Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Difference in the stable nitrogen isotope ratio of Sargassum piluliferum (Phaeophyceae: Fucales) associated with fish and pearl oyster aquaculture facilities

  • Original Article
  • Environment
  • Published:
Fisheries Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In order to estimate the nitrogen loading from fish aquaculture facilities, we studied the nitrogen and carbon stable isotope ratios (δ15N and δ13C, respectively) in the brown macroalga Sargassum piluliferum and small amphipod crustaceans Caprella spp., both of which are lower trophic level biota found at fish and pearl oyster aquaculture facilities situated along the eastern coast of the Uwa Sea, Japan. This coastal region is one of the least populated areas along the Japanese coast. The mean concentrations of chlorophyll a, dissolved inorganic nitrogen, dissolved inorganic phosphate, and dissolved silicate-Si were 1.5- to 2-fold higher in samples from the fish aquaculture facilities than in those from the pearl oyster aquaculture facilities, indicating that the fish aquaculture facilities were associated with nitrogen loading. The δ15N abundance level in S. piluliferum collected from the fish aquaculture facilities was significantly higher (1.3‰) than that in macroalga collected at the pearl oyster aquaculture facilities, whereas that in Caprella spp., primary consumers, was only slightly higher (0.3‰). The feeding style of Caprella spp., which depends on suspended particulate organic matter and attached microalgae, is considered to the primary causal factor for the lack of a significant difference in δ15N abundance level between the two types of aquaculture facilities. Based on these results, we conclude that S. piluliferum found in close proximity of aquaculture facilities is a suitable organism for monitoring nitrogen loading from fish aquaculture facilities, through the analysis of δ15N.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. McClelland JW, Valiela I, Michener RH (1997) Nitrogen-stable isotope signatures in estuarine food webs: a record of increasing urbanization in coastal watersheds. Limnol Oceanogr 42:930–937

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Yokoyama H, Abo K, Ishihi Y (2006) Quantifying aquaculture-derived organic matter in the sediment in and around a coastal fish farm using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios. Aquaculture 254:411–425

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Lin DT, Fong P (2008) Macroalgal bioindicators (growth, tissue N, δ15N) detect nutrient enrichment from shrimp farm effluent entering Opunohu Bay, Moorea, French Polynesia. Mar Pollut Bull 56:245–249

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. McClelland JW, Valiela I (1998) Changes in food web structure under the influence of increased anthropogenic nitrogen inputs to estuaries. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 168:259–271

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Costanzo SD, O’Donohue MJ, Dennison WC, Loneragan NR, Thomas M (2001) A new approach for detecting and mapping sewage impacts. Mar Pollut Bull 42:149–156

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Mariotti A, Landreau A, Simon B (1988) 15N isotope biogeochemistry and natural denitrification process in groundwater: Application to the chalk aquifer of northern France. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 52:1869–1878

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Yamada Y, Ueda T, Wada E (1996) Distribution of carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in the Yodo River watershed. Jpn J Limnol 57:467–477

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Umezawa Y, Miyajima T, Yamamuro M, Kayanne H, Koike I (2002) Fine-scale mapping of land-derived nitrogen in coral reefs by δ15N values in macroalgae. Limnol Oceanogr 47:1405–1416

    Google Scholar 

  9. Costanzo SD, O’Donohue MJ, Dennison WC (2004) Assessing the influence and distribution of shrimp pond effluent in a tidal mangrove creek in north-east Australia. Mar Pollut Bull 48:514–525

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Costanzo SD, Udy J, Longstaff B, Jones A (2005) Using nitrogen stable isotope ratios (δ15N) of macroalgae to determine the effectiveness of sewage upgrades: changes in the extent of sewage plumes over four years in Moreton Bay, Australia. Mar Pollut Bull 51:212–217

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Jones AB, O’Donohue MJ, Udy J, Dennison WC (2001) Assessing ecological impacts of shrimp and sewage effluent: biological indicators with standard water quality analyses. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 52:91–109

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Lin H-J, Wu C-Y, Kao S-J, Kao W-Y, Meng P-J (2007) Mapping anthropogenic nitrogen through point sources in coral reefs using δ15N in macroalgae. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 335:95–109

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Savage C, Elmgren R (2004) Macroalgal (Fucus vesiculosus) δ15N values trace decrease in sewage influence. Ecol Appl 14:517–526

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Yamamuro M, Kayanne H, Yamano H (2003) δ15N of seagrass leaves for monitoring anthropogenic nutrient increases in coral reef ecosystems. Mar Pollut Bull 46:452–458

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Pérez M, García T, Invers O, Ruiz JM (2008) Physiological responses of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica as indicators of fish farm impact. Mar Pollut Bull 51:869–879

