Revisiting the use of δ15N in meso-scale studies of marine food webs by considering spatio-temporal variations in stable isotopic signatures – The case of an open ecosystem: The Bay of Biscay (North-East Atlantic)

Chouvelon, Tiphaine; Spitz, Jérôme; Caurant, Florence; Meli, Paula; Chappuis, Alexis; Laugier, Flora; Goff, Elven Le; Bustamante, Paco

doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2012.01.004

Cited by 99 publications

(105 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…13 C and d 15 N signatures of coastal and pelagic prey species were concordant with SI values found for the two ecotypes [54]. Prey species have not been analysed for sulfur isotopes.…”

Section: Discussion (A) Ecologically Driven Demographic History Of Bosupporting

confidence: 70%

Ecological opportunities and specializations shaped genetic divergence in a highly mobile marine top predator

et al. 2014

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Environmental conditions can shape genetic and morphological divergence. Release of new habitats during historical environmental changes was a major driver of evolutionary diversification. Here, forces shaping population structure and ecotype differentiation ('pelagic' and 'coastal') of bottlenose dolphins in the North-east Atlantic were investigated using complementary evolutionary and ecological approaches. Inference of population demographic history using approximate Bayesian computation indicated that coastal populations were likely founded by the Atlantic pelagic population after the Last Glacial Maxima probably as a result of newly available coastal ecological niches. Pelagic dolphins from the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea likely diverged during a period of high productivity in the Mediterranean Sea. Genetic differentiation between coastal and pelagic ecotypes may be maintained by niche specializations, as indicated by stable isotope and stomach content analyses, and social behaviour. The two ecotypes were only weakly morphologically segregated in contrast to other parts of the World Ocean. This may be linked to weak contrasts between coastal and pelagic habitats and/or a relatively recent divergence. We suggest that ecological opportunity to specialize is a major driver of genetic and morphological divergence. Combining genetic, ecological and morphological approaches is essential to understanding the population structure of mobile and cryptic species.

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“…13 C and d 15 N signatures of coastal and pelagic prey species were concordant with SI values found for the two ecotypes [54]. Prey species have not been analysed for sulfur isotopes.…”

Section: Discussion (A) Ecologically Driven Demographic History Of Bosupporting

confidence: 70%

Ecological opportunities and specializations shaped genetic divergence in a highly mobile marine top predator

et al. 2014

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“…Increasing knowledge of SI dynamics in the environment and biological systems has allowed the application of this tool in several fields of ecology. δ 13 C is used in food web studies to identify different sources of organic matter (Fry & Sherr 1984, Peterson & Fry 1987, benthic vs. pelagic producers and consumers, and nearshore vs. offshore feeding areas (France 1995, Sherwood & Rose 2005, Chouvelon et al 2012a. Because animals are usually 3−4 ‰ enriched in heavy nitrogen ( 15 N) relative to their diets (Minagawa & Wada 1984, Peterson & Fry 1987), this isotope is useful for identifying the trophic positions of organisms and for tracing contaminants in food webs (Rolff et al 1993, Atwell et al 1998, Campbell et al 2005.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biomagnification of mercury through the food web of the Santos continental shelf, subtropical Brazil

Muto¹,

Soares²,

Sarkis³

et al. 2014

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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This study was conducted on the continental shelf surrounding a large metropolitan region on the coast of São Paulo State, Southeast Brazil. This region harbours a large industrial plant and the largest port in Latin America, both of which release pollutants into the Santos−São Vicente estuarine system. High levels of Hg have been reported in sediments and fish from the estuaries and Santos Bay; however, data for the biota in offshore waters are scarce, and the biomagnification of Hg across the food web here has never been assessed. In this study, the trophic structure of the Santos shelf was addressed through the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope compositions of different species across a trophic gradient. We determined the total Hg levels (THg, dry weight) of invertebrates and fish to estimate the rate of biomagnification of this metal in the benthic and pelagic food webs. The lowest mean THg levels were found in zooplankton (0.006 µg g ). Overall, the Hg concentration in fish was below the recommended limit for human consumption. The THg and δ 15 N were positively correlated in both food webs; however, the rate of biomagnification was higher and the basal Hg was lower in the pelagic food web. These differences may be related to the differing bioavailability of mercury in water and sediment, the higher diversity of prey and more complex feeding interactions in the benthic food web, and metabolic differences among different taxa.

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“…Nitrogen stable isotopes (d 15 N) can identify trophic position since there is a relatively predictable increase from prey to predator (3Á5; Newsome et al 2010), although variation in this enrichment can be significant (Vander Zanden & Rasmussen 2001). Nitrogen stable isotopes can also provide a spatial indication of feeding, such as inshore vs. offshore, because physical/biological processes such as upwelling or phytoplankton blooms can alter nitrogen isotope composition inshore (Chouvelon et al 2012). Similarly, carbon stable isotopes ( fractionate at different rates during carbon fixation and deposition of organic materials enriches benthic carbon signals (France 1995;Vander Zanden & Rasmussen 1999).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Foraging ecology of ringed seals (Pusa hispida), beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) and narwhals (Monodon monoceros) in the Canadian High Arctic determined by stomach content and stable isotope analysis

2015

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Revisiting the use of δ15N in meso-scale studies of marine food webs by considering spatio-temporal variations in stable isotopic signatures – The case of an open ecosystem: The Bay of Biscay (North-East Atlantic)

Cited by 99 publications

References 76 publications

Ecological opportunities and specializations shaped genetic divergence in a highly mobile marine top predator

Ecological opportunities and specializations shaped genetic divergence in a highly mobile marine top predator

Biomagnification of mercury through the food web of the Santos continental shelf, subtropical Brazil

Foraging ecology of ringed seals (Pusa hispida), beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) and narwhals (Monodon monoceros) in the Canadian High Arctic determined by stomach content and stable isotope analysis

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