The Stable Nitrogen Isotope Ratio as a Marker of Food-Web Interactions and Fish Migration

Hansson, Sture; Hobbie, John E.; Elmgren, Ragnar; Larsson, Ulf; Fry, Brian; Johansson, Sofia

doi:10.2307/2265961

Cited by 87 publications

(124 citation statements)

References 32 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

114

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Typically, energy is transferred from suspended particulate matter to zooplankton to omnivores in aquatic ecosystems. Consistent with other studies (Hansson et al, 1997;Yang et al, 2012), the Δδ 15 N value was 2.65‰ between suspended particulate matter and zooplankton and 2.66‰ between zooplankton and omnivores, indicating that enrichment of δ 15 N was relatively stable compared with δ 13 C. Average δ 13 C and δ 15 N values for the eight macrophytes in this system were -26.30‰±0.45‰ and 5.64‰±0.37‰, respectively. The δ 13 C and δ 15 N values for the macrophytes and suspended particulate matter were lower than other organisms, the reason was that primary use of the 12 C of phytoplankton and macrophytes during photosynthesis leads to low δ 13 C values in phytoplankton (Leggett et al, 1999).…”

Section: Stable Isotopes In the Rice-crab Systemsupporting

confidence: 90%

Food web structure and trophic levels in polyculture rice-crab fields

Guo

Zhao

Wen-kuan

et al. 2014

Chin. J. Ocean. Limnol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes were used to investigate nutrient pathways and trophic relationships from the rice-crab system in Panjin, Liaoning Province, China. Values of δ 13 C ranged from -27.38‰±0.44‰ to -18.34‰±0.26‰ and δ 15 N ranged from 1.10‰±0.88‰ to 9.33‰±0.57‰. Pseudorasbora parva (Stone moroko) had the highest δ 13 C and δ 15 N values. The lowest δ 13 C values were obtained for the macrophytes and the lowest δ 15 N value was found in sediments. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes were used to determine the contribution of different food items to the diets of crabs. The δ 13 C results indicated that the Pseudorasbora parva made the greatest contribution to the diet of Eriocheir sinensis (Chinese mitten crab), while the δ 15 N results indicated that most food items contributed more than 10% to the diet of the crab. There were three trophic levels identifi ed in the system (Levels 0-2). The crab Eriocheir sinensis , fi sh Pseudorasbora parva and Misgurnus anguillicaudatus (Oriental weatherfi sh), and the oligochaete Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri (Limnodrilus worm), were at the second level, zooplankton were at the fi rst level and suspended particulate matter and macrophytes were at trophic position 0.

show abstract

Section: Stable Isotopes In the Rice-crab Systemsupporting

confidence: 90%

Food web structure and trophic levels in polyculture rice-crab fields

Guo

Zhao

Wen-kuan

et al. 2014

Chin. J. Ocean. Limnol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Laffaille et al (2001) identified the mysid Neomysis integer as a significant part to the diet of 0-group D. labrax in Mont Saint Michel Bay, France. Mysids are a common estuarine inhabitant, and also have a trophicallyenriched d 15 N ratio compared to zooplankton (Hansson et al 1997;Hampel et al 2003). The use of sulphur stable isotopes (d 34 S) in future studies would provide increased detail for food web and spatial variation studies of salt marsh communities, with the ability to distinguish d 34 Senriched phytoplankton sources from d 34 S-depleted C 4 plants, with C 3 plants as intermediates (Peterson and Fry 1987).…”

Section: Fish Isotope Signatures and The Salt Marsh Food Webmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This may result in separate fish sub-populations along an estuary, with low connectivity within and between different salt marshes and estuaries along the coastline. Previous studies along the coastlines of Sweden, California and Portugal have identified that nekton has a strong relation to the area it occupies at a relatively small spatial scale (Hansson et al 1997;Kwak and Zedler 1997;Vinagre et al 2011). Our study supports this, and the demonstrates the suitability of stable isotopes in tracing organism feeding and fidelity across habitat patches distinguished by differential d 15 N ratios (Herzka et al 2002;Durbec et al 2010).…”

Section: Fidelity Of Fish Sub-populations To Individual Salt Marshesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…d 13 C ratios in primary consumers reflect their diet, but change little with increased trophic level, whilst the d 15 N ratio increases with trophic level by 1.4-3.3% from prey to predator through accumulation (Peterson and Fry 1987;McCutchan et al 2003). However, d 15 N ratios can be shifted by local conditions, and thus can provide a local signature (Hansson et al 1997;Leakey et al 2008;Vinagre et al 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

