scholarly journals Environmental factors influencing δ13C and δ15N in three Chesapeake Bay fishes

2013 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 689-702 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lori A. Davias ◽  
Matthew S. Kornis ◽  
Denise L. Breitburg
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Chesapeake Bay ◽  
Fundulus Heteroclitus ◽  
White Perch ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Trophic Relationships ◽  
Δ13c And Δ15n

Abstract Stable isotope analysis has become a common tool for mapping trophic relationships, describing foodweb changes, and assessing ecosystem health. Clear interpretation of stable isotopes is facilitated by understanding how environmental factors can affect isotopic values; in estuarine systems, these factors may include salinity, land use, and shoreline habitat. To evaluate these factors, fish were collected from shallow-water habitats next to hardened (bulkhead and riprap) and unhardened (beach and marsh) shorelines within five subestuaries of the Chesapeake Bay that differed in predominant land use and salinity. This study focused on three common mid-Atlantic fish species: mummichog, Fundulus heteroclitus, Atlantic silverside, Menidia menidia, and white perch, Morone americana. Multiple regression analyses pointed to standard length, salinity, % of watershed as developed or crop land, and shoreline habitat type as important predictors for δ15N in all three species and for δ13C in mummichog and white perch. Further analysis controlling for the effects of salinity, land use, and fish size demonstrated that δ13C and δ15N were lower in tissues of fish collected next to marsh compared with hardened or beach habitat. Habitat effects were strongest for mummichog. This study focused on overarching patterns driving stable isotope signatures in fish; however, it also indicated potentially important interactions between nearshore habitat type and land use or salinity that deserve further analysis. Results have implications for the scale of isotope inquiry and give justification for more detailed follow-up studies of foodweb structure along modified and natural shorelines.

Trophic relationships of the platypus: insights from stable isotope and cheek pouch dietary analyses

2016 ◽  
Vol 67 (8) ◽  
pp. 1196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Klamt ◽  
Jenny A. Davis ◽  
Ross M. Thompson ◽  
Richard Marchant ◽  
Tom R. Grant
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Trophic Relationships ◽  
Cheek Pouch ◽  
Insect Larvae ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Δ13c And Δ15n ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Wide Range

The unique Australian monotreme, the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) potentially exerts a strong top-down influence on riverine food webs in eastern Australia. However, despite considerable interest in the evolutionary history and physiology of the platypus, little is known of its trophic relationships. To address this lack of knowledge we used stable isotope analysis, in combination with the analysis of food items stored in cheek pouches, to determine its position in a typical riverine food web. This was the essential first step in the process of designing a larger study to investigate the relative importance of top-down and bottom-up effects in rivers where the platypus occurs. We found that platypuses were feeding on a wide range of benthic invertebrates, particularly insect larvae. The similarity of δ13C and δ15N values recorded for the platypus, a native fish (Galaxias sp.) and the exotic mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) indicated dietary overlap and potential competition for the same resources. Although cheek pouch studies identify most of the major groups of prey organisms, the potential for contribution of the soft-bodied organisms such as larval dipterans, is suggested by stable isotope analysis, indicating that the use of both techniques will be important in future ecological investigations.

THE AFFECT OF LAND USE CHANGE ON STABLE ISOTOPE (δ13C AND δ15N) VALUES IN CONNECTICUT WETLANDS DURING THE HOLOCENE

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caitlin T. McManimon ◽  
◽  
David P. Gillikin ◽  
William B. Ouimet ◽  
Michael T. Hren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Δ13c And Δ15n ◽  
The Holocene

Land‐use change erodes trophic redundancy in tropical forest streams: evidence from amino acid stable isotope analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenny W.J. Chua ◽  
Jia Huan Liew ◽  
Clare L. Wilkinson ◽  
Amirrudin B. Ahmad ◽  
Heok Hui Tan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Forest Streams ◽  
Acid Stable

