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Organic Matter Sources Supporting Lower Food Web Production in the Tidal Freshwater Portion of the York River Estuary, Virginia

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Abstract

The Mattaponi River is part of the York River estuary in Chesapeake Bay. Our objective was to identify the organic matter (OM) sources fueling the lower food web in the tidal freshwater and oligohaline portions of the Mattaponi using the stable isotopes of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). Over 3 years (2002–2004), we measured zooplankton densities and C and N stable isotope ratios during the spring zooplankton bloom. The river was characterized by a May–June zooplankton bloom numerically dominated by the calanoid copepod Eurytemora affinis and cladocera Bosmina freyi. Cluster analysis of the stable isotope data identified four distinct signatures within the lower food web: freshwater riverine, brackish water, benthic, and terrestrial. The stable isotope signatures of pelagic zooplankton, including E. affinis and B. freyi, were consistent with reliance on a mix of autochthonous and allochthonous OM, including OM derived from vascular plants and humic-rich sediments, whereas macroinvertebrates consistently utilized allochthonous OM. Based on a dual-isotope mixing model, reliance on autochthonous OM by pelagic zooplankton ranged from 20% to 95% of production, declining exponentially with increasing river discharge. The results imply that discharge plays an important role in regulating the energy sources utilized by pelagic zooplankton in the upper estuary. We hypothesize that this is so because during high discharge, particulate organic C loading to the upper estuary increased and phytoplankton biomass decreased, thereby decreasing phytoplankton availability to the food web.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Deborah Steinberg, Michael Sierszen, John Morrice, and two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on the manuscript; Brian Watkins, Patricia Crewe, Kristen Delano, Ashleigh Rhea, and Demetria Christo for field assistance; and Demetria Christo, Melanie Chattin, and David Harris for preparation and analysis of stable isotope samples. This work was supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship to J. C. Hoffman and sponsored in part by NOAA Office of Sea Grant, US Department of Commerce, under Grant NA03OAR4170084 to the Virginia Graduate Marine Science Consortium and Virginia Sea Grant College Program, with additional support from the Wallop–Breaux program of the US Fish and Wildlife Service through the Marine Recreational Fishing Advisory Board of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (Grants F-116-R-6 and 7). This is contribution of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, The College of William and Mary.

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  1. Virginia Institute of Marine Science, P.O. Box 1346, Gloucester Point, VA, 23062, USA

    Joel C. Hoffman, Deborah A. Bronk & John E. Olney

  2. Mid-Continent Ecology Division, National Health and Ecological Effects Research Laboratory, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, 6201 Congdon Blvd, Duluth, MN, 55804, USA

    Joel C. Hoffman

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  1. Joel C. Hoffman
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Correspondence to Joel C. Hoffman.

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Hoffman, J.C., Bronk, D.A. & Olney, J.E. Organic Matter Sources Supporting Lower Food Web Production in the Tidal Freshwater Portion of the York River Estuary, Virginia. Estuaries and Coasts 31, 898–911 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-008-9073-4

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