Abstract
We assessed the utility of stable isotope analysis as a tool for understanding community ecological structure in a species-rich clade of scincid lizards from one of the world's most diverse lizard communities. Using a phylogenetic comparative framework, we tested whether δ15N and δ13C isotopic composition from individual lizards was correlated with species-specific estimates of diet and habitat use. We find that species are highly divergent in isotopic composition with significant correlations to habitat use, but this relationship shows no phylogenetic signal. Isotopic composition corresponds to empirical observations of diet for some species but much variation remains unexplained. We demonstrate the importance of using a multianalytical approach to questions of long-term dietary preference, and suggest that the use of stable isotopes in combination with stomach content analysis and empirical data on habitat use can potentially reveal patterns in ecological traits at finer scales with important implications for community structuring.
Highlights
The trophic ecology of vertebrate communities is contingent on an array of both historical and contemporary interactions
Isotopic signatures demonstrate that sphenomorphine skinks of a diverse community from the western Australian arid zone are differentiated in a stable isotope space defined by δ13C and δ15N, implying that isotopic composition is tracking an underlying set of species-specific ecological attributes
This study demonstrates that stable isotope analysis is useful in revealing patterns of species separation in the hyperdiverse lizard communities of the western Australian arid zone
Summary
The trophic ecology of vertebrate communities is contingent on an array of both historical and contemporary interactions. By characterizing ecological traits among species and their relation to phylogenetic and trophic structure, researchers can reveal the processes that influence community composition in diverse species assemblages [1,2,3]. Detailed profiles of diet can be difficult to obtain and may only provide a “snapshot” view in time (Dalerum and Angerbjorn 2005; Inger et al 2006; Lugendo et al 2006; Cherel et al 2007). For studying trophic interactions in vertebrate communities, stable isotope analysis can potentially provide integrated measures of resource use through time, without requiring intensive sampling over broad temporal and spatial scales [4,5]. PLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0172879 February 28, 2017
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