Isotopic Niche Segregation among Darwin’s Finches on Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos

Darwin’s finches are a classic example of adaptive radiation involving differential use of dietary resources among sympatric species. Here, we apply stable isotope (δ<sup>13</sup>C, δ<sup>15</sup>N, and δ<sup>2</sup>H) analyses of feathers to examine ecological se...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mariana Villegas, Catherine Soos, Gustavo Jiménez-Uzcátegui, Shukri Matan, Keith A. Hobson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-03-01
Series:Diversity
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/4/147
Description
Summary:Darwin’s finches are a classic example of adaptive radiation involving differential use of dietary resources among sympatric species. Here, we apply stable isotope (δ<sup>13</sup>C, δ<sup>15</sup>N, and δ<sup>2</sup>H) analyses of feathers to examine ecological segregation among eight Darwin’s finch species in Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos collected from live birds and museum specimens (1962–2019). We found that δ<sup>13</sup>C values were higher for the granivorous and herbivorous foraging guilds, and lower for the insectivorous finches. Values of δ<sup>15</sup>N were similar among foraging guilds but values of δ<sup>2</sup>H were higher for insectivores, followed by granivores, and lowest for herbivores. The herbivorous guild generally occupied the largest isotopic standard ellipse areas for all isotopic combinations and the insectivorous guild the smallest. Values of δ<sup>2</sup>H provided better trophic discrimination than those of δ<sup>15</sup>N possibly due to confounding influences of agricultural inputs of nitrogen. Segregation among guilds was enhanced by portraying guilds in three-dimensional isotope (δ<sup>13</sup>C, δ<sup>15</sup>N, and δ<sup>2</sup>H) space. Values of δ<sup>13</sup>C and δ<sup>15</sup>N were higher for feathers of museum specimens than for live birds. We provide evidence that Darwin’s finches on Santa Cruz Island tend to be generalists with overlapping isotopic niches and suggest that dietary overlap may also be more considerable than previously thought.
ISSN:1424-2818