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HAGFISH IN THE NEW ZEALAND FJORDS ARE SUPPORTED BY CHEMOAUTOTROPHY OF FOREST CARBON
Author(s) -
McLeod Rebecca J.,
Wing Stephen R.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.1890/06-1342
Subject(s) - fjord , δ13c , δ15n , δ34s , ecology , litter , isotopes of carbon , biology , environmental science , environmental chemistry , stable isotope ratio , oceanography , total organic carbon , chemistry , geology , paleontology , physics , quartz , quantum mechanics , fluid inclusions
Forest litter is often considered to be a minor energy source to marine communities due to its refractory nature. Large volumes of forest litter are deposited in the New Zealand fjords, and likely recycled into available energy by microbial activity. In this study we used evidence from stable isotope analyses to test whether recycled carbon from chemoautotrophs was an important contributor to the diet of hagfish ( Eptatretus cirrhatus ). We then analyzed fatty acid biomarkers from the chemoautotrophic clam Solemya parkinsoni and E. cirrhatus to further discriminate the contribution of marine, terrestrial, and chemoautotrophic sources. Bulk isotopic signatures of E. cirrhatus varied considerably (δ 13 C, from −29.2‰ to −16.7‰; δ 15 N, from −2.8‰ to +15.5‰; δ 34 S, from −21.7‰ to +16.7‰) and indicated that a significant percentage of organic matter (38–51%) originated from chemoautotrophs (δ 13 C, −31.3‰ ± 0.1‰ [mean ± SE]; δ 15 N, −5.7‰ ± 0.2‰; δ 34 S, −32.4‰ ± 3.8‰). Fatty acid biomarkers were depleted in 13 C, particularly cis‐vaccenic acid (18:1ω7: δ 13 C, −39.0‰) indicating specific microbial origins of carbon. A high proportion of forest litter in sediments, coupled with isotopic and fatty acid biomarker results, indicates that terrestrial organic matter is a dominant contributor to this marine benthic system. This study demonstrates a clear linkage between terrestrial and marine ecological processes.