BGS Hosted Metadata
Stable Isotope Analysis of Historical Whale Bone Collagen from the South Atlantic
This dataset provides stable isotope values (delta13C, delta15N) of 174 bone collagen samples collected in the western South Atlantic. Collagen was extracted from bone samples for six whale species as follows: Antarctic blue whale (n = 20), fin whale (n = 64), humpback whale (n = 46), sei whale (n = 40), southern right whale (n = 1), and sperm whale (n = 3). Bone samples were collected from ex-whaling sites across three locations in the western South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and the South Orkneys. This samples were used to estimate niche partitioning and diet specialism of whale species in the western South Atlantic.
Funding:
NE/L002507/1 (a NERC-Cambridge ESS Doctoral Training Partnership studentship from the Natural Environment Research Council awarded to Danielle L. Buss) and the Ecosystems component of the British Antarctic Survey Polar Science for Planet Earth Programme, funded by NERC.
Simple
- Date (Creation)
- 2025-05-06
- Date (Revision)
- 2025-05-06
- Date (Publication)
- 2025-05-06
- Date (released)
- 2025-05-06
- Edition
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1.0
- Unique resource identifier
- https://doi.org/10.5285/b0830de0-46e9-49c7-aa73-68c8f662d659
- Codespace
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doi
- Unique resource identifier
- GB/NERC/BAS/PDC/02057
- Codespace
- Unique resource identifier
- NE/L002507/1
- Codespace
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award
- Other citation details
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Please cite this item as: Buss, D.L., O'Connell, T.C., Evans, S., Kneale, C., Osborn, J., Atmore, L.M, Sremba, A.L., Baker, C.S., Dunn, M.J., Goodall-Copestake, W.P., Martin, A., Kitchener, A.C., Stowasser, G., Weir, C.R., & Jackson, J.A. (2025). Stable Isotope Analysis of Historical Whale Bone Collagen from the South Atlantic (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/b0830de0-46e9-49c7-aa73-68c8f662d659
- Credit
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No credit.
- Status
- Completed
- Point of contact
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Organisation name Individual name Electronic mail address Role British Antarctic Survey Buss, Danielle L. Author University of Cambridge O'Connell, Tamsin C. Author MSDS Marine
Evans, Sally Author University of Cambridge Kneale, Catherine
Author University of Cambridge Osborn, Joanna
Author University of Cambridge Atmore, Lane M. Author Oregon State University Sremba, Angela L. Author National Museums Scotland Baker, C. Scott Author British Antarctic Survey Dunn, Michael J. Author British Antarctic Survey Goodall-Copestake, William P. Author University of Dundee Martin, Antony
Author National Museums Scotland Kitchener, Andrew C. Author British Antarctic Survey Stowasser, Gabriele Author Falklands Conservation Weir, Caroline R. Author British Antarctic Survey Jackson, Jennifer A. Author NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre Point of contact
- Maintenance and update frequency
- As needed
- Maintenance note
- Completed
- Theme
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South Atlantic
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diet specialism
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historical ecology
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niche partitioning
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stable isotope
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whale
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- Place
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The Falkland Islands/ Islas Malvinas Falkland Islands
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South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Southern Ocean
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The South Orkneys Southern Ocean
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GEMET - INSPIRE themes, version 1.0
- Access constraints
- Other restrictions
- Other constraints
- no limitations to public access
- Access constraints
- Other restrictions
- Other constraints
- no limitations
- Use constraints
- License
- Other constraints
- Open Government Licence v3.0
- Use constraints
- Other restrictions
- Other constraints
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Data supplied under Open Government Licence v3.0
- Use constraints
- Other restrictions
- Other constraints
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None.
