Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Dietary variation in arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus)-an analysis of stable carbon isotopes

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Oecologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We used stable carbon isotopes to analyse individual variation in arctic fox diet. We extracted collagen from bones (the lower jaw), and measured stable carbon isotopes. The foxes came from three different localities: Iceland, where both microtines and reindeer are rare; west Greenland, where microtines are absent; and Sweden, where scat analyses showed the primary food to be microtine rodents and reindeer. The Icelandic samples included foxes from both coastal and inland habitats, the Swedish sample came from an inland area, and the Greenland sample from coastal sites. The spatial variation in the isotopic pattern followed a basic division between marine and terrestrial sources of protein. Arctic foxes from inland sites had δ13C values of −21.4 (Iceland) and −20.4‰ (Sweden), showing typical terrestrial values. Coastal foxes from Greenland had typical marine values of −14.9‰, whereas coastal foxes from Iceland had intermediate values of −17.7‰. However, there was individual variation within each sample, probably caused by habitat heterogeneity and territoriality among foxes. The variation on a larger scale was related to the availability of different food items. These results were in accordance with other dietary analyses based on scat analyses. This is the first time that stable isotopes have been used to reveal individual dietary patterns. Our study also indicated that isotopic values can be used on a global scale.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alisauskas RT, Hobson KA (1993) Determination of lesser snow geese diets and winter distribution using stable isotope analysis. J Wildl Manage 57:48–54

    Google Scholar 

  • Ambrose SH, DeNiro MJ (1986) The isotopic ecology of East African mammals. Oecologia 69:395–406

    Google Scholar 

  • Angerbjörn A, ArvidSon B, Noren E, Strömgren L (1991) The effect of winter food on the reproduction in the arctic fox,Alopex lagopus: a field experiment. J Anim Ecol 60:705–714

    Google Scholar 

  • Bada JL, Peterson RO, Schimmelmann A, Hedges REM (1990) Moose teeth as monitors of environmental isotopic parameters. Oecologia 82:102–106

    Google Scholar 

  • Bannikov AG (1970) Arctic fox in the U.S.S.R.: biological premises of productivity. IUCN New Ser 16:121–130

    Google Scholar 

  • Birks JDS, Penford N (1990) Observations on the ecology of arctic foxesAlopex lagopus in Eqalummiut Nunaat, West Greenland. Medd Grönland Biosci 32:3–27

    Google Scholar 

  • Bocherens H, Fizet M, Mariotti A (1990) Mise en evidence alimentaire vegetarien de l'ours des cavernes (Ursus spelaeus) par la biogeochemie isotopique (13C,15N) des vertebres fossiles. C R Acad Sci Paris Ser II 311:1279–1284

    Google Scholar 

  • Braestrup FW (1941) A study on the arctic fox in Greenland. Medd Grön 131:1–102

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown TA, Nelson DE, Vogel JS, Southon JR (1988) Improved collagen extraction by modified Longin method. Radiocarbon 30:171–177

    Google Scholar 

  • Chisholm BS, Nelson DE, Schwarcz HP (1983) Marine and terrestrial protein in prehistoric diets on the British Columbia coast. Curr Anthropol 24:396–398

    Google Scholar 

  • Collett R (1912) Mammals of Norway (in Norwegian). Aschehaug, Kristiania

    Google Scholar 

  • DeNiro MJ, Epstein S (1978a) Influence on diet on the distribution of carbon isotopes in animals. Geochim Chosmochim Acta 42:495–506

    Google Scholar 

  • DeNiro MJ, Epstein S (1978b) Carbon isotope evidence for different feeding patterns in twoHyrax species occupying the same habitat. Science 201:1906–1908

    Google Scholar 

  • DeNiro MJ, Epstein S (1981) Influence of diet on the distribution of nitrogen isotopes in animals. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 45:341–351

    Google Scholar 

  • Fay FF, Stephenson RO (1989) Annual, seasonal, and habitat-related variation in feeding habits of the arctic fox (Alopex lagopus) on St. Lawrence Island, Bering Sea. Can J Zool 67:1989–1994

    Google Scholar 

  • Frafjord K (1993) Food habits of Arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus) on the western coast of Svalbard. Arctic 46:49–54

    Google Scholar 

  • Garrott RA, Eberhardt LE (1987) Arctic fox. In: Novak M, Baker JA, Obbard ME, Malloch B (eds) Wild fur bearer management and conservation in North America. Ministry of Natural Resources, Ontario, pp 394–406

    Google Scholar 

  • Hersteinsson P (1984) The behaviourial ecology of the arctic fox (Alopex lagopus) in Iceland. D Phil thesis, University of Oxford

  • Hersteinsson P (1989) Population genetics and ecology of different colour morphs of arctic foxesAlopex lagopus in Iceland. Finn Game Res 46:64–78

    Google Scholar 

  • Hersteinsson P (1992) Mammals of the Thingvallavatn area. Oikos 64:396–404

    Google Scholar 

  • Hersteinsson P, Macdonald DW (1982) Some comparisons between red and arctic foxes,Vulpes vulpes andAlopex lagopus, as revealed by radio-tracking. Symp Zool Soc Lond 49:259–289

    Google Scholar 

  • Hersteinsson P, Angerbjörn A, Frafjord K, Kaikusalo A (1989) The arctic fox in Fennoscandia and Iceland: management problems. Biol Conserv 49:67–81

