| Stable isotope analysis of production and trophic relationships in a tropical marine hard-bottom community. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 16485099 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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Seagrasses produce much of the organic carbon in the shallow waters of the Caribbean and it has long been assumed that a substantial portion of this carbon is exported to nearby habitats, contributing substantially to their food webs. In the shallow coastal waters of the Florida Keys (USA), seagrass intersperses with hard-bottom habitat where bushy, red macroalgae are the most prominent primary producers. However, the relative importance of seagrass-derived carbon versus autochthonous algal production or phytoplankton in supporting higher trophic levels within hard-bottom communities has never been investigated. We compared the carbon and nitrogen isotopic values of potential primary producers and representative higher trophic level taxa from hard-bottom sites on the bay-side and ocean-side of the Florida Keys. We also included in our study a set of bay-side sites that experienced significant ecological disturbances over the past decade (e.g., cyanobacteria blooms, seagrass die-off, and sponge die-offs) that may have altered trophic relationships in those regions. We did not detect any differences among regions in the trophic status of hard-bottom taxa that might be associated with ecosystem disturbance. However, our results suggest that autochthonous production of algal detritus is an important source of secondary production in these hard-bottom communities, with seagrass and phytoplankton contributing smaller fractions. |
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Authors:
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Donald C Behringer; Mark J Butler |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Date: 2006-02-17 |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Oecologia Volume: 148 ISSN: 0029-8549 ISO Abbreviation: Oecologia Publication Date: 2006 Jun |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2006-06-23 Completed Date: 2006-07-27 Revised Date: 2006-11-15 |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 0150372 Medline TA: Oecologia Country: Germany |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 334-41 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529-0266, USA. dbehringer@comcast.net |
Export Citation:
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APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Animals Carbon Isotopes Caribbean Region Ecosystem* Florida Hydrocharitaceae / physiology* Laurencia / physiology* Nephropidae / physiology Nitrogen Isotopes Porifera / physiology Sea Cucumbers / physiology Snails / physiology |
| Chemical | |
Reg. No./Substance:
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0/Carbon Isotopes; 0/Nitrogen Isotopes |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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