Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes reveal the food diet of Tibetan antelope Pantholops hodgsonii (Abel 1826) in Kekexili Nature Reserve (China)

The stable isotope technique has been widely used to infer the dietary ecology of a range of animal species. The δ¹³C technique provides a valuable tool for researchers when designing pastures for dual environmental and production purposes. Tibetan antelope, Pantholops hodgsoni (chiru), is endemic species to the high-altitude Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of western China – Kekexili Nature Reserve area. The aim of this study was to identify the food diet of Tibetan antelope among plants with C₃ and C₄ photosynthetic pathways. Faeces and plant samples were collected at the Kekexili Nature Reserve (KNR, 34°19’ ~ 36°16’N, 89°25’ ~94°05’E) in Qinghai Province, China. Stable isotope values of carbon and nitrogen of faeces and plant samples were measured under EAMS (element-analysis meter and spectrometer) conditions. Enrichment and food content ratio were calculated according to previous research methods to determine the relative importance of plant sources in the food diet of Tibetan antelopes. The results indicate that faecal samples provided the most convenient and uninjurious sources to predict the food diet and that C₃ plants were selected as the food by chiru. Dualisotope multiple-source mixing model suggested that the food content of antelope is including Gramineae, Cyperaceae, Compositae, Leguminosae, and Cruciferae. An understanding of what chiru selects allows for development of appropriate grazing and protecting strategies, especially in fragile ecosystem. According to our knowledge, this is the first essay to reveal the food diet of chiru with stable isotope analysis method.