Hi all, Just to let you know of a new article reporting on the development of a validated stable isotope screening technique to detect inter-individual variation in adult female Australian sea lion foraging behavior across three spatially close, asynchronously breeding colonies. Abstract below, the full article can be found in Marine Mammal Science Early View (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/doi/10.1111/j.1...). Any queries should be directed to andrew.lowther@adelaide.edu.au - enjoy ! 'Detecting alternate foraging ecotypes in Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) colonies using stable isotope analysis' ANDREW D LOWTHER, S.D GOLDSWORTHY Article first published online: 26 OCT 2010 DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-7692.2010.00425.x Stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopes are used frequently to describe the trophic ecology of top marine mammal predators. Australian sea lions (Neophoca cinerea) are one of the world's rarest otariid seals and exhibit the highest levels of natal site philopatry of any seal. We report the development of a screening technique to identify different foraging ecotypes and assess their relative frequencies in Australian sea lion breeding colonies using stable isotope ratios in pups. Geospatial and dive data from 15 adult females at three breeding colonies revealed alternate foraging strategies (inshore and offshore foraging) that were reflected in significant changes in δ13C and δ15N. Isotope fractionation from mother to pup was validated using paired whisker and blood serum samples with no significant difference between δ13C and δ15N enrichment of +1.27‰ (whiskers) and +1.92‰ (blood serum) from mothers to pups.Isotope ratios from whisker samples representing over 50% of pups born at three colonies revealed significant intercolony differences in maternal foraging ecotype frequencies. These results are unique in that ecological partitioning over such a small spatial scale has not been described in any other otariid species. Andrew Lowther PhD Candidate Earth and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science The University of Adelaide North Terrace Andrew.Lowther@Adelaide.edu.au CRICOS Provider Number 00123M ----------------------------------------------------------- IMPORTANT: This message may contain confidential or legally privileged information. If you think it was sent to you by mistake, please delete all copies and advise the sender. For the purposes of the SPAM Act 2003, this email is authorised by The University of Adelaide. Think green: read on the screen.