Long-term changes in the Georges Bank food web: trends in stable isotopic compositions of fish scales

Wainright, Sam C.; Fogarty, Michael J.; Greenfield, Richard; Fry, Brian

doi:10.1007/bf00349847

Cited by 114 publications

(95 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…The reported isotopic shift is typically small (within 2%) and comparable with the isotopic shifts observed in ecosystem reconstruction using the isotopic signatures of archived sample material (Pruell et al 2003;Solomon et al 2008;Wainright et al 1993). Previous studies have shown that the effects of preservation on stable isotopes depend on organisms and preservatives and are often inconsistent and variable (Barrow et al 2008;Kelly et al 2006;Schmidt et al 2009;Syvaranta et al 2008Syvaranta et al , 2010.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 66%

Preservation effects on stable isotope ratios and consequences for the reconstruction of energetic pathways

Yang

Zhang

et al. 2011

Aquat Ecol

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Stable isotope analysis provides a powerful tool for describing the energetic pathways in a variety of ecosystems. However, isotope ratios of animal tissues can be altered by preservation methods, potentially leading to biased estimates of energy pathways when they are not taken into account. Here, we investigated the direct preservation effects of formalin, ethanol, NaCl, and drying on the d 13 C and d 15 N of fish muscle tissues, as well as the ultimate effects on the reconstruction of the energy pathways. All preservation methods, except drying, had significant impacts on d 13 C and d 15 N values. The effects of preservation appear to be highly taxa-specific and no significant time-dependent variations in nearly 2-year duration of preservation. d 13 C and d 15 N values were generally changed dramatically within the early stage of the preservation process and became stable over a relatively long-term preservation. Using an isotopic balance mixing model, the isotope-based food web reconstruction reveals that, without preservation correction, the importance of the pelagic energetic pathways for the fishes could be misestimated, except for the drying preservation. These results highlight that preservation can bias the interpretation of food web reconstruction results.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 66%

Preservation effects on stable isotope ratios and consequences for the reconstruction of energetic pathways

Yang

Zhang

et al. 2011

Aquat Ecol

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“…The organic constituents are essentially proteins such as collagen and keratin (ichtylepidin), and the inorganic constituents are essentially carbonates and apatite (Wainright et al 1993). The origin of the inorganic carbon is unknown, and it can have a ␦ 13 C value that differs from that of the organic constituents.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Estep and Vigg (1985) found that the ␦ 13 C values of muscle and scale were not closely correlated. Wainright et al (1993) used scale ␦ 13 C values to investigate the relationship between the changes in trophic structure and a series of environmental and population variables associated with the Georges Bank food web, but did not address how scale and muscle ␦ 13 C values were interrelated. In these two studies (Estep and Vigg 1985;Wainright et al 1993), either the fish scales were not decalcified at all, or the decalcification protocol was not reported, which may account for the apparent lack of any correlation between scale and muscle ␦ 13 C values.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Wainright et al (1993) used scale ␦ 13 C values to investigate the relationship between the changes in trophic structure and a series of environmental and population variables associated with the Georges Bank food web, but did not address how scale and muscle ␦ 13 C values were interrelated. In these two studies (Estep and Vigg 1985;Wainright et al 1993), either the fish scales were not decalcified at all, or the decalcification protocol was not reported, which may account for the apparent lack of any correlation between scale and muscle ␦ 13 C values. In a previous study, we demonstrated that the ␦ 13 C values of decalcified whitefish scale mirrored those of muscle tissue and diet, with a 13 C enrichment of 4‰ (SD ϭ 1.3) (Perga and Gerdeaux 2003).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Changes in whitefish scales δ¹³C during eutrophication and reoligotrophication of subalpine lakes

