Dataset Information

Spatial and temporal shifts in the diet of the barnacle Amphibalanus eburneus within a subtropical estuary.

ABSTRACT: The success of many sessile invertebrates in marine benthic communities is linked to their ability to efficiently remove suspended organic matter from the surrounding water column. To investigate the diet of the barnacle Amphibalanus eburneus, a dominant suspension feeder within the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) of central Florida, we compared the stable isotopes ratios (?13C and ?15N) of barnacle tissue to those of particulate organic matter (POM). Collections were carried out quarterly for a year from 29 permanent sites and at sites impacted by an Aureoumbra lagunensis bloom. ?13C and ?15N values of Amphibalanus eburneus varied across sites, but ?15N was more stable over time. There was a range of ?15N values of Amphibalanus eburneus tissue from 6.0‰ to 10.5‰ across sites. Because land-based sources such as sewage are generally enriched in 15N, this suggests a continuum of anthropogenic influence across sites in the IRL. Over 70% of the variation in ?15N values of Amphibalanus eburneus across sites was driven by the ?15N values of POM, supporting a generalist feeding strategy on available sources of suspended organic matter. The dominance of this generalist consumer in the IRL may be linked to its ability to consume spatially and temporally variable food resources derived from natural and anthropogenic sources, as well as Aureoumbra lagunensis cells. Generalist consumers such as Amphibalanus eburneus serve an important ecological role in this ecosystem and act as a sentinel species and recorder of local, site-specific isotopic baselines.

SUBMITTER: Freeman CJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6098678 | biostudies-other | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Spatial and temporal shifts in the diet of the barnacle Amphibalanus eburneus within a subtropical estuary.

Freeman Christopher J CJ Janiak Dean S DS Mossop Malcolm M Osman Richard R Paul Valerie J VJ

PeerJ 20180815

The success of many sessile invertebrates in marine benthic communities is linked to their ability to efficiently remove suspended organic matter from the surrounding water column. To investigate the diet of the barnacle Amphibalanus eburneus, a dominant suspension feeder within the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) of central Florida, we compared the stable isotopes ratios (δ13C and δ15N) of barnacle tissue to those of particulate organic matter (POM). Collections were carr ...[more]

PMID: 30128215

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Dataset Information

Spatial and temporal shifts in the diet of the barnacle Amphibalanus eburneus within a subtropical estuary.

Publications

Spatial and temporal shifts in the diet of the barnacle <i>Amphibalanus eburneus</i> within a subtropical estuary.

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