Abstract
Abstract— As a result of water turbulence effects on boundary layer diffusion resistance and carbon isotopic discrimination, the δ 13 C values (ratios of 13 C: 12 C) of attached algae may often overlap those of terrestrial plants, thereby making it impossible to distinguish between the relative importance of these two potential food sources for aquatic animals. The present study used a dual isotope approach (δ 13 C and δ 15 N) to refine measurements of the incorporation of allochthonous organic matter into freshwater fishes. The dependence of five species of littoral fishes on terrestrial detritus for part of their energy sustenance was demonstrated. The littoral zones of boreal Canadian Shield lakes are, therefore, not isolated from their surrounding riparian forests in terms of carbon flow as present day timber management guidelines erroneously assume, but instead exhibit a measurable degree of ecotonal land‐water coupling. As a result, clearcut logging of riparian forests to the lakeshore edge, permissible by law in most Canadian provinces containing boreal forests, may have to be reassessed as a forest harvesting strategy.
Keywords
Riparian zoneEcologyEnvironmental scienceLittoral zoneBorealδ15Nδ13CBiologyStable isotope ratioHabitat
Related Publications
Late Paleocene to Eocene paleoceanography of the equatorial Pacific Ocean: Stable isotopes recorded at Ocean Drilling Program Site 865, Allison Guyot
An expanded and largely complete upper Paleocene to upper Eocene section was recovered from the pelagic cap overlying Allison Guyot, Mid‐Pacific Mountains at Ocean Drilling Prog...
Pleistocene δ <sup>13</sup> C Variability of North Atlantic Intermediate Water
Variations in the stable isotopic composition of benthic foraminifera from Deep‐Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) site 502B in the Caribbean Sea are used to reconstruct Atlantic inter...
Publication Info
- Year
- 1997
- Type
- article
- Volume
- 6
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 78-83
- Citations
- 38
- Access
- Closed
External Links
Social Impact
Altmetric
PlumX Metrics
Social media, news, blog, policy document mentions
Citation Metrics
38
OpenAlex
Cite This
Robert France
(1997).
Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic evidence for ecotonal coupling between boreal forests and fishes.
Ecology Of Freshwater Fish
, 6
(2)
, 78-83.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0633.1997.tb00147.x
Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.1111/j.1600-0633.1997.tb00147.x