abstract A novel type of filial cannibalism has been reported in pipefishes, in which the eggs are absorbed through the male’s brood-pouch epithelium. The present study explored the applicability of stable isotope analysis for the detection of paternal brood cannibalism in the seaweed pipefish Syngnathus schlegeli . As expected, the δ 15 N values for liver, which conveys short-term dietary information about the recent reproductive season, were higher in males than in females. In contrast, the δ 15 N values for muscle, which reflects longer-term feeding habits that span both the reproductive and non-reproductive seasons, did not significantly differ between the sexes. This finding indicates that males occupy a higher trophic position than females only during the reproductive season, and it is probable that this difference is a result of paternal uptake of nutrients from embryos in the brood pouch.
Keywords:
- Correction
- Source
- Cite
- Save
- Machine Reading By IdeaReader
13
References
3
Citations
NaN
KQI