Predation on seabird eggs by Keen's mice (Peromyscus keeni): using stable isotopes to decipher the diet of a terrestrial omnivore on a remote offshore island

Abstract

We used stable isotope techniques to analyze tissues of Keen's mice (Peromyscus keeni) and Townsend's voles (Microtus townsendii cowani) and a subset of prey items at Triangle Island, British Columbia, western Canada's largest seabird colony. Isotope analysis allowed us to investigate the importance of seabird prey in rodent diets in a system where seabirds and non-introduced rodents occur sympatrically. The δ¹⁵N values for terrestrial plants and terrestrial invertebrates on Triangle Island exceeded levels found in many terrestrial biomes and are typical of localities with high inputs of marine-derived N. We used multiple-source mixing models to estimate the relative inputs of potential prey items to vole and mouse diets. The δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values of liver and muscle tissues of voles indicate that voles on Triangle Island derived their protein primarily from terrestrial plants, with some contribution by terrestrial invertebrates. In contrast, isotopic values of liver and muscle tissues of mice on Triangle Island indicated that mice prey primarily on seabird eggs and terrestrial invertebrates. Our results show that egg predation on Triangle Island is a general phenomenon in the mouse population, rather than occurring in only a few specialist feeders. Mice appear to feed on eggs once they become available and continue to utilize seabird prey, likely in the form of abandoned eggs or carcasses of chicks and adults, throughout the breeding season.