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Stable nitrogen isotopes in zooplankton: Some geographic and temporal variations in the North Pacific 1
Author(s) -
Mullin Michael M.,
Rau Gregory H.,
Eppley Richard W.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1984.29.6.1267
Subject(s) - photic zone , zooplankton , ocean gyre , oceanography , phytoplankton , environmental science , nutrient , copepod , nitrogen , stable isotope ratio , δ15n , ecology , biology , geology , subtropics , chemistry , δ13c , crustacean , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics
Copepods and chaetognaths from the Southern California Bight had higher 15 N: 14 N ratios than did those from the North Pacific Central Gyre. Within the bight, zooplankters were more enriched in 15 N when NO 3 − was the major nitrogenous nutrient for phytoplankton than at other times. The 15 N enrichment is related to the degree of exchange of nitrogen between the euphotic zone and deeper water, and the low 15 N: 14 N ratio in the central gyre is probably also related to the importance of nitrogen fixation. In contrast, little geographic or temporal variation was observed in zooplanktonic δ 13 C.