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Stable isotope ratios of Antarctic petrel (Thalassoica antarctica) and snow petrel (Pagodroma nivea) bone collagen

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Abstract

This study investigated the trophic hierarchy status of the Antarctic petrel (Thalassoica antarctica) and snow petrel (Pagodroma nivea) within the Southern Ocean food-web off Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. During 1991/92 ten Antarctic petrel and ten snow petrel carcasses were collected from Jekselen (71°59′S, 02°35′W) and Robertskollen (71°28′S, 03°15′W) respectively, in the northern Ahlmannryggen, Dronning Maud Land. Collagen from the dense bone of the humeri of these carcasses was extracted and the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of these samples determined. The snow petrel bone collagen samples displayed a mean δ13C value of −23.9±0.7 (range: −24.7 to −22.9; n=9) and a mean δ15N value of 15.2±1.6 (range: 12.9 to 18.4; n=10). The corresponding values for Antarctic petrel bone collagen were −24.8±1.0 (range: −26.2 to −22.8; n=9) and 13.2±0.6 (range: 12.5 to 13.9; n=8) respectively. The difference between the species’ δ13C values may indicate differences in their foraging habitat. It has previously been suggested that the snow petrel has a higher wing loading than other Procellariiforme species, making the snow petrel less adapted to pelagic foraging than related species and more likely to forage close to the sea ice edge. Algae growing under sea ice apparently can have comparatively high δ13C values, possibly due to growing under carbon dioxide limited conditions. If so, animals foraging close to the sea ice edge might be expected to show higher δ13C values in their body tissues than animals foraging farther out over the open ocean. However, the high δ13C of snow petrel collagen is possibly more likely to be related to the correspondingly high δ15N values found in this tissue, and hence caused by snow petrels including offal from high trophic level Antarctic mammals and birds in their diet.

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Acknowledgements

I thank John Lanham and Julie Lee-Thorp of the Archaeometry Laboratory, University of Cape Town, for their patient instruction and advice. I also thank Marthé Mokone for assistance in the laboratory, and Dr Norbert Klages of the Port Elizabeth Museum for the identification of prey species. The suggestions of Dr. J. A. van Franeker and two anonymous referees served to improve this paper and they are thanked for their advice. Financial and logistic support for research in Dronning Maud Land provided by the former South African Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism through the South African Committee on Antarctic Research is gratefully acknowledged.

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  1. W. K. Steele

    Present address: Rivers & Drainage Group, Melbourne Water, PO Box 4342, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia

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  1. Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Private Bag, Rondebosch 7700, South Africa

    W. K. Steele

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Steele, W.K. Stable isotope ratios of Antarctic petrel (Thalassoica antarctica) and snow petrel (Pagodroma nivea) bone collagen. Polar Biol 28, 672–679 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-005-0736-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-005-0736-3

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