Longitudinal and vertical trends in stable isotope signatures (δ13C and δ15N) of omnivorous and carnivorous copepods across the South Atlantic Ocean
Laakmann, S.; Auel, H. (2010). Longitudinal and vertical trends in stable isotope signatures (δ13C and δ15N) of omnivorous and carnivorous copepods across the South Atlantic Ocean. Mar. Biol. (Berl.) 157(3): 463-471. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00227-009-1332-9 In: Marine Biology: International Journal on Life in Oceans and Coastal Waters. Springer: Heidelberg; Berlin. ISSN 0025-3162; e-ISSN 1432-1793, more |  |
| Authors | | Top | - Laakmann, S.
- Auel, H., more
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| Abstract | Stable isotope (SI) ratios of carbon (d13C) and nitrogen (d15N) were measured in omnivorous and carnivorous deep-sea copepods of the families Euchaetidae and Aetideidae across the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean to establish their trophic positions. Due to high and variable C/N ratios related to differences in lipid content, d13C was corrected using a lipid-normalisation model. d15N signals ranged from 3.0–6.9‰ in mesopelagic species to 7.0–9.5‰ in bathypelagic congeners. Among the carnivorous Paraeuchaeta species, the epi- to mesopelagic species Paraeuchaeta antarctica had lower d15N values than the mesopelagic P. rasa and bathypelagic P. barbata. The same trend was observed among omnivorous Aetideidae, but was not significant. In the most abundant species P. antarctica, individuals from the western Atlantic had higher d13C and d15N values than specimens at the eastern stations. These longitudinal changes in d13C and d15N values were attributed to regional differences in hydrography and sea surface temperature (SST), in particular related to a northward extension of the Antarctic Polar Front (APF) at the easternmost stations. The results indicate that even in a mesopelagic carnivorous species, the changes in surface stable isotope signatures are pronounced. |
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