Stable isotope analysis reveals partitioning in prey use by Kajikia audax (Istiophoridae), Thunnus albacares, Katsuwonus pelamis, and Auxis spp. (Scombridae) in the Eastern Tropical Pacific of Ecuador

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rigoberto Rosas-Luis ◽  
Nancy Cabanillas-Terán ◽  
Carmen A. Villegas-Sánchez
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Food Web ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Trophic Ecology ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Middle Level ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Thunnus Albacares ◽  
Katsuwonus Pelamis ◽  
Δ13c And Δ15n

Abstract Kajikia audax, Thunnus albacares, Katsuwonus pelamis, and Auxis spp. occupy high and middle-level trophic positions in the food web. They represent important sources for fisheries in Ecuador. Despite their ecological and economic importance, studies on pelagic species in Ecuador are scarce. This study uses stable isotope analysis to assess the trophic ecology of these species, and to determine the contribution of prey to the predator tissue. Isotope data was used to test the hypothesis that medium-sized pelagic fish species have higher δ15N values than those of the prey they consumed, and that there is no overlap between their δ13C and δ15N values. Results showed higher δ15N values for K. audax, followed by T. albacares, Auxis spp. and K. pelamis, which indicates that the highest position in this food web is occupied by K. audax. The stable isotope Bayesian ellipses demonstrated that on a long time-scale, these species do not compete for food sources. Moreover, δ15N values were different between species and they decreased with a decrease in predator size.

Trophic relationships in a tropical stream food web assessed by stable isotope analysis

2009 ◽  
Vol 54 (5) ◽  
pp. 1028-1041 ◽  
Author(s):  
SOPHIE COAT ◽  
DOMINIQUE MONTI ◽  
CLAUDE BOUCHON ◽  
GILLES LEPOINT
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Food Web ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Trophic Relationships ◽  
Tropical Stream

Trophic ecology of the blue shark (Prionace glauca) based on stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) and stomach content

2015 ◽  
Vol 96 (7) ◽  
pp. 1403-1410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Berenice Hernández-Aguilar ◽  
Ofelia Escobar-Sánchez ◽  
Felipe Galván-Magaña ◽  
Leonardo Andrés Abitia-Cárdenas
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stomach Content ◽  
Trophic Ecology ◽  
Baja California ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Baja California Sur ◽  
Δ13c And Δ15n ◽  
Prionace Glauca

Occupying the upper levels of trophic webs and thus regulating prey at lower levels, sharks play an important role in the trophic structure and energy dynamics of marine ecosystems. In recent years, the removal of these individuals from upper trophic levels as a result of overfishing has negatively affected ecosystems. We analysed the diet of blue sharks (Prionace glauca) caught off the west coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico, during the months of February–June in 2001, 2005 and 2006. We employed both stomach content and stable isotope analyses as each method provides distinct yet important information regarding the role of blue sharks in marine food webs, allowing us to estimate the relative contribution of different prey items to this predator's diet. Of the 368 stomachs analysed, 210 contained food (57%) and 158 (43%) were empty. Based on stomach contents and the index of relative importance (IRI), the pelagic red crab (Pleuroncodes planipes) was the most important prey, followed by the squids Gonatus californiensis (34.1%) and Ancistrocheirus lesueurii (10.4%). The mean (±SD) values for δ15N (16.48 ± 0.94‰) and δ13C (−18.48 ± 0.63‰) suggest that blue sharks prefer feeding in oceanic waters. The trophic level based on stomach content analysis was 4.05, while that based on the stable isotope analysis was 3.8, making blue sharks top consumers in the marine ecosystem of Baja California Sur, Mexico.

