Isotopic Tracking of Change in Diet and Habitat Use in African Elephants
- 3 March 1995
- journal article
- other
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 267 (5202), 1340-1343
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.267.5202.1340
Abstract
The carbon, nitrogen, and strontium isotope compositions of elephants in Amboseli Park, Kenya, were measured to examine changes in diet and habitat use since the 1960s. Carbon isotope ratios, which reflect the photosynthetic pathway of food plants, record a shift in diet from trees and shrubs to grass. Strontium isotope ratios, which reflect the geologic age of bedrock, document the concentration of elephants within the park. The high isotopic variability produced by behavioral and ecological shifts, if it is representative of other East African elephant populations, may complicate the use of isotopes as indicators of the source region of ivory.Keywords
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