Stable isotopes are well documented as effective intrinsic markers to infer migratory connectivity which provides key information for establishing an effective conservation strategy in migratory birds. However, there are few studies using stable isotopes that have been applied to long-distance migratory shorebirds globally and such studies are especially scarce along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway. We used stable isotope analysis (δ2H, δ13C and δ15N) to infer breeding and wintering areas and examine the differences in those values among populations of Terek Sandpipers (Xenus cinereus) at stopover sites in South Korea. The range of δ2H in feathers sampled from birds caught in the Korean peninsula at spring and autumn migration stopover sites was consistent with them being grown at sites throughout their flyway as confirmed by leg flag resightings of birds on this flyway. The eastern Siberia region from Yakutsk to Norilsk and Chukotka in Russia was inferred as the most probable breeding area of the population. Papua New Guinea in the Melanesia region, Malaysia and Indonesia were identified as the most probable wintering areas. Isotope values of populations at different stopover sites and different seasons were consistent. These results suggest that stable isotopes can be effectively used alongside other existing methods (e.g. ringing, coloured leg flags, light level geolocation, satellite tag telemetry) to infer the migratory connectivity for long-distance migratory shorebird species that occur over many countries and continents.

中文翻译：

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使用稳定同位素（δ2H、δ13C 和 δ15N）推断 Terek Sandpipers（Xenus cinereus）在东亚-澳大利亚迁徙路线中途停留地点的迁徙连通性

稳定同位素被充分证明是推断候鸟连通性的有效内在标记，为在候鸟中建立有效的保护策略提供了关键信息。然而，在全球范围内使用稳定同位素应用于长距离迁徙滨鸟的研究很少，而且这种研究在东亚 - 澳大利亚迁徙路线上尤其少见。我们使用稳定同位素分析（δ2H、δ13C 和 δ15N）来推断繁殖和越冬区域，并检查韩国中途停留地点的 Terek Sandpipers (Xenus cinereus) 种群之间这些值的差异。从在朝鲜半岛捕获的春季和秋季迁徙中途停留地点的鸟类中采集的羽毛中 δ2H 的范围与它们在整个飞行路线上的地点生长一致，这一点通过在这条飞行路线上重新观察鸟类的腿旗证实了这一点。从雅库茨克到诺里尔斯克和俄罗斯楚科奇的东西伯利亚地区被推断为最有可能繁殖的地区。美拉尼西亚地区的巴布亚新几内亚、马来西亚和印度尼西亚被确定为最有可能越冬的地区。不同中途停留地和不同季节种群的同位素值是一致的。这些结果表明，稳定同位素可以与其他现有方法（例如振铃、彩色腿旗、光级地理定位、