Differentiation of Pigment in Eggs Using Carbon (13C/12C) and Nitrogen (15N/14N) Stable Isotopes

2016 ◽  
Vol 99 (4) ◽  
pp. 1032-1037
Author(s):  
Feng M Sun ◽  
Guang Y Shi ◽  
Hui W Wang
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Stable Isotope Ratio ◽  
Strong Positive Correlation ◽  
Carbon Stable Isotope ◽  
Δ13c And Δ15n ◽  
Δ13c Values ◽  
Isotope Ratio Analysis ◽  
Stable Isotope Ratio Analysis ◽  
Yellow Pigments

Abstract Consumers prefer natural and healthy food, but artificial pigments are often abused in egg products. The study aimed at differentiating the origin of pigments in eggs by applying the technique of carbon (13C/12C) and nitrogen (15N/14N) stable isotope analysis. Five hundred sixty laying hens were randomly distributed into 14 treatments, which were divided into four groups: maize, carophyll red pigment, carophyll yellow pigment, and a mixture of carophyll red and yellow pigments. Eggs were collected and pretreated to determe the values of the Roche Yolk Color Fan (RCF), δ13C, and δ15N. With increasing maize content, the RCF and δ13C values of yolks increased. Moreover, the RCF values in the three pigment groups were significantly influenced by the artificial colors, but δ13C values were not significantly different, regardless of the existence of pigment. The δ15N values in all treatments did not vary as regularly as the carbon stable isotope. A strong positive correlation was found between RCF and δ13C in the maize group, but no such correlation was be observed in the pigment groups. It is concluded that carbon stable isotope ratio analysis (δ13C) of the yolk can be used to differentiate the origin of the pigment added to eggs.

Trophic Relationships among Six Species of Icelandic Seabirds as Determined through Stable Isotope Analysis

The Condor ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 101 (4) ◽  
pp. 898-903 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Thompson ◽  
Kristjan Lilliendahl ◽  
Jon Solmundsson ◽  
Robert W. Furness ◽  
Susan Waldron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Trophic Relationships

scholarly journals Preservation in 70% ethanol solution does not affect δ13C and δ15N values of reindeer blood samples – relevance for stable isotope studies of diet

Rangifer ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duncan J. Halley ◽  
Masao Minagawa ◽  
Mauri Nieminen ◽  
Eldar Gaare
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Efficient Method ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Ethanol Solution ◽  
Δ13c And Δ15n ◽  
Blood Samples ◽  
Isotope Studies ◽  
Whole Blood Samples ◽  
Chloroform Methanol

We compared duplicate samples of whole blood samples from 18 reindeer that were preserved either by immediate freezing or by immersion in 70 % ethanol. All samples were dried at 60 °C, powdered, treated with 1:1 chloroform: methanol, and dried again before isotope analysis. There were no differences in the values of δ13C and δ15N between the methods of preservation. Isotopic differences were absolutely small (δ13C = 0.1±0.10/00; δ15N=0.2±0.20/00), random in direction, and within the limits of analytical precision for the mass spectrometer. Preservation in ethanol thus appears to be an effective and efficient method for preserving blood samples for stable isotope analysis under field conditions. Abstract in Norwegian / Sammendrag:Konservering av blodprøver fra rein i 70% etanolløsning påvirker ikke verdiene av δ13C and δ15N–verdiene og er en fullgod metode for analyse av stabile isotoperVi sammenlignet to og to prøver av blodprøver fra 18 reinsdyr. Prøvene var enten konservert ved umiddelbar frysing eller ved bruk av 70% etanol. Alle prøver ble tørket ved 60 °C, pulverisert og behandlet med kloroform:metanol i forholdet 1:1. Til slutt ble de tørket på nytt før gjennomføring av isotopanalysen. Vi fant ingen forskjell i verdiene av δ13C and δ15N mellom de to konserveringsmetodene. I absolutte verdier var isotopforskjellene små (δ13C = 0.1±0.1 0/00; δ15N=0.2±0.2 0/00). Forskjellene var tilfeldige og innenfor grensene for massespektrometerets presisjon. Bruk av etanol framstår som en effektiv og fullgod metode til konservering av blodprøver for analyse av stabile isotoper under feltforhold.

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