High site fidelity and low site connectivity in temperate salt marsh fish populations: a stable isotope approach

et al. 2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Adult and juvenile fish utilise salt marshes for food and shelter at high tide, moving into adjacent sublittoral regions during low tide. Understanding whether there are high levels of site fidelity for different species of coastal fish has important implications for habitat conservation and the design of marine protected areas. We hypothesised that common salt marsh fish species would demonstrate a high site fidelity, resulting in minimal inter-marsh connectivity. Carbon ((13)C) and nitrogen ((15)N) stable isotope ratios of larvae and juveniles of five common salt marsh fish (Atherina presbyter, Chelon labrosus, Clupea harengus, Dicentrarchus labrax, Pomatoschistus microps), seven types of primary producer and seven secondary consumer food sources were sampled in five salt marshes within two estuary complexes along the coast of south-east England. Significant differences in (13)C and (15)N signatures between salt marshes indicated distinct sub-populations utilising the area of estuary around each salt marsh, and limited connectivity, even within the same estuary complex. (15)N ratios were responsible for the majority of inter-marsh differences for each species and showed similar site-specific patterns in ratios in primary producers, secondary consumers and fish. Fish diets (derived from isotope mixing models) varied between species but were mostly consistent between marsh sites, indicating that dietary shifts were not the source of variability of the inter-marsh isotopic signatures within species. These results demonstrate that for some common coastal fish species, high levels of site fidelity result in individual salt marshes operating as discrete habitats for fish assemblages.

show abstract

“…Field studies generally ®nd a carbon enrichment of 0±1& (Peterson and Fry 1987) or 1±2& (e.g., Keough et al 1996) and a d 15 N enrichment of 3±5& for each increase in trophic level because of selective excretion of lighter isotopes (reviewed in Peterson and Fry 1987). Recent studies, however, have shown that 15 N enrichment can be as little as 2±3& (Hansson et al 1997).…”

Section: Chemical Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Isotopic analysis of three food web theories in constricted and floodplain regions of a large river

et al. 1998

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Analyses of stable isotope (δC and δN) and C:N ratios of food webs within a floodplain and a constricted-channel region of the Ohio River during October 1993 and July 1994 indicate that the increasingly influential flood pulse concept (FPC) does not, for either location, adequately address food web structure for this very large river. Furthermore, results of this study suggest that the riverine productivity model (RPM) is more appropriate than the widely known river continuum concept (RCC) for the constricted region of this river. These␣conclusions are based on stable isotope analyses of potential sources of organic matter (riparian C trees, riparian C grasses and agricultural crops, submerged macrophytes, benthic filamentous algae, benthic particulate organic matter, and transported organic matter containing detritus and phytoplankton) and various functional feeding groups of invertebrate and fish consumers. The FPC, which stresses the key contribution of organic matter, particularly terrestrial organic matter, originating from the floodplain to riverine food webs, was judged inappropriate for the floodplain region of the Ohio River for hydrodynamic and biotic reasons. The rising limb and peak period of discharge typically occur in November through March when temperatures are low (generally much less than 10°C) and greater than bank-full conditions are relatively unpredictable and short-lived. The major food potentially available to riverine organisms migrating into the floodplain would be decaying vegetation because autotrophic production is temperature and light limited and terrestrial insect production is minimal at that time. It is clear from our data that terrestrial C plants contribute little, if anything, to the consumer food web (based on δC values), and δN values for C plants, coarse benthic organic matter, and fine benthic organic matter were too depleted (∼7-12‰ lower than most invertebrate consumer values) for this organic matter to be supporting the food web. The RPM, which emphasizes the primary role of autotrophic production in large rivers, is the most viable of the remaining two ecosystem models for the constricted-channel region of the Ohio based on stable isotope linkage between sources and consumers of organic matter in the food web. The most important form of food web organic matter is apparently transported (suspended) fine (FTOM) and ultra-fine particulate organic matter. We propose that phytoplankton and detritus of an autochthonous origin in the seston would represent a more usable energy source for benthic (bivalve molluscs, hydropsychid caddisflies) and planktonic (microcrustaceans) suspension feeders than the more refractory allochthonous materials derived from upstream processing of terrestrial organic matter. Benthic grazers depend heavily on nonfilamentous benthic algae (based on gut analysis from a separate study), but filamentous benthic algae have no apparent connection to invertebrate consumers (based on δC values). Amphipod and crayfish show a strong relationship to aquatic ma...

show abstract

The Stable Nitrogen Isotope Ratio as a Marker of Food-Web Interactions and Fish Migration

Cited by 87 publications

References 32 publications

Food web structure and trophic levels in polyculture rice-crab fields

Food web structure and trophic levels in polyculture rice-crab fields

High site fidelity and low site connectivity in temperate salt marsh fish populations: a stable isotope approach

Isotopic analysis of three food web theories in constricted and floodplain regions of a large river

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About