Application of stable isotope analysis for detecting filial cannibalism.

A novel type of filial cannibalism has been reported in pipefishes, in which the eggs are absorbed through the male's brood-pouch epithelium. The present study explored the applicability of stable isotope analysis for the detection of paternal brood cannibalism in the seaweed pipefish Syngnathus schlegeli. As expected, the δN values for liver, which conveys short-term dietary information about the recent reproductive season, were higher in males than in females.