Abstract
This study measured stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in phytoplankton, Zooplankton, five invertebrates species, eight fishes species and three seabirds species collected in Bohai Bay. δ13C ranged from −25.38%o to −11.08%0 showing a relative low enrichment in the food web from Bohai Bay. The mean δ13C of mullet is higher than that of other organisms, and this might be due to that mullet is migration fish and feeds mainly on inshore sources. δ15N ranged from 4.08%0 to 13.98%0, and showed a step-wise enrichment with trophic level of 3.8%0. The δ15N enrichment factor was used to construct an isotopic food web model to establish trophic relationships within this marine food web. According to this model, exact trophic levels of all organisms were estimated as 1.46-2.10, 1.91-3.32, 2.55-4.23 and 2.98-4.28 for plankton, invertebrates, fishes, and seabirds.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Deng, J. Y., Jiang, W. M., Yang, J. M. et al., Species interaction and food web of major predatory species in the Bohai sea, Journal of Fishery Sciences of China (in Chinese), 1997, 4: 1–7.
Su, Q. L., Tang, Q. S., Study on ecosystem dynamics in coastal ocean II: Processes of the Bohai Sea ecosystem dynamics (in Chinese), Beijing: Science Press, 2002, 216–217.
Paine, R. T., Food webs: road maps of interactions or grist for theoretical development? Ecology, 1998, 69: 1648–1654.
Kidd, K. A., Schindler, D. W., Hesslein, R. H. et al., Correlation between stable nitrogen isotope ratios and concentrations of organochlorines in biota from a freshwater food web, The Science of the Total Environment, 1995, 160/161: 381–390.
Peterson, B. J., Stable isotopes as tracers of organic matter input and transfer in benthic food webs: A review, Acta Oecologica, 1999, 20(4): 479–487.
Hobson, K. A., Welch, H. E., Determination of trophic relationships within a high arctic marine food web using δ13C and δ15N analysis, Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 1992, 84: 9–18.
Miyake, Y., Wada, E., The abundance ratio of 15N/14N in marine environments, Records of Oceanographic Works in Japan, 1967, 9: 32–59.
Deniro, M. J., Epstein, S., Influence of diet on the distribution of nitrogen in animals, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 1981, 45: 341–351.
Cabana, G., Rasmussen, J. B., Modelling food chain structure and contaminant bioaccumulation using stable nitrogen isotopes, Nature, 1994, 372:255–257.
Fisk, A. T., Hoboson, K. A., Norstrom, R. J., Influence of chemical and biological factors on trophic transfer of persistent organic pollutants in the northwater Polynya marine food web, Eeviron. Sci. Technol., 2001, 35: 732–738.
Muir, D., Savinova, T., Savinov, V. et al., Bioaccumulation of PCBs and chlorinated pesticides in seals, fishes and invertebrates from the White Sea, Russia, The Science of the Total Environment, 2003, 306: 111–131.
Cai, D. L., Wang, R., Bi, H. S., Trophic relationships in the Bohai ecosystem: preliminary investigation from δ13C analysis, Acta Ecologica Sinica (in Chinese), 2001, 21(8): 1354–1359.
Yi, X. F., Zhang, X. A., Li, L. X. et al., Analysis on food web structure in alpine meadow ecosystem: evidence from stable carbon isotope signatures, Zoological Research (in Chinese), 2003, 25(1): 1–6.
Deniro, M. J., Epstein, S., Influence of diet on the distribution of carbon isotopes in animals, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 1978, 42:495–506.
Fry, B., Jeng, J. W., Scalan, R. S. et al., 13C food web analysis of a Texas sand dune community, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 1978, 42: 1299–1302.
Rau, G. H., Mearns, A. J., Young, D. R. et al., Animal 13C/12C correlates with trophic level in pelagic food webs, Ecology, 1983, 64: 1314–1318.
Deng, J. Y. et al., Species interaction of major fish species in the Bohai Sea (in Chinese), Journal of Fishery Sciences of China, Marine Fisheries Research, 1988, (9): 151–172.
Meng, Q. W., Liao, X. Z., Yu, T. J. et al., Ichthyography: Morphology & Classification (in Chinese), Shanghai: Shanghai Scientific & Technical Publishers, 1989, 181–205.
Mills, E. L., Pittman, K., Tan, F. C. et al., Food-web structure on the Scotian Shelf, eastern Canada: A study using 13C as a food-chain tracer, Rapp. P.-V. Réun. Cons. Int. Explor. Mer, 1984, 183: 111–118.
Wada, E., Terazaki, M., Kabaya, Y. et al., 15N and 13C abundances in the Antarctic Ocean with emphasis on the biogeochemical structure of the food web, Deep Sea Res., 1987, 34: 829–841.
McConnaughey, T., McRoy, C. P., Food-web structure and the fractionation of carbon isotopes in the Bering Sea, Mar. Biol., 1979, 53: 257–262.
Jarman, W. M., Hoboson, K. A., Sydenman, W. J. et al., Influence of trophic position and feeding location on contaminant levels in the gulf of the Farallones food web revealed by stable isotope analysis, Environ. Sci. Technol., 1996, 30: 654–660.
Rau, G. H., Ainley, D. G., Bengtson, J. L. et al., 15N/14N and 13C/12C in Weddell Sea birds, seals, and fish: implications for diet and trophic structure, Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 1992, 84: 1–8.
Mizutani, H., Kabaya, Y., Wada, E. et al., Nitrogen and carbon isotope compositions relate linearly in cormorant tissues and its diet, Isotopenpraxie, 1991, 4: 166–168.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
About this article
Cite this article
Yi, W., Jianying, H., Lihui, A. et al. Determination of trophic relationships within a Bohai Bay food web using stable δ15N and δ13C analysis. Chin.Sci.Bull. 50, 1021–1025 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1360/04wd0283
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1360/04wd0283