STABLE ISOTOPE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SEA LIONS (ZALOPHUS) FROM THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA AND GALAPAGOS ISLANDS

Spatial or temporal isotopic variation, or both, in primary producers must be controlled for when investigating the foraging and trophic ecology of top consumers using isotopic data. Populations of the sister species Zalophus californianus and Z. wollebaeki are separated by approximately 3,350 kin in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, which prevents contact and mixing between the 2 populations. To explore differences in trophic ecology between these species, as well as the impact of differences in baseline food-web isotope values between the 2 regions, we compared conventional dietary data derived from analyses of scat contents to isotopic values of hair collected from pups at 13 rookeries in the Gulf of California (Z. californianus) and 11 rookeries on the Galapagos Islands (Z. wollebaeki). Mean +/- 1 SD delta C-13 and delta N-15 values were 15.9 parts per thousand +/- 0.5 parts per thousand and 21.8 +/- 0.7 parts per thousand in the Gulf of California, whereas for the Galapagos they were -14.5 parts per thousand +/- 0.5 parts per thousand and 13.1 parts per thousand +/- 0.5 parts per thousand. Examination of scat data suggested overlap in 6 of the 10 most common prey consumed by sea lions. Trophic level (TL) derived from scat analysis was positively related with delta N-15 values for the Gulf of California rookeries, but estimates of TL for each region were similar (4.4 for Galapagos and 4.1 for Gulf of California), suggesting that foraging behavior makes a limited contribution to the large difference in delta N-15 value between the 2 populations. Particulate organic matter delta N-15 values near the Galapagos Islands are similar to 5.3 parts per thousand lower than values in the Gulf of California, suggesting that the baseline food-web values account for approximately two-thirds of the observed difference in pup hair delta N-15 values. This study may provide clues to better understand isotopic values of marine top predators migrating across the eastern Pacific Ocean.