SIA-BRA: A database of animal stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of Brazil

Abstract

Motivation: SIA-BRA is a data set that compiles stable carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) isotope ratios of terrestrial and aquatic animals sampled in Brazilian biomes and coastal marine areas. Stable isotope ratios are helpful in animal ecology for several reasons; for instance, they can be used to investigate trophic niches, energy sources (diet tracing) and to track migration patterns. The Neotropics are considered one of the most undersampled regions of the world. Given that Brazil is a continental country where most of the dietary ecology of animal species is under-assessed, we believe that the SIA-BRA can provide important complementary information to address this gap in the literature. Additionally, the SIA-BRA data set allows future investigations to address many questions concerning diet tracing, habitat use, food webs, foraging ecology, physiological aspects and effects of phylogeny on dietary ecology. Main type of variable investigated: Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios for terrestrial and aquatic animals. Spatial location and grain: The SIA-BRA included animal tissues sampled in 964 sites in the main Brazilian biomes and coastal marine areas. Time period: The data represent information published and/or sampled from 1984 to 2021. Major taxa studied and measurement level: The SIA-BRA contains isotopic data of c. 21,804 non-captive wildlife specimens, excluding livestock production or laboratory experiments. They were 13,881 vertebrates and 7,923 invertebrates. They were divided into the following habitats: terrestrial (30% of the total), freshwater (27%), oceanic (40%) and estuarine (4%). There were 11 phyla, with a clear dominance of Chordata (64%) and Arthropoda (29%), 36 classes, 154 orders, 473 families, 894 genera and 1,157 species. Software format: Data are supplied as a comma-delimited text file (.csv).