Title: Stable isotope ratios in winter-grown feathers of Great Reed Warblers Acrocephalus arundinaceus, Clamorous Reed Warblers A. stentoreus and their hybrids in a sympatric breeding population in Kazakhstan
Abstract: IbisVolume 153, Issue 3 p. 502-508 Stable isotope ratios in winter-grown feathers of Great Reed Warblers Acrocephalus arundinaceus, Clamorous Reed Warblers A. stentoreus and their hybrids in a sympatric breeding population in Kazakhstan ELIZABETH YOHANNES, Corresponding Author ELIZABETH YOHANNES Stable Isotope Laboratory, Limnological Institute, University of Constance, D-78464 Constance, Germany Corresponding author.Email: [email protected] for more papers by this authorRAYMOND W. LEE, RAYMOND W. LEE School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-4236, USASearch for more papers by this authorMARC C. JOCHIMSEN, MARC C. JOCHIMSEN Stable Isotope Laboratory, Limnological Institute, University of Constance, D-78464 Constance, GermanySearch for more papers by this authorBENGT HANSSON, BENGT HANSSON Department of Biology, Lund University, SE-223 62 Lund, SwedenSearch for more papers by this author ELIZABETH YOHANNES, Corresponding Author ELIZABETH YOHANNES Stable Isotope Laboratory, Limnological Institute, University of Constance, D-78464 Constance, Germany Corresponding author.Email: [email protected] for more papers by this authorRAYMOND W. LEE, RAYMOND W. LEE School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-4236, USASearch for more papers by this authorMARC C. JOCHIMSEN, MARC C. JOCHIMSEN Stable Isotope Laboratory, Limnological Institute, University of Constance, D-78464 Constance, GermanySearch for more papers by this authorBENGT HANSSON, BENGT HANSSON Department of Biology, Lund University, SE-223 62 Lund, SwedenSearch for more papers by this author First published: 14 June 2011 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-919X.2011.01139.xCitations: 9Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Abstract Analyses of the stable isotope composition of feathers can provide significant insight into the spatial structure of bird migration. We collected feathers from Great Reed Warblers Acrocephalus arundinaceus, Clamorous Reed Warblers A. stentoreus and a small sample of their hybrids in a sympatric breeding population in Kazakhstan to assess natural variation in stable isotope signatures and delineate wintering sites. The Great Reed Warbler is a long-distance migrant that overwinters in sub-Saharan Africa, whereas the Clamorous Reed Warbler performs a short-distance migration to the Indian sub-continent. Carbon (δ13C), nitrogen (δ15N) and deuterium (δD) isotope signatures were obtained from winter-grown feathers of adult birds. There were highly significant differences in δD and less significant differences in δ13C between Great and Clamorous Reed Warblers. Thus, our results show that the stable isotope technique, and in particular the deuterium (δD) signal, resolves continental variation in winter distribution between these closely related Acrocephalus species with sympatric natal origin. The isotope signatures of hybrid Great × Clamorous Reed Warblers clustered with those of the Great Reed Warblers. Hence, a parsimonious suggestion is that the hybrids undergo moult in Afrotropical wintering grounds, as do the Great Reed Warblers. The observed δD values fell within the range of expected values based on available precipitation data collected at precipitation stations across the wintering continents of each species. However, the power to predict the winter origin of birds in our study system using these data was weak as the expected values ranged widely at this broad continental scale. Citing Literature Volume153, Issue3July 2011Pages 502-508 RelatedInformation