Data from: The effects of lipid extraction on δ13C and δ15N values and use of lipid-correction models across tissues, taxa, and trophic groups

Lipid-rich animal tissues have low δ13C values, which can lead to inaccurate ecological inferences. Chemical lipid extraction (LE) or correction models account for this depletion, but the need for LE or correction is tissue- and species-specific. Also, LE can alter δ15N values, increasing labor and costs because bulk samples must be analyzed for δ15N values separately. We studied the effects of LE on δ13C and δ15N values in liver, muscle, and skin of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus), two ecologically important species that occupy different trophic levels. We fit lipid-correction models to each species. We also performed a meta-analysis to more broadly determine the effects of LE across taxa, tissues, and trophic groups (carnivores, omnivores, and herbivores) and to fit lipid-correction models to different taxonomic and trophic groups. Lipid extraction increased the δ13C values in dolphin tissues but had little effect on manate...