Influence of reproduction on stable isotope ratios: nitrogen and carbon isotope discrimination between mothers, foetuses, and milk in the fin whale, a capital breeder

Abstract

In mammals, the influence of gestation and lactation on the tissue stable-isotope ratios of females, fetuses, and milk remains poorly understood. Here we investigate the incidence of these events on δ13C and δ15N values in fin whales sampled off northwestern Spain between 1983 and 1985. The effect of gestation on tissue stable-isotope ratios was examined in the muscle of pregnant females (n = 13) and their fetuses (n = 10) and that of lactation in the muscle of nursing females (n = 21) and their milk (n = 25). Results suggest that fetuses are enriched compared to their mothers in both 15N (Δ15N = 1.5 ) and 13C (Δ13C =1.1 ), while, compared to muscle, milk is enriched in 15N (Δ15N = 0.3 ) but depleted in 13C (Δ13C = −0.62 ). This pattern is consistent with that previously observed for other species that, like the fin whale, rely on endogenous energy during reproduction, and it substantiates a general difference in the physiological processing of nitrogen and carbon balances between income and capital breeders. These findings are relevant to the understanding of the energetic balance of mammals during gestation and lactation and are central when inferences on trophic ecology are drawn from isotopic values of reproductive females.