Inferring Diet from Isotope Analysis of Scat and Hair

doi:10.1017/9781316221815.015

11 - Inferring Diet from Isotope Analysis of Scat and Hair

from Part II - Results

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 July 2026

Erik A. Hobbie ,

William G. Batson and

Adrian D. Manning

Edited by

Adrian D. Manning

Show author details

Adrian D. Manning: Affiliation:
The Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

Book contents

Get access

Summary

The successful reintroduction of eastern bettongs relies on suitable food being available, particularly truffles (underground fungal fruitbodies). Here, we compared stable isotopes (carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N)) and radiocarbon (∆14C) in hair and scat in bettongs subsequently reintroduced to Mulligan Flat Woodland Sanctuary (MFWS) against marsupial species of different diets to test whether such measurements are useful for dietary assessments. Patterns in bettong scat δ13C reflected seasonal shifts in the consumption of photosynthate derived from C3 plants (dicots and temperate grasses) versus C4 plants (tropical grasses), whereas a winter peak in scat δ15N reflected maximum reliance on truffle consumption. In hair, eastern bettongs resembled preferential fungivores in δ13C and δ15N and differed from carnivores, grazers, herbivores and opportunistic fungivores. Radiocarbon levels were higher in fungivorous potoroos than in wallaby grazers, suggesting similar measurements in eastern bettongs could assess fungal importance in their diet. These isotopic measurements will be useful for assessing the diets of reintroduced bettongs and other fungivorous marsupials in new environments.

Keywords

Fungivory Mycophagy Stable isotope Radiocarbon (Δ¹⁴C)Seasonal diet Organic nitrogen Eastern bettong (Bettongia gaimardi)Marsupial diet ecology Long-term ecological monitoring Ecosystem restoration

Information

Type: Chapter
Information: Rebuilding an Ecosystem
Integrating Applied Research and Restoration
, pp. 217 - 233

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316221815.015 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2026

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Book purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Bateman, B. L., VanDerWal, J., and Johnson, C. N. (2012). Nice weather for bettongs: Using weather events, not climate means, in species distribution models. Ecography, 35:306–314.CrossRef Google Scholar

Batson, W. G., Gordon, I. J., Fletcher, D. B., and Manning, A. D. (2015). REVIEW: Translocation tactics: A framework to support the IUCN Guidelines for wildlife translocations and improve the quality of applied methods. Journal of Applied Ecology, 52:1598–1607.10.1111/1365-2664.12498CrossRef Google Scholar

Batson, W. G., Gordon, I. J., Fletcher, D. B., and Manning, A. D. (2016). The effect of pre-release captivity on post-release performance in reintroduced eastern bettongs Bettongia gaimardi. Oryx, 50(4):664–673. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605315000496.CrossRef Google Scholar

Bergmann, G. T., Craine, J. M., Robeson II, M. S., and Fierer, N. (2015). Seasonal shifts in diet and gut microbiota of the American bison (Bison bison). PloS One, 10(11):e0142409.10.1371/journal.pone.0142409CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Case, A. L., and Barrett, S. C. (2001). Ecological differentiation of combined and separate sexes of Wurmbea dioica (Colchicaceae) in sympatry. Ecology, 82:2601–2616.CrossRef Google Scholar

Claridge, A. W., and Trappe, J. M. (2005). Sporocarp mycophagy: Nutritional, behavioural, evolutionary and physiological aspects. In The Fungal Community–Its Organization and Role in the Ecosystem, eds. Dighton, J., White, J. F., and Oudemans, P. Boca Raton, FL: Taylor & Francis, pp. 599–611.Google Scholar

Craine, J. M., Elmore, A. J., Aidar, M. P. M., et al. (2009). Global patterns of foliar nitrogen isotopes and their relationships with climate, mycorrhizal fungi, foliar nutrient concentrations, and nitrogen availability. New Phytologist, 183(4):980–992.10.1111/j.1469-8137.2009.02917.xCrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Craine, J. M., Lee, W. G., Bond, W. J., Williams, R. J., and Johnson, L. C. (2005). Environmental constraints on a global relationship among leaf and root traits of grasses. Ecology, 86(1):12–19.10.1890/04-1075CrossRef Google Scholar

Flaherty, E. A., Ben-David, M., and Smith, W. P. (2010). Diet and food availability: Implications for foraging and dispersal of Prince of Wales northern flying squirrels across managed landscapes. Journal of Mammalogy, 91:79–91.10.1644/09-MAMM-A-014R.1CrossRef Google Scholar

Hobbie, E. A. (2017). Dietary protein content and tissue type control ¹³C discrimination in mammals: An analytical approach. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 31(7):639–648.CrossRef Google Scholar

Hobbie, E. A., Ouimette, A. P., Schuur, E. A. G., et al. (2013). Radiocarbon evidence for the mining of organic nitrogen from soil by mycorrhizal fungi. Biogeochemistry, 114:381–389.Google Scholar

Hobbie, E. A., Shamhart, J., Sheriff, M., et al. (2017). Stable isotopes and radiocarbon assess variable importance of plants and fungi in diets of arctic ground squirrels. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, 49(3):487–500.10.1657/AAAR0016-062CrossRef Google Scholar

