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Using eggshell membranes as a non-invasive tool to investigate the source of nutrients in avian eggs

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Abstract

Development of minimally invasive techniques to collect nutritional information from free-living birds is desirable for both ethical and conservation reasons. Here, we explore the utility of waterfowl eggshell membranes to determine the nutrient source of egg formation by using stable isotope ratios. We compared δ13C and δ15N of membranes from complete king eider (Somateria spectabilis) eggs to membranes of hatched or depredated eggs of the same clutch remaining after incubation. Despite large variation among membranes (δ13C: −26 to −14‰) we found a highly predictable relationship between δ13C of complete egg membranes and remaining (hatched or depredated) membranes from the same clutch. We did not find a consistent change in either δ13C or δ15N of eggshell membranes during incubation. We suggest that isotope ratios of membranes can be used to determine the source of exogenous nutrients for egg production in income breeders, and that membranes may offer a clutch-specific reference point for dietary nutrients (‘income endpoint’) in isotopic mixing models quantifying nutrient allocation in capital or mixed-strategy breeders.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the North Slope Borough, R. Suydam, N. Owen-Ashley, A. S. Kitaysky, and C. Latty for logistical support during fieldwork. Minerals Management Service and USGS OCS Program provided funding. J. Heathcote and J. Rogalla assisted in egg and membrane collection, and S. Sekine performed laboratory preparations of egg components. T. Howe and N. Haubenstock conducted the stable isotope analyses. We appreciate the comments of T. Larsen, E. Fraser, E. Murphy, and an anonymous reviewer on an earlier draft of the manuscript. The work described in this article was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the University of Alaska Fairbanks under protocol #05-29. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not imply endorsement by the U. S. Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska, 211 Irving 1, Fairbanks, AK, 99775-6100, USA

    Steffen Oppel

  2. U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit, and Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska, 209 Irving I, Fairbanks, AK, 99775-7020, USA

    Abby N. Powell

  3. Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska, 311 Irving 1, Fairbanks, AK, 99775-7000, USA

    Diane M. O’Brien

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  1. Steffen Oppel
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  2. Abby N. Powell
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  3. Diane M. O’Brien
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Correspondence to Steffen Oppel.

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Communicated by C.G. Guglielmo.

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Oppel, S., Powell, A.N. & O’Brien, D.M. Using eggshell membranes as a non-invasive tool to investigate the source of nutrients in avian eggs. J Ornithol 150, 109–115 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-008-0325-7

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