Spatio-temporal stable isotope variation of a benthic primary consumer in a simple food web in a strongly acidic lake

Analysis of aquatic food webs is typically undertaken using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope composition of consumer and producer species. However, the trophic consequences of spatio-temporal variation in the isotope composition of consumers have not been well evaluated. Lake Katanuma, Japan, is highly acidic and has only one dominant species of benthic alga and one planktonic microalga, making it a prime system for studying trophic relationships between primary consumers and producers. In this simple lake food web, we conducted a field survey to evaluate spatial and temporal variation in the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope composition of a chironomid larvae in association with a single benthic and planktonic alga. We found a significant correlation between carbon stable isotope ratios of the chironomid larvae and the benthic diatom species in the lake. Thus, chironomid larvae may represent a reliable isotopic baseline for estimating isotope values in benthic diatoms. However, although the correlation held in shallow water, at four m depths, there was no significant relationship between the isotope ratios of chironomids and benthic diatoms, probably because deep-water larvae spend part of their life cycle migrating from the lake shore to deeper water. The differing isotope ratios of deeper chironomid tissues likely reflect the feeding history of individuals during this migration.