Abstract
The stable isotope ratio 12C/13C was used to investigate the source of carbon in free-living barnacles and in coral-inhabiting barnacles from the Red Sea. The δ13C of most of the barnacles collected on the open shore ranges between −17.5 and −19.7‰, indicating relative enrichment of light carbon originating from the open-sea phytoplankton. Those collected in closed habitats showed heavier isotopic composition. The δ13C of the coral-inhabiting barnacles ranges from −14.1 to −16.7‰, suggesting that the carbon contribution of open-sea plankton to these barnacles is less important than it is to free-living barnacles. We hypothesize that coral organic matter and zooxanthellae expelled by the host coral contribute carbon to the barnacle, and that a mixture of this relatively heavy carbon with carbon from other sources is responsible for the high values of δ13C in coral barnacles.
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Received: 28 February 1997 / Accepted: 16 September 1997
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Achituv, Y., Brickner, I. & Erez, J. Stable carbon isotope ratios in Red Sea barnacles (Cirripedia) as an indicator of their food source. Marine Biology 130, 243–247 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/s002270050244
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s002270050244