Phytoplankton and macrophyte contributions to littoral food webs in the Galician upwelling estimated from stable isotopes

Bode, Antonio; Alvarez-Ossorio, M. T.; Varela, Manuel

doi:10.3354/meps318089

Cited by 98 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 49 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This situation contrasts with that of the northwestern coast of Galicia (northern part of the same Canary upwelling system), where benthic consumers inhabiting the coastline are mostly fuelled by the phytoplankton originating from the upwelling (Figueiras et al, 2002;Bode et al, 2006). Because the present study was performed in the spring following the maximum intensity upwelling event for the year, the marine part of PNBA is likely to be isolated from the upwelling inputs during the rest of the year.…”

Section: A C C E P T E D Accepted Manuscriptcontrasting

confidence: 42%

Trophic connectivity between offshore upwelling and the inshore food web of Banc d'Arguin (Mauritania): New insights from isotopic analysis

Carlier

Chauvaud

Geest

et al. 2015

Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

M A N U S C R I P T A C C E P T E D ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT2 ABSTRACT Banc d'Arguin (BA), Mauritania, is a nationally protected shallow gulf > 10,000 km 2 between the Sahara desert and the upwelling system off the Mauritanian coast. In the southeast, BA consists of a 500 km 2 tidal flat, the most important wintering site for shorebirds using the East Atlantic Flyway. The Mauritanian upwelling-driven phytoplankton production supports the most productive fisheries worldwide, but little is known about its trophic role in the functioning of the inshore BA food web. Using stable isotopes as trophic tracers to distinguish between upwelling-driven phytoplankton, open ocean phytoplankton, and benthic primary producers, we assessed the spatial extent to which the inshore BA food web is fuelled by upwelling-driven phytoplankton production. The δ 13 C and δ 15 N signals were characterized in dominant primary producers, benthic invertebrate taxa, and various fish species along an offshore-inshore (northwest-southeast) gradient. We also monitored the spatial and temporal extent of upwelling entering BA during 2008 with remote sensing of sea surface temperature and chlorophyll a data. The results suggest that benthic invertebrates and fishes living in the northwestern part of BA depend on the nearby upwelling phytoplankton production, but this food source does not support the intertidal benthic community in southeast BA. Furthermore, the isotopic signatures of fishes suggest weak trophic connectivity between the northern subtidal and southeastern intertidal BA. Our results support the hypothesis that the southeastern tidal flat region functions as a distinct ecosystem with a food web supported mainly by local benthic primary production, which is crucial knowledge for effective management of the pristine BA national park.

show abstract

Section: A C C E P T E D Accepted Manuscriptcontrasting

confidence: 42%

Trophic connectivity between offshore upwelling and the inshore food web of Banc d'Arguin (Mauritania): New insights from isotopic analysis

Carlier

Chauvaud

Geest

et al. 2015

Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The variation between spring and summer may be due in part to natural variation in δ 15 N values of potential food sources and subsequent mussel growth, such as phytoplankton (Xu et al 2007a) and suspended particulate organic matter (Correll et al 2001). The spatial variation in δ 15 N signatures generally reflect variation in the amount of human pollutions discharged into aquatic ecosystems at various locations and elevated δ 15 N signatures in aquatic biota are known to correlate with increased exposure to human septic or sewage waste (Costanzo et al 2001(Costanzo et al , 2003Cole et al 2004;Bode et al 2006;Steffy and Kilham 2004;Kaushal et al 2006). Thus, it is likely that mussels with high δ 15 N signatures collected in Meiliang Bay were exposed to more human pollutions than those with low δ 15 N signatures in Gonghu Bay, and this spatial distribution of δ 15 N values, together with the nutrient concentrations, might also suggest that Meiliang Bay received more human waste than Gonghu Bay in Lake Taihu.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mussel isotope signature as indicator of nutrient pollution in a freshwater eutrophic lake: species, spatial, and seasonal variability

Wen

Xie

2009

Environ Monit Assess

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Stable nitrogen isotope ratios of five mussel species from littoral and pelagic areas were investigated with different trophic states in the eutrophic Lake Taihu, the third largest lake in China. Interpopulation variability for these mussels was relatively small in foot tissues because of the slow turnover time. Seasonal and spatial variations among the δ 15 N values of mussels might be due in part to the natural variation in δ 15 N values of potential food sources and the variation in the amount of human pollutions discharged into various locations of the lake. Although the increase of mussel δ 15 N values was accompanied by the increase of nutrient concentrations in most situations in this study, statistically significant correlations were only 22% of the total correlations in this survey, which might be attributed to the

show abstract

“…Sample manipulation and analytical procedures followed those described by Bode et al (2006). Briefly, samples were defrosted and dried (50°C, 24 h) before grinding, and encapsulated for analysis.…”

Section: Stable Isotopesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, terrestrial and marine sources can be traced in marine systems through the analysis of the stable isotope composition of organic matter as a mixture of 2 or more end-members of distinctive isotopic signature (e.g. Peterson & Fry 1987, McClelland & Valiela 1998, Bode et al 2006, Castro et al 2007, Silva et al 2011. Moreover, the isotopic composition of organisms reflects their nutrient inputs integrated at the time scales proportional to the renewal time of the organ considered.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Continental and marine sources of organic matter and nitrogen for rías of northern Galicia (Spain)

Bode¹,

Varela²,

Prego³

2011

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sources of organic matter and nitrogen to the rías of Ortigueira, O Barqueiro and Viveiro (Galicia, N Spain) were traced using stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes. Samples of water, seston, benthic organisms and sediments were collected in summer 2007 and 2008. Instantaneous sources were inferred from the concentrations and isotopic composition of seston, while averaged sources over longer time scales (months) were inferred from stable isotopes in macrophytes (Ascophyllum nodosum and Fucus vesiculosus) and mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis). Dissolved nitrate, nitrite and ammonium concentrations in surface water were low in the estuarine zone and generally increased towards the river and the open sea in all rías. Nitrite and ammonium values were generally low, suggesting low importance of in situ nitrification and denitrification processes. The concentrations of ammonium, chlorophyll, and heavy nitrogen isotopes in seston were higher only in the main river of Viveiro, suggesting local pollution. Isotopic signatures and high nitrogen concentrations in seston discharged from the wastewater treatment plants indicated incomplete removal of nitrogen. However, taking into account water discharge fluxes and the isotopic composition of all compartments analysed, all rías shared similar biogeochemical and trophic diversity and showed a low impact of anthropogenic sources at both short and long time scales. Dominance of marine waters, low river flow, and small urban population sizes in the watershed all contribute to the maintenance of the relatively pristine status of northern Galician rías.

show abstract

Phytoplankton and macrophyte contributions to littoral food webs in the Galician upwelling estimated from stable isotopes

Cited by 98 publications

References 49 publications

Trophic connectivity between offshore upwelling and the inshore food web of Banc d'Arguin (Mauritania): New insights from isotopic analysis

Trophic connectivity between offshore upwelling and the inshore food web of Banc d'Arguin (Mauritania): New insights from isotopic analysis

Mussel isotope signature as indicator of nutrient pollution in a freshwater eutrophic lake: species, spatial, and seasonal variability

Continental and marine sources of organic matter and nitrogen for rías of northern Galicia (Spain)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About