Use of Blood-soaked Cellulose Filter Paper for Measuring Carbon and Nitrogen Stable Isotopes.

ABSTRACT

We explored the use of filter paper soaked in whole blood for measuring carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stable isotopes, often used in feeding ecology or diet studies, to better understand drivers of exposure to contaminants. Our results showed no statistically or biologically relevant differences in C and N stable isotope measures between our gold standard (whole blood with anticoagulant) and eluates from processed, blood-soaked filter paper. Our data supported the effectiveness of using filter paper for assessing C and N stable isotopes in blood to address feeding ecology and other uses. The ease of sampling and processing should allow blood-soaked filter paper to be used in sampling of live (e.g., captured, stranded) and lethally taken (e.g., hunter-killed) wild vertebrates.