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Effects of short-term decomposition on isotope values of fish tissues under natural conditions

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Abstract

Dead animals may be an important or the only source of tissues to analyze for stable isotopes, with the goal of making inferences about an animal’s past ecological history. However, in nature, stable isotope values may be affected by myriad decomposition processes, such as abiotic environmental conditions and bacterial and fungal decay, potentially reducing the accuracy of derived ecological conclusions. We used Pacific salmon carcasses left in air or submerged under water to test whether stable isotope values of metabolically active (skin, muscle, and adipose fin) and inactive (scale) tissues changed over time. We found that the δ13C values of active tissues were all affected by decomposition but not in a predictable direction, and hard scale tissue was not. In contrast, there was no effect on δ15N values for any tissue up to 4 days under water or 8 days in air. This suggests that tissues can be analyzed for nitrogen stable isotope values even after several days in water and even if covered in fungus on the surface. For populations within which dead animals are frequently encountered, e.g., salmonid carcass surveys, hard tissues of fish (scales, otoliths) and other animals (baleen, bone, hair, feathers) will likely yield relevant biological information even if soft tissue is rotting, providing another avenue to collect important data about the life history of those animals.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Robert de Bruijn, Andrew Lotto, Rebecca Riley, and Steve Hall for field and logistic support. We also thank the St'at'imc First Nation, in particular Bonnie Adolph and St'at'imc Eco Resources (SER), for allowing access to the study site and for assisting with research coordination.

Supplementary Information

Data are included in supplementary material.

Funding

Funding was provided through BCHydro and SER to SGH, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grants to SGH, SJC and MP, the Canada Research Chairs program for SJC, and the DFO Environmental Watch Program to DAP.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada

    Kathryn S. Peiman, Hsien-Yung Lin & Steven J. Cooke

  2. Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada

    Michael Power

  3. Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory, Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada

    Scott G. Hinch

  4. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Cooperative Resource Management Institute, School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada

    David A. Patterson

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  1. Kathryn S. Peiman
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Correspondence to Kathryn S. Peiman.

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Peiman, K.S., Lin, HY., Power, M. et al. Effects of short-term decomposition on isotope values of fish tissues under natural conditions. Aquat Ecol 56, 173–181 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10452-021-09907-9

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