Trophic structure in a seabird host-parasite food web: insights from stable isotope analyses

Abstract

Ecological studies on food webs rarely include parasites, partly due to the complexity and dimensionality of host-parasite interaction networks. Multiple co-occurring parasites can show different feeding strategies and thus lead to complex and cryptic trophic relationships, which are often difficult to disentangle by traditional methods. We analyzed stable isotope ratios of C ((13)C/(12)C, delta(13)C) and N ((15)N/(14)N, delta(15)N) of host and ectoparasite tissues to investigate trophic structure in 4 co-occurring ectoparasites: three lice and one flea species, on two closely related and spatially segregated seabird hosts (Calonectris shearwaters). delta(13)C isotopic signatures confirmed feathers as the main food resource for the three lice species and blood for the flea species. All ectoparasite species showed a significant enrichment in delta(15)N relatively to the host tissue consumed (discrimination factors ranged from 2 to 5 per thousand depending on the species). Isotopic differences were consistent across multiple host-ectoparasite locations, despite of some geographic variability in baseline isotopic levels. Our findings illustrate the influence of both ectoparasite and host trophic ecology in the isotopic structuring of the Calonectris ectoparasite community. This study highlights the potential of stable isotope analyses in disentangling the nature and complexity of trophic relationships in symbiotic systems.

Figure 1. Isotopic composition of host and ectoparasite tissues across the study area.

Geographic variation in mean δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C (± Standard Error) values of host tissue and ectoparasite species from 12 Atlantic (A) and Mediterranean (B) Calonectris breeding colonies.

Figure 2. Isotopic enrichment in Calonectris ectoparasites.

Mean Δ¹⁵N and Δ¹³C discrimination factors among ectoparasite tissues and host tissues (mean colony values ± Standard Error).