Tracing dietary protein in red-backed voles (Clethrionomys gapperi) using stable isotopes of nitrogen and carbon

Abstract

We examined the stable isotopes of nitrogen and carbon in a small mammal, the red-backed vole (Clethroinomys gapperi (Vigors, 1830)), to determine if isotope signatures reflect diet composition. Nitrogen- and carbon-isotope ratios in tissues from voles maintained on different protein levels in the laboratory were compared with wild-trapped voles. The isotopic fractionation of dietary nitrogen and carbon was also examined as food was digested in the stomach, incorporated into bone collagen, bioapatite, and hair, and excreted as feces. Nitrogen and carbon isotopes were fractionated differently depending on the isotopic composition and protein content of the diet. δ15N and δ13C values appear to be influenced by factors in addition to diet, such as macronutrients metabolized for respiration, metabolic rate, and periods of protein shortage.