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Fukumori K, Oi M, Doi H, Okuda N, Yamaguchi H, Kuwae M, Miyasaka H, Yoshino K, Koizumi Y, Omori K, Takeoka H (2008) Food sources of the pearl oyster in coastal ecosystems of Japan: evidence from diet and stable isotope analysis. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 76:704–709

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Yamashita S, Kajita J, Arai S, Yoshida G, Terawaki T (2005) Akoyagai youshoku ro-pu jyouni seiritsu shita mametawara gunraku (Sargassum piluliferum beds flourishing on pearl oyster Pinctada fucata martensii cultivation rope) (in Japanese). Nori to Kaiso (Laver & Seaweeds) 70:23–25

    Google Scholar 

  18. Takeuchi I, Takahashi S, Tanabe S, Miyazaki N (2001) Caprella watch; a new approach for monitoring butyltin residues in the ocean. Mar Environ Res 52:97–113

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Takeuchi I (1998) Dry weight, carbon and nitrogen components of caprellid amphipods (Crustacea) inhabiting the Sargassum yezoense community of Otsuchi Bay, northeastern Japan. Mar Biol 130:417–423

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Caine EA (1977) Feeding mechanisms and possible resource partitioning of the Caprellidae (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from Puget Sound, USA. Mar Biol 42:331–336

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Caine EA (1979) Functions of swimming setae within caprellid amphipods (Crustacea). Biol Bull 156:169–178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Takeuchi I, Hirano R (1991) Growth and reproduction of Caprella danilevskii (Crustacea: Amphipoda) reared in the laboratory. Mar Biol 110:391–397

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Takeuchi I, Hirano R (1992) Growth and reproduction of the epifaunal amphipod Caprella okadai Arimoto (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Caprellidea). J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 161:201–212

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Nakajima K, Takeuchi I (2008) Rearing method of Caprella mutica (Malacostraca: Amphipoda) in an exhibition tank of the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium with notes on reproduction biology. J Crust Biol 28:171–174

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Takeuchi I, Takahashi S, Tanabe S (2004) Decline of butyltin levels in Caprella spp. (Crustacea: Amphipoda) inhabiting the Sargassum community in Otsuchi Bay, Japan from 1994 to 2001. J Mar Biol Assoc UK 84:911–918

    Google Scholar 

  26. Murai R, Takahashi S, Tanabe S, Takeuchi I (2005) Status of butyltin pollution along the coasts of Western Japan in 2001, 11 years after partial restrictions on the usage of tributyltin. Mar Pollut Bull 51:940–949

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Minagawa M, Wada E (1984) Stepwise enrichment of δ15N along food chains: further evidence and the relation between δ15N and animal age. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 48:1135–1140

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Peterson BJ, Fry B (1987) Stable isotopes in ecosystem studies. Ann Rev Ecol Syst 18:293–320

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Tsutsumi H, Srithongouthai S, Inoue A, Sato A, Hama D (2006) Seasonal fluctuations in the flux of particulate organic matter discharged from net pens for fish farming. Fish Sci 72:119–127

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Lojen S, Spanier E, Tsemel A, Katz T, Eden N, Angel DL (2005) δ15N as a natural tracer of particulate nitrogen effluents released from marine aquaculture. Mar Biol 148:87–96

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Sano M, Omori M, Taniguchi K (2003) Predator-prey systems of drifting seaweed communities off the Tohoku coast, northern Japan, as determined by feeding habitat analysis of phytal animals. Fish Sci 69:260–268

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Doi H, Chang K-H, Obayashi Y, Yoshihara M, Shime M, Yamamoto T, Nishibe Y, Nakano S (2008) Attached microalgae contribute to planktonic food webs in bays with fish and pearl oyster farms. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 353:107–113

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We wish to thank Mr. M. Mitsuoka and his family for their kind support in collecting biological samples. This study was partially supported by a Research Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (No. 19310024) and Global COE Program from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Life Environment Conservation, Faculty of Agriculture, Ehime University, Matsuyama, Ehime, 790-8566, Japan

    Hiroaki Matsuo, Nobuyuki Matsuka & Ichiro Takeuchi

  2. Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES), Ehime University, Matsuyama, Ehime, 790-8577, Japan

    Koji Omori

  3. Ehime Prefectural Fisheries Research Center, Uwajima, Ehime, 798-0104, Japan

    Yoshitsugu Koizumi

Authors
  1. Hiroaki Matsuo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Nobuyuki Matsuka
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Koji Omori
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yoshitsugu Koizumi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Ichiro Takeuchi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ichiro Takeuchi.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Matsuo, H., Matsuka, N., Omori, K. et al. Difference in the stable nitrogen isotope ratio of Sargassum piluliferum (Phaeophyceae: Fucales) associated with fish and pearl oyster aquaculture facilities. Fish Sci 76, 147–153 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-009-0174-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-009-0174-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation