A new application of radiocarbon (14C) concentrations to stream food web analysis

NUCLEAR INSTRUMENTS & METHODS IN PHYSICS RESEARCH SECTION B-BEAM INTERACTIONS WITH MATERIALS AND ATOMS

卷:268

Article; Proceedings Paper

Ishikawa, Naoto F.¹  Uchida, Masao²  Shibata, Yasuyuki²  Tayasu, Ichiro¹ 

[1] Kyoto Univ, Ctr Ecol Res, Shiga 5202113, Japan

[2] Natl Inst Environm Studies, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 3058506, Japan

关键词: Stable isotope;    C-14;    Carbon source;    Food web;    Stream ecosystems;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.nimb.2009.10.127

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

We measured radiocarbon concentrations (Delta C-14), together with stable isotope ratios (delta C-13 and delta N-15) of aquatic animals, periphytic algae and particulate organic matter (POM) at upstream sites of two streams. We hypothesized that Delta C-14 values of organisms would be separated into two major carbon sources in streams: in-stream production (autochthonous production) and terrestrial detritus (allochthonous production). In fact, Delta C-14 values of in-stream production were low, while those of terrestrial detritus were high. This indicates the difference in sources: the former reflects the Delta C-14 values of the dissolved inorganic carbon in the catchment, whereas the latter reflects the Delta C-14 value of present atmospheric CO2. Delta C-14 patterns of animals differed in each of the two streams, suggesting that the role of food web structure is critical for understanding the carbon dynamics of stream ecosystems. We present, for the first time, the potential use of radiocarbon (C-14) in the study of food webs in stream ecosystems. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

Free