Differentiation between littoral and pelagic food webs in lakes using stable carbon isotopes
Open Access
- 1 November 1995
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wiley in Limnology and Oceanography
- Vol. 40 (7) , 1310-1313
- https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.1995.40.7.1310
Abstract
As a result of exposure to low water turbulence, periphyton are enriched in 13C compared to phytoplankton. Because of this, benthic consumers in marine coastal environments are also 13C enriched relative to planktonic consumers. I analyzed the δ13C values for biota from four Canadian Shield lakes and similarly found 13C enrichment in littoral compared to pelagic consumers. A compilation of literature data indicates that an uncoupling of carbon flows between benthic and planktonic food webs may be a characteristic feature of lakes worldwide.Keywords
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