What's in a whisker? Disentangling ecological and physiological isotopic signals

Abstract

Fasting affected both δ¹³ C and δ¹⁵ N values and the ability to exclude these values from ecological investigations is crucial given the temporal overlap with tissue growth. The rapid decline in isotope ratios upon departure can be used to isolate portions of the whisker with a strong physiological signal, even for whiskers with unknown growth histories. The active growth across the foraging trip combined with the ability to identify differences in foraging behavior validates the utility of this approach for addressing ecological questions.