In this study, Lily Zhao and colleagues use carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis to infer summer dietary differences of Svalbard reindeer found in different valleys. Through regression models, they were able to predict how reindeer dietary intake depend on climatic variables, with July temperature being the strongest predictor. Using stable isotope analysis, they found robust dietary differences between and within reindeer populations separated by less than 50 km in the proportions of non-mycorrhizal vascular plants and mosses. These localized differences in forage availability related to the onset of the growing season as shown through the onset of the growing season in each valley through time. Overall, this publication provides evidence that carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis can detect dietary shifts over short time periods and at fine spatial scales, which means that isotopic studies can help monitor herbivory in the changing Arctic.
Reference: Zhao, L.Z., Colman, A.S., Irvine, R.J. et al. (2019) Isotope ecology detects fine-scale variation in Svalbard reindeer diet: implications for monitoring herbivory in the changing Arctic. Polar Biology.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-019-02474-8
You can read the full article here.
Picture: Couple of Svalbard reindeer females and calf in April
(photo: Justin Irvine)