Abstract
The fatty acid compositions and stable isotope ratios of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur were analyzed in the bivalve mollusks Mactra chinensis, Pandora pulchella, Felaniella usta, and Megangulus zyonoensis, the polychaete Chaetopterus cautus, and the main sources of organic matter in a subtidal sand bottom community in Vostok Bay (Sea of Japan). The fatty acid composition and stable isotope ratios of some bivalves is likely to be indicative of substantial inputs from benthic microalgae and an important role of microbial food chains. Only the filter-feeding polychaete C. cautus showed similarity in these characteristics to suspended particulate organic matter synthesized by phytoplankton. It is suggested that the contribution of benthic microalgae to the diet of a consumer organism, inferred solely from the carbon stable isotope analysis, can be significantly overestimated.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Kiyashko, S.I., Study of Carbon Fluxes in Marine Ecosystems by Natural 13C/12C Stable Isotope Ratios, Biol. Morya, 1987, no. 5, pp. 3–12.
Kiyashko, S.I., Kharlamenko, V.I., and Imbs, A.B., Stable Isotope Ratios and Fatty Acids As Markers of Food Sources of Deposit-Feeding Invertebrates, Biol. Morya, 1998, vol. 24, pp. 169–174.
Levin, V.S., Metody analiza sostava fizicheskikh svoistv sublitoral’nykh morskikh donnykh osadkov v ekologicheskikh issledovaniyakh (Methods of Analysis of the Composition and Physical Properties of Subtidal Marine Bottom Sediments in Ecological Research), Vladivostok: Dal. Vost. Otd. Akad. Nauk SSSR (Far East Division of Russian Academy of Sciences), 1987.
Ryabushko, L.I., Diatoms of the Upper Subtidal Zone of the Northwestern Sea of Japan, Abstract of Cand. Sci. Dissertation, Kovalevsky Institute of Marine Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, Sevastopol, 1986.
Tarasov, V.G., Trophic Zonation and Distribution of Soft Bottom Communities in Vostok Bay, Sea of Japan, Biol. Morya, 1978, no. 6, pp. 16–22.
Cherbadzhi, I.I. and Tarasov, V.G., Photosynthesis of Soft Botom Communities of Vostok Bay (Sea of Japan), Biol. Morya, 1980, no. 2, pp. 21–30.
Ackman, R.G., Tocher, C.S., and McLachlan J., Marine Phytoplankter Fatty Acids, J. Fish. Res. Board Can., 1968, vol. 25, pp. 1603–1620.
Andersson, B.A. and Holman, R.T., Mass-Spectrometric Localization of Methyl Branching in Fatty Acids Using Acylpyrrolidines, Lipids, 1975, vol. 10, pp. 716–718.
Bligh, E.G. and Dyer, W.J., A Rapid Method of Total Lipid Extraction and Purification, Can. J. Biochem. Physiol., 1959, vol. 37, pp. 911–917.
Carman, K.R. and Fry, B. Small-sample Methods for δ13C and δ15N Analysis of the Diets of Marsh Meiofaunal Species Using Natural-Abundance and Tracer-Addition Isotope Techniques, Mar. Ecol. Progr. Ser., 2002, vol. 240, pp. 85–92.
Carreau, J.P. and Dubacq, J.P., Adaptation of Macroscale Method to the Micro-scale for Fatty Acid Methyl Transesterification of Biological Lipid Extracts, J. Chromatogr., 1978, vol. 151, pp. 384–390.
Christie, W.W., Equivalent Chain-lengths of Methyl Ester Derivatives of Fatty Acids on Gas Chromatography, J. Chromatogr., 1988, vol. 447, pp. 305–314.
Corbisier, T.N., Petti, M.A.V., Skowronski, R.S.P., and Brito, T.A.S., Trophic Relationships in the Nearshore Zone of Martel Inlet (King George Island, Antarctica): δ13C Stable-Isotope Analysis, Polar Biol., 2004, vol. 27, pp. 75–82.
Couch, C.A., Carbon and Nitrogen Stable Isotopes of Meiobenthos and Their Food Resources, Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci., 1989, vol. 28, pp. 433–441.
Currin, C.A., Newell, S.Y., and Paerl, H.W., The Role of Standing Dead Spartina alterniflora and Benthic Microalgae in Salt Marsh Food Webs: Considerations Based on Multiple Stable Isotope Analysis, Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 1995, vol. 121, pp. 99–116.