Gerdeau×¹,

Perga²

2006

Limnology & Oceanography

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We measured the isotope composition of whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) scales from 50-yr collections to determine the pattern of change of ␦ 13 C during the eutrophication and reoligotrophication of two subalpine lakes: Lakes Constance and Geneva. The isotope composition of scales from Lake Annecy, a subalpine lake that has been protected from eutrophication, was also determined, to provide a control value for modifications in the values of whitefish scale ␦ 13 C in the absence of any significant changes in the trophic status of the lake. In Lakes Constance and Geneva, changes in whitefish scales ␦ 13 C were closely correlated with those in the mean annual phosphorus concentrations and, to a lesser extent, also reflected the efficiency of winter mixing in Lake Geneva. In contrast, in Lake Annecy, whitefish ␦ 13 C exhibited only minor changes during the survey. Changes in whitefish scale ␦ 13C with the trophic status of Lakes Geneva and Constance were not linked to either a shift in whitefish feeding behavior or to alterations in the length of the pelagic trophic chain. Hence, the pattern of variation of whitefish ␦ 13 C during the last decades mirrored the lakes' trophic history. The responses of the Lakes Geneva and Constance to changes in P tot were strictly synchronous and parallel, with a response during restoration that may have been the result of the antagonism between the effects of the falling phosphorus concentration and increasing temperature.

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“…Historical records of food consumed over time are commonly studied using stable isotopes ratios (Michener & Kaufman, 2007) and it has become an important research tool to describe trophic relationships within freshwater (Johnson et al, 2004) and marine environments (Davenport & Bax, 2002). Data from stable isotope analysis provides a measure of the assimilated diet, in the long term (Thomas & Cahoon, 1993;Wainright et al, 1993;Post, 2002). The two most frequently studied natural isotopes are carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) and these isotopes are useful in the construction of food webs as animals are similar in isotopic composition to their diets (Kline et al, 1998;Monteiro et al, 1991;Post, 2002;Sholto-Douglas et al, 1991).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parasites, diet and stable isotopes of shorthorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus scorpius) from Frobisher bay, Canada

2009

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Summary :Shorthorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus scorpius) from Frobisher Bay, Baffin Island, is a slow growing long-lived species. A wide range of diet items were present in the stomachs of the shorthorn sculpins sampled but 2-3 diet items (amphipod species) comprised 99.5 % of total food consumed. These amphipods were present in the stomachs in similar proportions among all age classes of shorthorn sculpin. Several new host records for parasites were reported and mean numbers of parasite species increased with shorthorn sculpin age. The increased diversity of parasite species and higher δ 15 N values in older/larger individuals suggest that their diets were more diverse and the prey items consumed had higher δ 15 N values. By contrast, the value of δ 13 C in dominant diet items masked the δ 13 C values of minor diet items. We conclude that parasites and stable isotope values provide complementary data on feeding patterns of the shorthorn sculpin. The ubiquitous marine acanthocephalan, Echinorhynchus gadi, was found at high prevalences (87-100 %) and mean intensities (28-35), and were localized in the midgut. In contrast to other studies on acanthocephalans, E. gadi did not influence fish condition as measured by condition factor, liver somatic and gonado-somatic indices. Résumé : PARASITISME, RÉGIME ALIMENTAIRE ET ISOTOPES STABLES DU CHABOISSEAU À ÉPINES COURTES (MYOXOCEPHALUS SCORPIUS)

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Long-term changes in the Georges Bank food web: trends in stable isotopic compositions of fish scales

Cited by 114 publications

References 25 publications

Preservation effects on stable isotope ratios and consequences for the reconstruction of energetic pathways

Preservation effects on stable isotope ratios and consequences for the reconstruction of energetic pathways

Changes in whitefish scales δ¹³C during eutrophication and reoligotrophication of subalpine lakes

Parasites, diet and stable isotopes of shorthorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus scorpius) from Frobisher bay, Canada

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Long-term changes in the Georges Bank food web: trends in stable isotopic compositions of fish scales

Cited by 114 publications

References 25 publications

Preservation effects on stable isotope ratios and consequences for the reconstruction of energetic pathways

Preservation effects on stable isotope ratios and consequences for the reconstruction of energetic pathways

Changes in whitefish scales δ13C during eutrophication and reoligotrophication of subalpine lakes

Parasites, diet and stable isotopes of shorthorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus scorpius) from Frobisher bay, Canada

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Product

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Changes in whitefish scales δ¹³C during eutrophication and reoligotrophication of subalpine lakes