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Effects of acid washing on stable isotope ratios of C and N in penaeid shrimp and seagrass: Implications for food‐web studies using multiple stable isotopes
Author(s) -
Bunn S. E.,
Loneragan N. R.,
Kempster M. A.
Publication year - 1995
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.1995.40.3.0622
Subject(s) - seagrass , shrimp , stable isotope ratio , biology , δ13c , isotopes of carbon , juvenile , environmental chemistry , fishery , zoology , ecology , chemistry , ecosystem , total organic carbon , physics , quantum mechanics
We investigated the effects of acid washing on the carbon and nitrogen composition and stable isotope ratios of C and N in shrimp ( Metapenaeus spp.) and seagrass ( Enhalus acoroides ). Acid washing did not affect the mean δ 13 C ratios for juvenile Metapenaeus moyebi and resulted in only an ecologically insignificant change (0.3‰) in mean δ 13 C ratios for larger Metapenaeus bennettae. In contrast, acid washing increased the mean δ 15 N signatures of shrimp tissue (∼ 3‰) and decreased that of seagrass (∼1.8‰) to a degree that may confound the interpretation of food webs. The increase in %C and %N in both shrimp and seagrass after acid washing suggests that the changes in isotope ratios are due to loss of molecules comparatively low in C and N. Treating samples by acid washing also resulted in an increase in the variation among individuals for both δ 15 N and δ 13 C, which would lead to a loss of statistical power for testing differences between species, sites, or seasons.