Abstract
As a result of exposure to low water turbulence, periphyton are enriched in 13 C compared to phytoplankton. Because of this, benthic consumers in marine coastal environments are also 13 C enriched relative to planktonic consumers. I analyzed the δ 13 C values for biota from four Canadian Shield lakes and similarly found 13 C enrichment in littoral compared to pelagic consumers. A compilation of literature data indicates that an uncoupling of carbon flows between benthic and planktonic food webs may be a characteristic feature of lakes worldwide.
Keywords
Benthic zonePelagic zoneLittoral zonePlanktonPeriphytonPhytoplanktonEnvironmental scienceBiotaOceanographyFood webIsotopes of carbonBenthosEcologyEnvironmental chemistryEcosystemTotal organic carbonBiomass (ecology)BiologyChemistryGeologyNutrient
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Publication Info
- Year
- 1995
- Type
- article
- Volume
- 40
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 1310-1313
- Citations
- 549
- Access
- Closed
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Cite This
Robert France
(1995).
Differentiation between littoral and pelagic food webs in lakes using stable carbon isotopes.
Limnology and Oceanography
, 40
(7)
, 1310-1313.
https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.1995.40.7.1310
Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.4319/lo.1995.40.7.1310