Dalsgaard, J., St. John, M., Kattner, G., et al., Fatty Acid Trophic Markers in the Pelagic Marine Environment, Adv. Mar. Biol., London: Academic Press, 2003, vol. 46, pp. 225–340.
Fry, B., Food Web Structure of Georges Bank from Stable C, N, and S Isotopic Compositions, Limnol. Oceanogr., 1988, vol. 33, pp. 1182–1190.
Fry, B. and Sherr, E.B., δ13C Measurements as Indicators of Carbon Flow in Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, Contrib. Mar. Sci., 1984, vol. 27, pp. 13–47.
Gearing, J.N., Gearing, P.J., Rudnick, D.R., et al., Isotopic Variability of Organic Carbon in a Phytoplankton-based, Temperate Estuary, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta., 1984, vol. 48, pp. 1089–1098.
Gillian, F.T. and Hogg, R.W., A Method for Estimation of Bacterial Biomass and Community Structure in Mangrove Associated Sediments, J. Microbiol. Meth., 1984, vol. 2, pp. 275–293.
Hobson, K.A., Ambrose, W.G., and Renaud, P.E., Sources of Primary Production, Benthic-Pelagic Coupling, and Trophic Relationships within the Northeast Water Polynya: Insights from δ13C and δ15N Analysis, Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 1995, vol. 128, pp. 1–10.
Howell, K.L., Pond, D.W., Billett, D.S.M., and Tyler, P.A., Feeding Ecology of Deep-Sea Seastars (Echinodermata: Asteroidea): A Fatty-Acid Biomarker Approach, Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 2003, vol. 255, pp. 193–206.
Ishihi, Y., Feeding of the Bivalve Theora lubrica on Benthic Microalgae: Isotopic Evidence, Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 2003, vol. 255, pp. 303–309.
Kanaya, G., Nobata, E., Toya, T., and Kikuchi, E., Effects of Different Feeding Habits of Three Bivalve Species on Sediment Characteristics and Benthic Diatom Abundance, Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 2005, vol. 299, pp. 67–78.
Kang, C.K., Kim, J.B., Lee, K.S., et al., Trophic Importance of Benthic Microalgae to Macrozoobenthos in Coastal Bay Systems in Korea: Dual Stable C and N Isotope Analyses, Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 2003, vol. 259, pp. 79–92.
Kang, C.K., Lee, Y.W., Choy, E.J., et al., Microphytobenthos Seasonality Determines Growth and Reproduction in Intertidal Bivalves, Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 2006, vol. 315, pp. 113–127.
Kang, C.K., Sauriau, P.G., Richard P., and Blanchard, G.F., Food Sources of the Infaunal Suspension-Feeding Bivalve Cerastoderma edule in a Muddy Sandflat of Marennes-Oléron Bay, As Determined by Analyses of Carbon and Nitrogen Stable Isotopes, Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 1999, vol. 187, pp. 147–158.
Kendall, C. and Grim E., Combustion Tube Method for Measurement of Nitrogen Isotope Ratios Using Calcium Oxide for Total Removal of Carbon Dioxide and Water, Anal. Chem., 1990, vol. 62, pp. 526–529.
Kharlamenko, V.I., Kiyashko, S.I., Imbs, A.B., and Vyshkvartzev, D.I., Identification of Food Sources of Invertebrates from the Seagrass Zostera marina Community Using Carbon and Sulfur Stable Isotope Ratio and Fatty Acid Analyses, Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 2001, vol. 220, pp. 103–117.
Kharlamenko, V.I., Zhukova, N.V., Khotimchenko, S.V., et al., Fatty Acids as Markers of Food Sources in a Shallow-Water Hydrothermal Ecosystem (Kraternaya Bight, Yankich Island, Kurile Islands), Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 1995, vol. 120, pp. 231–241.
Machas, R., Santos, R., and Peterson, B., Tracing the Flow of Organic Matter from Primary Producers to Filter Feeders in Ria Formosa Lagoon, Southern Portugal, Estuaries, 2003, vol. 26, pp. 846–856.
MacIntyre, H.L., Geider, R.J., and Miller, D.C., Microphytobenthos: The Ecological Role of the “Secret Garden” of Unvegetated, Shallow-Water Marine Habitats. 1. Distribution, Abundance and Primary Production, Estuaries, 1996, vol. 19, pp. 186–201.
McConnaughey, T. and McRoy, C.P., δ13C Label Identifies Eelgrass (Zostera marina) Carbon in an Alaskan Estuarine Food Web, Mar. Biol., 1979, vol. 53, pp. 263–269.
