Southern Ocean procellariform blood and feather stable isotope data
Bodey, T.W., Ward, E.J., Phillips, R.A., McGill, R.A.R., Bearhop, S. (2013). Southern Ocean procellariform blood and feather stable isotope data. NERC Environmental Information Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/d2c301d4-8a77-4571-9667-01168356a2d3
This dataset comprises the delta-13C and delta-15N stable isotopic information from two tissue samples (whole blood and mantle feathers) from 16 adults of 8 species of Southern Ocean procellariform collected at Bird Island, South Georgia during the austral summer 2001-2002. There have been numerous long-term research projects carried out at Bird Island under the auspices of the British Antarctic Survey, and this data represents one very small component that has been used to examine inter-specific competition in both the breeding and non-breeding periods.
Blood samples were centrifuged within 1-3 h to separate cells and plasma, then kept frozen at -20degreesC until freeze-dried and homogenised for analysis. Lipids were not extracted from blood cells as this is considered unnecessary. Feather samples were dried, stored in sealed plastic bags, then later ground to a fine powder in a freezer mill operating at liquid N temperature prior to analysis. C and N isotope ratios were measured by continuous-flow isotope ratio mass spectrometry, using a Carlo Erba (model NA 1500) elemental analyzer (EA) linked to a Finnigan Tracer Mat and a Costech (model ECS 4010) EA combined with a Thermo Finnigan Delta Plus XP. Three internal laboratory standards were analysed for every ten unknown samples, and measurement precision of both Delta15N and Delta13C was estimated to be less than or equal to 0.2 parts per thousand. Internal standards are routinely (once a month) calibrated against International Atomic Energy Agency and National Institute of Standards and Technology stable isotope reference materials.
copyright UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
NERC Environmental Information Data Centre
Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre