DOI RECORD
Macronutrient niche feeding assays for predatory beetles v1
Abstract
Nutrients are the fundamental currency of trophic interactions and are therefore a crucial determinant of animal fitness and ecosystem functioning. Understanding the nutritional state of an animal under natural conditions is therefore vital for determining whether a given environment is able to sustain that animal long-term. This can identify pathways of compromised fitness in animal populations and, indirectly, potential management interventions to improve wild animal nutrition. It can also elucidate drivers of decline and wider impacts of perturbations. This protocol employs the 'double-test' procedure for determining the realised (pre-acclimation) and fundamental (post-acclimation) nutritional niches of beetles taken from the field. By determining disparities between realised and fundamental nutritional niches, this protocol can identify likely nutrient limitation in wild populations of beetles. The protocol uses standard laboratory equipment and is easily adaptable to other taxonomic groups.