Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1986 Jun;69(3):395-406.
doi: 10.1007/BF00377062.

The isotopic ecology of East African mammals

Stanley H Ambrose  1 , Michael J DeNiro  1
Affiliations

The isotopic ecology of East African mammals

Stanley H Ambrose et al. Oecologia. 1986 Jun.

Abstract

The stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of bone collagen have been used to trace diet and habitat selection of the larger mammals of East Africa. 238 individuals of 43 species from montane forests and grasslands in Kenya and Tanzania have been analyzed. The results show that carbon isotopes discriminate between (1) grazers and browsers in savanna grasslands, (2) forest floor and savanna grassland herbivores and (3) forest floor and forest canopy species. Nitrogen isotopes discriminate between (4) carnivores and herbivores, (5) forest and savanna grassland herbivores, and (6) water-dependent and drought-tolerant herbivores. This technique provides a quantitative approach to assessing long-term habitat and diet selection and the role of resource partitioning in animal community structure.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Oecologia. 1983 Aug;59(1):1-6 - PubMed
    1. Oecologia. 1979 Jan;37(3):337-350 - PubMed
    1. Oecologia. 1979 Jan;37(3):351-359 - PubMed
    1. Oecologia. 1983 Mar;57(1-2):32-37 - PubMed
    1. Oecologia. 1980 Jan;45(3):377-378 - PubMed