期刊
HYDROBIOLOGIA
卷 651, 期 1, 页码 239-251出版社
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s10750-010-0303-y
关键词
Stable isotopes; Mixing models; Autochthonous; Allochthonous; Trophic pathways
资金
- Australian Rivers Institute for bursaries
Stream food web function is often assessed using carbon stable isotope assessments of the relative contribution of autochthonous and allochthonous sources of organic matter to consumer diets. As a result, variability in source signatures can strongly influence the assessment of carbon flows. To examine the implications of temporal source variability on food web interpretations, benthic algal delta C-13 signatures were measured over 8 weeks in five streams in subtropical Queensland, Australia. All food webs were largely driven by benthic algal carbon; however, substantial week-to-week variation in benthic algal delta C-13 signatures modified the calculated contributions of algae to consumer diets, with differences in autochthonous contributions of up to 11% between weeks. In addition, variable algal signatures led to many occasions in which the delta C-13 signatures of some consumers was beyond the range of available sources, meaning the mixing model analyses did not have a valid solution. Together, these findings suggest that temporal variability in algal delta C-13 signatures can strongly influence the interpretation of carbon flows in stream food webs. Future food web studies should assess the temporal variability of sources prior to sampling consumers, in order to characterise end member signatures and their relevance to consumers at the time of collection.
作者
我是这篇论文的作者
点击您的名字以认领此论文并将其添加到您的个人资料中。
推荐
暂无数据