Miller, D.C., Geider, R.J., and MacIntyre, H.L., Microphytobenthos: The Ecological Role of the “Secret Garden” of Unvegetated, Shallow-Water Marine Habitats. 2. Role in Sediment Stability and Shallow-Water Food Webs, Estuaries, 1996, vol. 19, pp. 202–212.
Moens, T., Luyten, C., and Middelburg, J.J., et al., Tracing Organic Matter Sources of Estuarine Tidal Flat Nematodes with Stable Carbon Isotopes, Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 2002, vol. 234, pp. 127–137.
Moncreiff, C.A. and Sullivan, M.J., Trophic Importance of Epiphytic Algae in Subtropical Seagrass Beds: Evidence from Multiple Stable Isotope Analyses, Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 2001, vol. 215, pp. 93–106.
Nadon, M.O. and Himmelman, J.H., Stable Isotopes in Subtidal Food Webs: Have Enriched Carbon Ratios in Benthic Consumers Been Misinterpreted? Limnol. Oceanogr., 2006, vol. 51, pp. 2828–2836.
Park, S., Brett, M.T., Müller-Navarra, D.C., et al., Heterotrophic Nanoflagellates and Increased Essential Fatty Acids during Microcystis Decay, Aquat. Microb. Ecol., 2003, vol. 33, pp. 201–205.
Piveteau, F., Gandemer, G., Baud, J.P., and Demaimay, M., Changes in Lipid and Fatty Acid Compositions of European Oysters Fattened with Skeletonema costatum Diatom for Six Weeks in Ponds, Aquacult. Intern., 1999, vol. 7, pp. 341–355.
Riera, P., δ15N of Organic Matter Sources and Benthic Invertebrates along an Estuarine Gradient in Marennes-Oléron Bay (France): Implications for the Study of Trophic Structure, Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 1998, vol. 166, pp. 143–150.
Riera, P., Montagna, P.A., Kalke, R.D., and Richard, P., Utilization of Estuarine Organic Matter during Growth and Migration by Juvenile Brown Shrimp Penaeus aztecus in a South Texas Estuary, Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 2000, vol. 199, pp. 205–216.
Riera, P. and Richard, P., Isotopic Determination of Food Sources of Crassostrea gigas along a Trophic Gradient in the Estuarine Bay of Marennes-Oléron, Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci., 1996, vol. 42, pp. 347–360.
Riera, P., Richard, P., Gremare, A., and Blanchard, G., Food Source of Intertidal Nematodes in the Bay of Marennes-Oléron (France), As Determined by Dual Stable Isotope Analysis, Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 1996, vol. 142, pp. 303–309.
Sargent, J.R., Parkes, R.J., Mueller-Harvey, I., and Henderson, R.J., Lipid Biomarkers in Marine Ecology, Microbes in the Sea, Chichester: Ellis Horwood, 1987, pp. 119–138.
Sargent, J.R. and Whittle, K.J., Lipids and Hydrocarbons in the Marine Food Web, Analysis of Marine Ecosystems, London; New York: Academic Press, 1981, pp. 491–533.
Takai, N., Yorozu, A., Tanimoto, T., et al., Transport Pathways of Microphytobenthos-originating Organic Carbon in the Food Web of an Exposed Hard Bottom Shore in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan, Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 2004, vol. 284, pp. 97–108.
Thompson, M.L., Demographics, Production, and Benthic-pelagic Coupling by the Suspension Feeding Polychaete Chaetopterus pergamentaceus in the Lower Chesapeake Bay, Ph.D. Dissertation, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, 2000.
Wainright, S.C., Weinstein, M.P., Able, K.W., and Currin, C.A., Relative Importance of Benthic Microalgae, Phytoplankton and the Detritus of Smooth Cordgrass Spartina alterniflora and the Common Reed Phragmites australis to Brackish-Marsh Food Webs, Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 2000, vol. 200, pp. 77–91.
Zhukova, N.V. and Kharlamenko, V.I., Sources of Essential Fatty Acids in the Marine Microbial Loop, Aquat. Microb. Ecol., 1999, vol. 17, pp. 153–157.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Original Russian Text © V.I. Kharlamenko, S.I. Kiyashko, S.A. Rodkina, A.B. Imbs, 2008, published in Biologiya Morya.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kharlamenko, V.I., Kiyashko, S.I., Rodkina, S.A. et al. Determination of food sources of marine invertebrates from a subtidal sand community using analyses of fatty acids and stable isotopes. Russ J Mar Biol 34, 101–109 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1134/S106307400802003X
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S106307400802003X