Isotopic variability of organic carbon in a phytoplankton-based, temperate estuary

Details Isotopic variability of organic carbon in a phytoplankton-based, temperate estuary Isotopic variability of organic carbon in a phytoplankton-based, temperate estuary

May 1984

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1984gecoa..48.1089g&link_type=abstract

Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, vol. 48, Issue 5, pp.1089-1098

Physics

25

Scientific paper

An isotopic survey was made of organic carbon in phytoplankton, sediments, Zooplankton, larval fish, and benthic fauna from Narragansett Bay and the Marine Ecosystems Research Laboratory, Rhode Island; the results quantify the extent of variability in a phytoplankton-based ecosystem and elucidate some of its causes. Carbon from primary producers (phytoplankton) varied with taxon and size, ranging from -20.3 ± 0.6%. (mean ± 1 s.d.) for diatoms (primarily Skeletonema costatum ) to -22.2 ± 0.6%. for nanoplankton (primarily microflagellates and non-motile ultraplankton). Planktonic isotope ratios varied little with either water temperature (0 to 20°C) or degree of preservation (up to 2-year aerobic diagenesis in sea water). Isotopically, sediments from East and West Passages of the bay were homogeneous with location and depth, with a mean (-21.8 ± 0.6%.) similar to a mixture of carbon from diatoms and nanoplankton. Providence River sediments reflected terrigenous and anthropogenic carbon (sewage) in their isotopic ratios (-24.2 ± 0.7%.). Ratios of macrozooplankton (> 150 m) were statistically separable from those of concurrently collected phytoplankton, being, on average, 0.5 to 0.6%. more positive. Secondary consumers in the water column (shrimp and larval fish) were 2.4%. heavier than diatoms. Thirty-four taxa of benthic fauna had relatively positive isotope ratios (-18.1 ± 1.5%.) which may indicate preferential use of carbon originally from diatoms rather than nanoplankton. The wide range of benthic ratios (-22.7 to -14.9%.) resulted from both intraspecific variability (mean RANGE = 3%.) and the variety of trophic positions occupied. Some of the intraspecific variability could be related to size. Among species, the isotope ratios increased from meiofauna (-19.5 ± 0.4%.) to macrofaunal non-carnivores (-18.6 ± 1.3%.) and carnivores (-16.6 ± 0.8%.).

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