Spatio-temporal patterns in stable isotope composition of a benthic intertidal food web reveal limited influence from salt marsh vegetation and green tide

Stomach content and stable isotope analyses provide complementary insights into the trophic ecology of coastal temperate bentho-demersal assemblages under environmental and anthropogenic pressures

“…which is in accordance with Sturbois et al (2022) who showed that the use of Ulva spp. by the benthic macrofauna was very limited within the neighbouring intertidal area ; and 2) The network of coastal rivers flowing in the bay is characterised by very small discharge compared to larger bays.…”

Seasonal stratification leads to changes within the benthic food web of the Gulf of Lions (northwestern Mediterranean)

“…April and September). For each of these taxa, the trophic seasonal trajectory (length and direction) was calculated as the Euclidean vector defined by the displacement of the taxon's position in the δ plane between the two sampling dates (Sturbois et al, 2022). Two-factor analyses of variance were performed to simultaneously assess the effect of sampling date and taxa or feeding group factors on δ 13 C and δ 15 N values.…”

Compound-specific stable isotope analysis of amino acid nitrogen reveals detrital support of microphytobenthos in the Dutch Wadden Sea benthic food web

“…For bulk stable isotope analysis of δ 13 C and δ 15 N values, 0.4-2 mg of freeze-dried, homogenized, and non-lipid extracted animal tissue was loaded into tin capsules. Because the presence of inorganic carbonates can greatly influence δ 13 C values (Androuin et al, 2019;Sturbois et al, 2022), samples were initially analyzed without acidification for δ 15 N and δ 13 C values and then re-analyzed after acidification for a δ 13 C value of the organic matter in tissue if (1) the animal has a shell, (2) if the animal is in contact with sediment, or (3) if C/N ratios were higher than eight. Acidification was performed through an initial addition of two drops of 2N hydrochloric acid, gentle shaking to mix, allowing time for bubbling to evolve (15 min), and then adding two more drops and gently shaking until the addition of acid does not cause bubbling.…”