Hua, Q., Barbetti, M., and Rakowski, A. Z. (2013). Atmospheric radiocarbon for the period 1950–2010. Radiocarbon, 55(4):2059–2072.10.2458/azu_js_rc.v55i2.16177CrossRef Google Scholar

Hwang, Y. T., Millar, J. S., and Longstaffe, F. J. (2007). Do δ₁₅N and δ₁₃C values of feces reflect the isotopic composition of diets in small mammals? Canadian Journal of Zoology-Revue Canadienne De Zoologie, 85:388–396.CrossRef Google Scholar

Johnson, C. N. (1994). Nutritional ecology of a mycophagous marsupial in relation to production of hypogeous fungi. Ecology, 75:2015–2021.CrossRef Google Scholar

Mayor, J. R., Schuur, E. A. G., and Henkel, T. W. (2009). Elucidating the nutritional dynamics of fungi using stable isotopes. Ecology Letters, 12:171–183.10.1111/j.1461-0248.2008.01265.xCrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Manning, A. D., Evans, M. J., Banks, S. C., et al. 2019. Transition to density dependence in a reintroduced ecosystem engineer. Biodiversity and Conservation, 28(14), pp.3803–3830.Google Scholar

McIlwee, A. P., and Johnson, C. N. (1998). The contribution of fungus to the diets of three mycophagous marsupials in Eucalyptus forests, revealed by stable isotope analysis. Functional Ecology, 12:223–231.10.1046/j.1365-2435.1998.00181.xCrossRef Google Scholar

McIntyre, S., Stol, J., Harvey, J., et al. (2010). Biomass and floristic patterns in the ground layer vegetation of box-gum grassy eucalypt woodland in Goorooyarroo and Mulligans Flat Nature Reserves, Australian Capital Territory. Cunninghamia, 11:319–357.Google Scholar

Munro, N. T., McIntyre, S., Macdonald, B., et al. (2019). Returning a lost process by reintroducing a locally extinct digging marsupial. PeerJ, 7:e6622.10.7717/peerj.6622CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Portas, T., Cunningham, R., Spratt, D., et al. (2016). Beyond morbidity and mortality in reintroduction programs: Changing health parameters in reintroduced eastern bettongs. Bettongia gaimardi. Oryx, 50:674–683.10.1017/S0030605315001283CrossRef Google Scholar

Sare, D. T. J., Millar, J. S., and Longstaffe, F. J. (2005). Tracing dietary protein in red-backed voles (Clethrionomys gapperi) using stable isotopes of nitrogen and carbon. Canadian Journal of Zoology-Revue Canadienne De Zoologie, 83:717–725.Google Scholar

Short, J. (1998). The diet of the brush-tailed rock-wallaby in New South Wales. Wildlife Research, 16:11–18.Google Scholar

Sponheimer, M., Robinson, T., Ayliffe, L., et al. (2003a). An experimental study of carbon-isotope fractionation between diet, hair, and feces of mammalian herbivores. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 81:871–876.10.1139/z03-066CrossRef Google Scholar

Sponheimer, M., Robinson, T., Ayliffe, L., et al. (2003b). Nitrogen isotopes in mammalian herbivores: Hair δ¹⁵N values from a controlled feeding study. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 13:80–87.10.1002/oa.655CrossRef Google Scholar

Stock, B. C., and Semmens, B. X. (2013). MixSIAR GUI User Manual. Version 1.0. https://github.com/brianstock/MixSIAR.Google Scholar

Sweeting, C., Polunin, N., and Jennings, S. (2006). Effects of chemical lipid extraction and arithmetic lipid correction on stable isotope ratios of fish tissues. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 20:595–601.10.1002/rcm.2347CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Taylor, R. J. (1992). Seasonal changes in the diet of the Tasmanian bettong (Bettongia gaimardi), a fungivorous marsupial. Journal of Mammalogy, 73:408–414.10.2307/1382076CrossRef Google Scholar

Tng, D. Y., Jordan, G. J., and Bowman, D. M. (2013). Plant traits demonstrate that temperate and tropical giant eucalypt forests are ecologically convergent with rainforest not savanna. PloS One, 8:e84378.10.1371/journal.pone.0084378CrossRef Google Scholar

Wallis, I. R. (1994). The rate of passage of digesta through the gastrointestinal tracts of potoroine marsupials: More evidence about the role of the potoroine foregut. Physiological Zoology, 67:771–795.CrossRef Google Scholar

Accessibility standard: WCAG 2.0 A

Why this information is here

This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.

Accessibility Information

The HTML of this chapter conforms to version 2.0 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), ensuring core accessibility principles are addressed and meets the basic (A) level of WCAG compliance, addressing essential accessibility barriers.

Content Navigation

Table of contents navigation
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.

Index navigation
Provides an interactive index, letting you go straight to where a term or subject appears in the text without manual searching.

Reading Order & Textual Equivalents

Single logical reading order
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.

Short alternative textual descriptions
You get concise descriptions (for images, charts, or media clips), ensuring you do not miss crucial information when visual or audio elements are not accessible.

Full alternative textual descriptions
You get more than just short alt text: you have comprehensive text equivalents, transcripts, captions, or audio descriptions for substantial non‐text content, which is especially helpful for complex visuals or multimedia.

Structural and Technical Features

ARIA roles provided
You gain clarity from ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles and attributes, as they help assistive technologies interpret how each part of the content functions.