Effects of terrestrial input on macrobenthic food webs of coastal sea are detected by stable isotope analysis in Gaeta Gulf

Stable isotope-based statistical tools as ecological indicator of pollution sources in Mediterranean transitional water ecosystems

“…This represented a very different starting point with respect to other isotope-based pollution studies carried out in marine coastal environments, where spatial dependency and pollutant dilution effects have been often detected on larger spatial scales (Costanzo et al, 2001(Costanzo et al, , 2005Jones et al, 2001;Orlandi et al, 2014;Careddu et al, 2015). In the same way, in our study, physicochemical and biological factors potentially affecting the isotopic signatures of both nitrogen inputs and algal tissue can plausibly be assumed to act on small spatial scales, producing intra-and inter-lake variations in the observed algal isotopic values.…”

Predator and detritivore niche width helps to explain biocomplexity of experimental detritus-based food webs in four aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems

“…Food webs reflect a key aspect of this ecological complexity, making it possible to investigate ecosystems starting from the description of species interactions and identity. However, the spatial patchiness of local conditions is a recurrent ecosystem feature that has strong influence on local patterns of species interactions Careddu et al, 2015;Jana and Bairagi, 2014) and contributes to overall biocomplexity even in apparently uniform habitats, with important consequences for the interpretation of food web patterns at the habitat scale (Thompson and Townsend, 2005). In our comparative study, observations were based on 42 patch-scale litter-associated macroinvertebrate webs in four different habitats, thoroughly reconstructed using common sampling and data treatment protocols in accordance with an experimental approach.…”

Epilithon δ15N signatures indicate the origins of nitrogen loading and its seasonal dynamics in a volcanic Lake

“…Isotope analysis is widely employed in trophic ecology, microbial ecology and nutrient cycling studies (Calizza et al, 2013a,b;Careddu et al, 2015;Costantini et al, 2014;di Lascio et al, 2013;Mancinelli et al, 2013;Rossi et al, 2007). In addition, the nitrogen isotopic signature, δ 15 N, has been successfully used to monitor coastal marine habitats by determining the type of nitrogen input (Orlandi et al, 2014).…”