Gc. Garman et Sa. Macko, CONTRIBUTION OF MARINE-DERIVED ORGANIC-MATTER TO AN ATLANTIC COAST, FRESH-WATER, TIDAL STREAM BY ANADROMOUS CLUPEID FISHES, Journal of the North American Benthological Society, 17(3), 1998, pp. 277-285
This study used stable isotope analysis to evaluate the hypothesis tha
t upstream migrations by anadromous clupeid (Alosa spp.) fishes repres
ent an ecologically important seasonal subsidy to annual energy and nu
trient budgets for coastal waters of the Atlantic slope. Dual stable i
sotope ratio analyses (delta(31)C and delta(15)N, parts per thousand)
were conducted on >200 samples representing major ecological component
s of Wards Creek, Virginia, and temporal trends in the stable isotope
signatures of these components were related to the timing of Alosa-der
ived allochthonous inputs. Carbon ratios (delta(13)C) for migratory (o
ceanic) Alosa spp. arriving in Wards Creek were enriched by 10.2 parts
per thousand compared to ratios for resident fishes. The timing and m
agnitude of shifts in the delta(13)C values of documented Alosa predat
ors suggest that predators in Wards Creek derive a substantial proport
ion of their biomass carbon from marine sources during the Alosa spawn
ing run. The unique trophic structure of Wards Creek may be related to
ecological linkages between tidal fresh waters and coastal marine sys
tems and the greater taxonomic complexity of tidal freshwater faunal a
ssemblages compared to other aquatic systems.