Abstract
Hooves preserve the isotopic information laid down during their growth and may be used for reconstruction of animal feeding history. To assign certain positions along hooves to corresponding times, growth rates are required. Hoof growth rates are known for domestic animals; however, they cannot be obtained easily in wild animals. We estimated the hoof growth rate of the European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) by using the immediate drop in δ13C along the hoof as a tag that is assigned to the date of maize (Zea mays L.) harvest. Keratin samples were taken each mm along 17 hooves and analyzed for their δ13C. A linear regression between (1) time differences of expected maize harvest to animal death and (2) distances between the points of the δ13C drop to the periople yielded the growth rate. Mean hoof growth rate was 0.122 mm/day (95% CI 0.014 mm/day) and 0.365%/day (±0.026%/day) of the hoof length and within the range of domestic animals. The method may be applied to determine growth rates of other incrementally growing tissues. Our estimated growth rate fosters dating isotopic information in hooves, facilitating research on feed resources and space use of roe deer.
Highlights
Stable isotope analysis has become a major tool in the analysis of plant growth and vegetation change [1,2,3]
The hooves had a mean δ15 N of 7.3‰ (SD 2.0‰), indicating that the animals predominantly fed on agricultural ground
With increasing mean δ13 C of a hoof, SD increased, indicating that those animals that consumed more maize had a more pronounced seasonal variation. This result was corroborated by δ15 N, as hooves showing high mean δ15 N values had a high SD in δ13 C (Figure S1A,B in the supplementary information)
Summary
Stable isotope analysis has become a major tool in the analysis of plant growth and vegetation change [1,2,3]. Tissue of herbaceous species as found in the understory of forests is continuously replaced and does only provide a short temporal record. Animals feeding from herbaceous material record the isotopic information of their feed in their tissues [5,6]. They provide long-term records of short-lived vegetation. Grazing or browsing integrates over the feeding grounds, removing small-scale heterogeneities between individual plants or plant organs [7]. Such heterogeneities can especially be expected for herbaceous species or young trees occupying niches. Stored animal tissues like wool products or hunting trophies provide long-term time series [8] but may be used to resolve within growing periods [9]
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