Journal
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Volume 108, Issue 5, Pages 1975-1980Publisher
NATL ACAD SCIENCES
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1012807108
Keywords
allochthony; terrestrial subsidy
Categories
Funding
- National Science Foundation
- Direct For Biological Sciences
- Division Of Environmental Biology [0917719] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Direct For Biological Sciences
- Division Of Environmental Biology [0917696] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Cross-ecosystem subsidies to food webs can alter metabolic balances in the receiving (subsidized) system and free the food web, or particular consumers, from the energetic constraints of local primary production. Although cross-ecosystem subsidies between terrestrial and aquatic systems have been well recognized for benthic organisms in streams, rivers, and the littoral zones of lakes, terrestrial subsidies to pelagic consumers are more difficult to demonstrate and remain controversial. Here, we adopt a unique approach by using stable isotopes of H, C, and N to estimate terrestrial support to zooplankton in two contrasting lakes. Zooplankton (Holopedium, Daphnia, and Leptodiaptomus) are comprised of approximate to 20-40% of organic material of terrestrial origin. These estimates are as high as, or higher than, prior measures obtained by experimentally manipulating the inorganic C-13 content of these lakes to augment the small, natural contrast in C-13 between terrestrial and algal photosynthesis. Our study gives credence to a growing literature, which we review here, suggesting that significant terrestrial support of pelagic crustaceans (zooplankton) is widespread.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available