Document of bibliographic reference 294293

BibliographicReference record

Type

Bibliographic resource

Type of document

Journal article

BibLvlCode

AS

Title

Do high Arctic coastal food webs rely on a terrestrial carbon subsidy?

Abstract

Lagoons are a prominent feature of Arctic coastlines, support diverse benthic food webs, and provide vital feeding grounds for fish, migratory birds, and marine mammals. Across the Arctic, loading of terrestrial/freshwater-derived organic carbon (C_T) from watershed runoff and coastal erosion is predicted to increase with global warming, and may subsidize marine organic carbon as an energy source. To assess the importance of C_T, we analyzed the trophic links and carbon assimilation pathways of twenty genera in five trophic guilds (suspension and filter feeders (Su/FF), surface and subsurface deposit feeders (Ss/De), epibenthic omnivorous invertebrates (Ep/Om), omnivorous fishes (Fish), and mammalian carnivores (Mam/Carn) as well as end-member organic matter (OM) sources. Because end-members had distinct carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios, we employed a Bayesian stable isotope mixing model (simmr) to determine the contributions of C_T, shelf OM, and marine microphytobenthos, to the diets of resident fauna. Ss/De and Ep/Om mainly assimilated marine-derived OM end-members. Su/FF, Fish, and beluga whales derived large portions of their diet from C_T (>40%). We conclude that (1) coastal food webs are characterized by a high degree of omnivory and plasticity, (2) C_T is an important OM subsidy to food webs, and (3) omnivorous fish transfer C_T from lower to upper trophic levels.

Bibliographic citation

Harris, C.M.; McTigue, N.D.; McClelland, J.W.; Dunton, K.H. (2018). Do high Arctic coastal food webs rely on a terrestrial carbon subsidy? Food Webs 15: e00081. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fooweb.2018.e00081

Is peer reviewed

true