Stable nitrogen isotopes as indicators of anthropogenic activities in small freshwater systems

Lake, James L.; McKinney, Richard A.; Osterman, Frank A.; Pruell, Richard J.; Kiddon, John; Ryba, Stephan A.; Libby, Alan D.

doi:10.1139/cjfas-58-5-870

Cited by 72 publications

(83 citation statements)

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“…The d 15 N signature of consumer taxa positively covaries with total N-loading from anthropogenic sources (Cabana and Rasmussen 1994;Lake et al 2001). It is likely that much of the unexplained variance in the invertebrate time series data arises from the role of point (e.g., municipal or industrial outfalls) and non-point (e.g., agricultural runoff, land use changes) sources that modulate local nutrient concentrations in eutrophic ecosystems.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variability and directionality of temporal changes in δ13C and δ15N of aquatic invertebrate primary consumers

et al. 2011

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Seasonal oscillations in the carbon (δ(13)C) and nitrogen (δ(15)N) isotope signatures of aquatic algae can cause seasonal enrichment-depletion cycles in the isotopic composition of planktonic invertebrates (e.g., copepods). Yet, there is growing evidence that seasonal enrichment-depletion cycles also occur in the isotope signatures of larger invertebrate consumers, taxa used to define reference points in isotope-based trophic models (e.g., trophic baselines). To evaluate the general assumption of temporal stability in non-zooplankton aquatic invertebrates, δ(13)C and δ(15)N time series data from the literature were analyzed for seasonality and the influence of biotic (feeding group) and abiotic (trophic state, climate regime) factors on isotope temporal patterns. The amplitude of δ(13)C and δ(15)N enrichment-depletion cycles was negatively related to body size, although all size-classes of invertebrates displayed a winter-to-summer enrichment in δ(13)C and depletion in δ(15)N. Among feeding groups, periphytic grazers were more variable and displayed larger temporal changes in δ(13)C than detritivores. For nitrogen, temporal variability and magnitude of directional change of δ(15)N was most strongly related to ecosystem trophic state (eutrophic > mesotrophic, oligotrophic). This study provides evidence of seasonality in the isotopic composition of aquatic invertebrates across very broad geographical and ecological gradients as well as identifying factors that are likely to modulate the strength and variability of seasonality. These results emphasize the need for researchers to recognize the likelihood of temporal changes in non-zooplankton aquatic invertebrate consumers at time scales relevant to seasonal studies and, if present, to account for temporal dynamics in isotope trophic models.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variability and directionality of temporal changes in δ13C and δ15N of aquatic invertebrate primary consumers

et al. 2011

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“…Assessment of anthropogenic pollution in aquatic ecosystems with δ 15 N isotopic method has mostly been concentrated on plants, sediment, invertebrates, and fishes as biological indicators (McKinney et al 2002;Cole et al 2004;Xu et al 2005a, b;Lake et al 2001;Schlacher et al 2005). Generally, tissue turnover rates of mussels are slower than algae, macrophytes, and small invertebrates, which suggests that δ 15 N of mussels are less fluctuating over time than small primary producers and consumers and thus integrate waste inputs over long time periods and provide assessment of better precision (Cabana and Rasmussen 1996).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mussel isotope signature as indicator of nutrient pollution in a freshwater eutrophic lake: species, spatial, and seasonal variability

Wen

Xie

2009

Environ Monit Assess

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Stable nitrogen isotope ratios of five mussel species from littoral and pelagic areas were investigated with different trophic states in the eutrophic Lake Taihu, the third largest lake in China. Interpopulation variability for these mussels was relatively small in foot tissues because of the slow turnover time. Seasonal and spatial variations among the δ 15 N values of mussels might be due in part to the natural variation in δ 15 N values of potential food sources and the variation in the amount of human pollutions discharged into various locations of the lake. Although the increase of mussel δ 15 N values was accompanied by the increase of nutrient concentrations in most situations in this study, statistically significant correlations were only 22% of the total correlations in this survey, which might be attributed to the

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“…These differences could reflect lower isotopic heterogeneity at the moulting site of Karsibor birds. Isotope signatures can vary over small spatial scales due to processes like microbial degradation and methantrophy, or localised eutrophication, particularly in freshwater wetlands (Hornibrook et al 2000;Rice 2000;Lake et al 2001).…”

Section: Between-site Differences In Mean Isotopic Signaturesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using stable isotopes to investigate migratory connectivity of the globally threatened aquatic warbler Acrocephalus paludicola

et al. 2004

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Understanding the links between breeding and wintering areas of migratory species has important ecological and conservation implications. Recently, stable isotope technology has been used to further our understanding. Stable isotope ratios vary geographically with a range of biogeochemical factors and isotope profiles in organisms reflect those in their food and environment. For inert tissues like feathers, isotope profiles reflect the environment in which they were formed. Following large-scale habitat destruction, the globally threatened aquatic warbler Acrocephalus paludicola has a fragmented breeding population across central Europe, largely in Belarus, Poland and Ukraine. The species' sub-Saharan African wintering grounds have not yet been discovered, and this significantly hampers conservation efforts. Aquatic warblers grow their flight feathers on their wintering grounds, and we analysed stable isotope ratios (delta(15)N, delta(13)C, delta D) in rectrices of adults from six main breeding sites (subpopulations) across Europe to determine whether different breeding subpopulations formed a single mixed population on the wintering grounds. delta(15)N varies considerably with dietary trophic level and environmental factors, and delta D with the delta D in rainfall; neither varied between aquatic warbler subpopulations. Uniform feather delta(15)N signatures suggest no major variation in dietary trophic level during feather formation. High variance and inter-annual differences in mean delta D values hinder interpretation of these data. Significant differences in mean delta(13)C ratios existed between subpopulations. We discuss possible interpretations of this result, and consider differences in moulting latitude of different subpopulations to be the most parsimonious. delta(13)C in plants and animals decreases with latitude, along a steep gradient in sub-Saharan Africa. Birds from the most northwesterly breeding subpopulation (Karsibor, Poland) had significantly lower variance in delta(13)C and delta(15)N than birds from all other sites, suggesting either that birds from Karsibor are less geographically dispersed during moult, or moult in an area with less isotopic heterogeneity. Mean delta(13)C signatures from winter-grown feathers of different subpopulations were positively correlated with the latitude and longitude of breeding sites, suggesting a strong relationship between European breeding and African winter moulting latitudes. The use of stable isotopes provides novel insights into migratory connectivity and migration patterns in this little-known threatened species.

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Stable nitrogen isotopes as indicators of anthropogenic activities in small freshwater systems

Cited by 72 publications

References 0 publications

Variability and directionality of temporal changes in δ13C and δ15N of aquatic invertebrate primary consumers

Variability and directionality of temporal changes in δ13C and δ15N of aquatic invertebrate primary consumers

Mussel isotope signature as indicator of nutrient pollution in a freshwater eutrophic lake: species, spatial, and seasonal variability

Using stable isotopes to investigate migratory connectivity of the globally threatened aquatic warbler Acrocephalus paludicola

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