    Google Scholar 

  • Hobson KA (1987) Use of stable isotope analysis to estimate marine and terrestrial protein content in gull diets. Can J Zool 65:1210–1212

    Google Scholar 

  • Kates M (1980) Techniques of lipidology; isolation, analysis and identification of lipids, 2nd edn. Elsevier, Amsterdam

    Google Scholar 

  • Lidén K, Takahashi C, Nelson DE (1994) The effect of lipids and the use of NaOH in stable carbon isotope analysis. J Arch Sci (in press)

  • Macpherson AH (1969) The dynamics of Canadian arctic fox populations. Can Wildl Serv Rep Ser 8:1–49

    Google Scholar 

  • Merwe NJ van der, Lee-Thorp JA, Thaderay JF, Hull-Martin A, Kruger FJ, Coetzees H, Bell RH, Lindeque M (1990) Sourcearea determination of elephant ivory by isotopic analysis. Nature 346:744–746

    Google Scholar 

  • Møller-Nielsen S (1991) Fishing arctic foxes on a rocky island in west Greenland. In: Angerbjörn A, Hersteinsson P (eds) Arctic fox biology: abstracts from the first international arctic fox meeting. Scientifur 16:79

  • Østbye E, Skar H-J, Svalastog D, Westby K (1978) (in Norwegian) Arctic fox and red fox on Hardanger vidda: den ecology, distribution and population status. Medd Norsk Viltforsk 4:1–66

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson BJ, Fry B (1987) Stable isotopes in ecosystem studies. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 18:293–320

    Google Scholar 

  • Pulliainen E (1965) On the distribution and migrations of the arctic fox (Alopex lagopus L.) in Finland. Aquilo Ser Zool 2:35–40

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramsay MA, Hobson KA (1991) Polar bears make little use of terrestrial food webs: evidence from stable carbon isotope analysis. Oecologia 86:598–600

    Google Scholar 

  • Rau GH, Mearns AJ, Young DR, Olson RJ, Schafer HA, Kaplan IR (1983) Animal13C/12C correlates with trophic levels in pelagic food webs. Ecology 64:1314–1318

    Google Scholar 

  • Schell DM, Ziemann PJ (1988) Natural carbon isotope tracers in arctic aquatic food webs. In: Rundel PW, Ehleringer JR, Nagy KA (eds) Stable isotopes in ecological research. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 230–251

    Google Scholar 

  • Schoeninger MJ, DeNiro MJ (1984) Nitrogen and carbon isotopic composition of bone collagen from marine and terrestrial animals. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 48:625–639

    Google Scholar 

  • Schoeninger MJ, DeNiro MJ, Tauber H (1983) Stable nitrogen isotope ratios of bone collagen reflect marine and terrestrial components of prehistoric human diet. Science 220:1381–1383

    Google Scholar 

  • Sholto-Douglas AD, Field JD, James AG, Merwe NJ van der (1991)13C/12C and15N/14N isotope ratios in the southern Benguela ecosystem: indicators of food web relationships among different size-classes of plankton and pelagic fish; differences between fish muscle and bone collagen tissues. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 78:23–31

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith BN, Epstein S (1971) Two categories of13C/12C ratios for higher plants. Plant Physiol 47:298–301

    Google Scholar 

  • Tannerfeldt M, Angerbjörn A, ArvidSon B (1994) The effect of summer feeding on juvenile Arctic fox survival — a field experiment. Ecography 17:97–107

    Google Scholar 

  • Tauber H (1981) Diet in prehistory. In: Egevang R (ed) The creative human (in Danish). National Museum, Copenhagen, pp 112–116

    Google Scholar 

  • Tieszen LL, Boutton TW, Tesdahl KG, Slade NA (1983) Fractionation and turnover of stable carbon isotopes in animal tissue: implications for the analysis of diet. Oecologia 57:32–37

    Google Scholar 

  • Tietje WD, Teer JG (1988) Winter body condition of northern shovelers on freshwater and saline habitats. In: Weller M (ed) Waterfowl in winter. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, pp 353–376

    Google Scholar 

  • Vogel JC (1978) Isotopic assessment of the dietary habits of ungulates. S Afr J Sci 74:298–301

    Google Scholar 

  • Vogel JC, Talma AS, Hall-Martin AJ, Viljoen PJ (1990) Carbon and nitrogen isotopes in elephants. S Afr J Sci 86:147–150

    Google Scholar 

  • Welch DW, Parsons TR (1993) δ13C−δ15N values as indicators of trophic position and competitive overlap for Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.). Fish Oceanogr 2:11–23

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, S-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden

    Anders Angerbjörn

  2. Wildlife Management Institute, PO Box 5032, 125, Reykjavik, Iceland

    Pall Hersteinsson

  3. Department of Archaeology, Stockholm University, S-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden

    Kerstin Lidén

  4. Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, V5A 1S6, Burnaby, B.C., Canada

    Erle Nelson

Authors
  1. Anders Angerbjörn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Pall Hersteinsson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Kerstin Lidén
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Erle Nelson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Angerbjörn, A., Hersteinsson, P., Lidén, K. et al. Dietary variation in arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus)-an analysis of stable carbon isotopes. Oecologia 99, 226–232 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00627734

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00627734

Key words

Search

Navigation