- Unique resource identifier
- url
- Codespace
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url
- Association Type
- Cross reference
- Unique resource identifier
- doi
- Codespace
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doi
- Association Type
- Cross reference
- Unique resource identifier
- doi
- Codespace
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doi
- Association Type
- Cross reference
- Unique resource identifier
- doi
- Codespace
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doi
- Association Type
- Cross reference
- Unique resource identifier
- doi
- Codespace
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doi
- Association Type
- Cross reference
- Spatial representation type
- Text, table
- Language
- English
- Character set
- UTF8
- Topic category
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- Biota
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- Supplemental Information
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It is recommended that careful attention be paid to the contents of any data, and that the author be contacted with any questions regarding appropriate use. If you find any errors or omissions, please report them to polardatacentre@bas.ac.uk.
- Title
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European Petroleum Survey Group (EPSG) Geodetic Parameter Registry
- Date (Publication)
- 2008-11-12
- Cited responsible party
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Organisation name Individual name Electronic mail address Role European Petroleum Survey Group
Publisher
- Unique resource identifier
- urn:ogc:def:crs:EPSG::3031
- Version
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6.18.3
Distributor
- Distributor contact
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Organisation name Individual name Electronic mail address Role NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre Distributor
- Distributor format
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Name Version text/csv
- Units of distribution
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bytes
- Transfer size
- 27648
- OnLine resource
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Protocol Linkage Name WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link
http://ramadda.data.bas.ac.uk/repository/entry/show?entryid=b0830de0-46e9-49c7-aa73-68c8f662d659 Get Data
- Hierarchy level
- Dataset
- Statement
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Methodology:
Collagen was extracted from bones (resembling large whale bones, n=178) collected in the western South Atlantic (WSA) from beaches located near ex-whaling grounds. These regions are associated with areas of high numbers of whaling catches during the 20th-century and are regions known to be whale feeding grounds (Fig. 1, the Falkland Islands, FLK (n=58), South Georgia, SG (n=89), and the South Orkney Islands, SO (n=31)). Using genetic sequencing and peptide-fingerprinting, bones were taxonomically identified as Antarctic blue whale (n = 20), fin whale (n = 64), humpback whale (n = 46), sei whale (n = 40), southern right whale (n = 1), sperm whale (n = 3), and non-whale (n = 4). Taxonomic identifications of whale bones are detailed in Buss, D. 2022 (Buss et al., 2021).
Bone collagen extracts were weighed in triplicate for stable isotope analysis (mean +/- SD, delta13C/delta15N: 0.8mg
+/- 0.1). Carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios are expressed as delta values (delta13C and delta15N) relative to international standards (VPDB and AIR, respectively).
Due to the long tissue incorporation rates and turnover times of bone collagen, these samples will reflects the average diet of a whale over many years (> 10 years). Therefore, although the bone samples were collected at three sites in the western South Atlantic, the bone collagen will also reflect feeding elsewhere (for those individuals that also feed when not on the known feeding grounds).
Data collection:
Carbon and nitrogen isotopic values were measured at the Godwin Laboratory, University of Cambridge, using a Costech Elemental Analyser coupled in continuous flow mode to a Thermo Delta V Plus continuous-flow stable isotope mass spectrometer (EA-IRMS).
Data quality:
Measurement precision (delta13C: 0.1per-mille; delta15N: 0.2per-mille) was determined using the internationally approved standard (IAEA-600) and in-house standards (nylon, alanine, protein 2).
Sample quality was determined using atomic carbon:nitrogen ratios between 3.0. Triplicate repeats that passed quality control checks were averaged prior to publication.
Temporal coverage is estimated at early 20th century.
Metadata
- File identifier
- b0830de0-46e9-49c7-aa73-68c8f662d659 XML
- Metadata language
- English
- Character set
- UTF8
- Hierarchy level
- Dataset
- Hierarchy level name
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dataset
- Date stamp
- 2025-05-06
- Metadata standard name
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ISO 19115 Geographic Information - Metadata
- Metadata standard version
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ISO 19115:2003(E)
- Metadata author
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Organisation name Individual name Electronic mail address Role NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre Point of contact
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