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Spatiotemporal variations in habitat utilization patterns of four Delphinidae species in the western North Pacific, inferred from carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios

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Abstract

Stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) in skin biopsy samples of four species in the Delphinidae family collected in 1993–2015 in the western North Pacific were investigated. Within the four species—common bottlenose, pantropical spotted, striped, and short-beaked common dolphins—δ13C and δ15N were highest in common bottlenose dolphins, and lowest in short-beaked common dolphins. Standard ellipse areas describing the likely range of the δ13C and δ15N, estimated using Bayesian inferences, indicated wider isotopic niche width in common bottlenose and pantropical spotted dolphins. Although spatial distribution patterns have been known to be similar among striped and short-beaked common dolphins, isotopic niche of the two species less overlapped. The stable isotope ratios were then analyzed in relation to space (longitude and latitude) and time (season) using generalized linear mixed models. The δ13C and δ15N values tended to be higher in lower longitudes for all four species, while δ15N tended to be lower in lower latitudes for common bottlenose and pantropical spotted dolphins, but lowest in higher latitudes for striped dolphins. These variations are considered to relate to north–south and coastal–offshore variations in nitrogen and carbon sources and nitrogen fixation in Kuroshio waters. This theory was further supported by analyzing stable isotope ratios in relation to distance to coast and sea surface temperature. Seasonal variations in δ13C and δ15N values were recognized for pantropical spotted and striped dolphins.

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Acknowledgements

The authors sincerely thank H. Murase and S. Yonezaki for useful comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript. The collection of skin biopsy samples was supported by the International Fisheries Resources Survey Promotion Program from the Fisheries Agency of Japan. The study was financially supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 15H01610. This manuscript benefitted from the comments of anonymous reviewers. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Research was conducted in accordance with “Guidelines for the Treatment of Marine Mammals in Field Research” by the Society for Marine Mammalogy.

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  1. National Research Institute of Far Seas Fisheries, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, 2-12-4 Fukuura, Kanazawa, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 236-8648, Japan

    Yu Kanaji, Hideyoshi Yoshida & Makoto Okazaki

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  1. Yu Kanaji
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  2. Hideyoshi Yoshida
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  3. Makoto Okazaki
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Correspondence to Yu Kanaji.

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Kanaji, Y., Yoshida, H. & Okazaki, M. Spatiotemporal variations in habitat utilization patterns of four Delphinidae species in the western North Pacific, inferred from carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios. Mar Biol 164, 65 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-017-3107-z

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