Isotopic Signature (~(15)N/~(14)N and ~(13)C/~(12)C) Confirms Similarity of Trophic Niches of Millipedes (Myriapoda, Diplopoda) in a Temperate Deciduous Forest

摘要

The species composition, abundance, and isotopic signature of millipedes (Myriapoda, Diplopoda) were investigated in seven biotopes of KaluzhskJe Zaseki State Nature Reserve. Nine Diplopoda species were found in total, and the local species diversity (within a sampling plot) reached seven species. The Diplopoda tissues were similar to the plant litter in the isotopic composition of nitrogen (δ~(15)N was by 0.4‰ higher, on average), but were strongly enriched in heavy carbon (δ~(13)C was by 0.4 ‰ higher, on average). Removal of mineral carbon from the cuticle reduced S13C of Diplopoda by about 1.4 ‰ on average. Differences in the δ~(15)N and δ~(13)C values between the species did not exceed 2.5%o. Differences in the isotopic compositions of the considered species were small, and, it is impossible to distinguish particular trophic guilds in the Diplopoda community. Analysis of the published data confirmed that isotopic differentiation of millipedes was much less pronounced than in other investigated groups of soil animals. Hence, millipedes of the deciduous forest form a uniform trophic group.