首页 | 本学科首页   官方微博 | 高级检索  
相似文献
 共查询到20条相似文献,搜索用时 15 毫秒
1.
    
The differential discrimination of nitrogen isotopes (15N/14N) within amino acids in consumers and their diets has been routinely used to estimate organismal tropic position (TP). Analogous isotopic discrimination can occur within plants, particularly in organs lacking chloroplasts. Such discrimination likely arises from the catabolic deamination of amino acids, resulting in a numerical elevation of estimated TP, within newly synthesized biomass. To investigate this phenomenon, we examined the 15N/14N of amino acids (δ15NAA) in spring leaves and flowers from eight deciduous and two annual plants. These plants were classified on the basis of their time of bloom, plants that bloomed when their leaves were absent (Type I) versus plants that bloomed while leaves were already present (Type II). Based on the δ15NAA values from leaves, both plant types occupied comparable and ecologically realistic mean TPs (=1.0 ± 0.1, mean ± 1σ). However, the estimated TPs of flowers varied significantly (Type I: 2.2 ± 0.2; Type II: 1.0 ± 0.1). We hypothesize that these results can be interpreted by the following sequence of events: (1) Type I floral biomass is synthesized in absence of active photosynthesis; (2) the catabolic deamination of amino acids in particular, leaves behind 15N in the residual pool of amino acids; and (3) the incorporation of these 15N‐enriched amino acids within the biomass of Type I flowers results in the numerical elevation of the TPs. In contrast, the actively photosynthesizing Type II leaves energetically sustain the synthesis of Type II flower biomass, precluding any reliance on catabolic deamination of amino acids. Amino acids within Type II flowers are therefore isotopically comparable to the Type II leaves. These findings demonstrate the idiosyncratic nature of the δ15NAA values within autotrophic organs and have implications for interpreting trophic hierarchies using primary producers and their consumers.  相似文献   

2.
    
This study aimed to estimate trophic discrimination factors (TDFs) and metabolic turnover rates of nitrogen and carbon stable isotopes in blood and muscle of the smallnose fanskate Sympterygia bonapartii by feeding six adult individuals, maintained in captivity, with a constant diet for 365 days. TDFs were estimated as the difference between δ13C or δ15N values of the food and the tissues of S. bonapartii after they had reached equilibrium with their diet. The duration of the experiment was enough to reach the equilibrium condition in blood for both elements (estimated time to reach 95% of turnover: C t95%blood = 150 days, N t95%blood = 290 days), whilst turnover rates could not be estimated for muscle because of variation among samples. Estimates of Δ13C and Δ15N values in blood and muscle using all individuals were Δ13Cblood = 1·7‰, Δ13Cmuscle = 1·3‰, Δ15Nblood = 2·5‰ and Δ15Nmuscle = 1·5‰, but there was evidence of differences of c.0·4‰ in the Δ13C values between sexes. The present values for TDFs and turnover rates constitute the first evidence for dietary switching in batoids based on long‐term controlled feeding experiments. Overall, the results showed that S. bonapartii has relatively low turnover rates and isotopic measurements would not track seasonal movements adequately. The estimated Δ13C values in S. bonapartii blood and muscle were similar to previous estimations for elasmobranchs and to generally accepted values in bony fishes (Δ13C = 1·5‰). For Δ15N, the results were similar to published reports for blood but smaller than reports for muscle and notably smaller than the typical values used to estimate trophic position (Δ15N c. 3·4‰). Thus, trophic position estimations for elasmobranchs based on typical Δ15N values could lead to underestimates of actual trophic positions. Finally, the evidence of differences in TDFs between sexes reveals a need for more targeted research.  相似文献   

3.
    
The utility of δ15N measurements in Padina australis Hauck as a probe for its external nitrogen (N) sources was tested by monitoring the bulk values of chemical components [δ15N, δ13C, and N and carbon (C) contents] and their internal distributions during a 12 d incubation in a controlled environment. Under the saturated conditions of isotopically heavier nitrate than that of original algal tissue, the bulk δ15N in P. australis was enriched, but less than what was predicted from a simple mixing model, signaling possible isotopic discrimination during N assimilation and subsequent N efflux from the cells. The enhanced N content (%), which occurred simultaneously with this δ15N shift, was a useful signal indicating this phenomenon. Bulk δ15N was enriched, especially around the meristem, in tissues growing under conditions of higher irradiance and temperature, probably due in part to dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) excretion. The δ13C enhancement in bulk algal tissues, also associated with high photosynthetic activity, may be an additional signal indicating this unbalanced internal δ15N distribution. However, in summer and winter environmental conditions with periodic nitrate supplies simulating typical fringing reef waters, the difference in measured algal bulk δ15N from theoretical predictions was within ±1.0‰. This difference is very small compared with the variation in δ15N in possible N sources in coastal areas. In the field, therefore, δ15N in Padina can be used effectively to trace N sources in both space and time after determining algal N content and δ13C to determine whether large alterations occur in algal δ15N.  相似文献   

4.
    
The temperature influence on carbon stable isotope discrimination (Δ) in photosynthesis by algae has not been studied taking into account the confounding effect due to photosynthetic rates. This is problematic because usually higher temperatures imply higher photosynthetic rates, and higher photosynthetic rates usually lead to a decrease in Δ. Here, we investigate the effect of temperature on Δ during photosynthesis by Undaria pinnatifida (Harv.) Suringar (Phaeophyta) in a closed system, varying temperatures between 5°C and 20°C and measuring photosynthetic rates simultaneously. There was a general trend of higher Δ for higher temperatures under the same photosynthetic rate, especially for higher photosynthetic rates. These results were consistent with the influence of phenomena related to carbon supply to the plant, like CO2 diffusion in water and through cell membranes. This influence, however, was less strong than that of photosynthetic rates on Δ (lower Δ for higher photosynthetic rates) and can be difficult to observe in nature.  相似文献   

5.
    
Understanding the ecological patterns of invasive species and their habitats require an understanding of the species’ foraging ecology. Stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope values provide useful information into the study of animal ecology and evolution, since the isotope ratios of consumers reflect consumer's dietary patterns. Nevertheless, the lack of species‐ and element‐specific laboratory‐derived turnover rates could limit their application. Using a laboratory‐based dual stable isotope tracer approach (Na15NO3 and NaH13CO3), we evaluated the δ15N and δ13C isotope turnover rates in full‐grown adult invasive Limnomysis benedeni from Lake Constance. We provide δ15N and δ13C turnover rates based on nonlinear least‐squares regression and posterior linear regression models. Model precisions and fit were evaluated using Akaike's information criterion. Within a couple of days, the δ15N and δ13C of mysids began to change. Nevertheless, after about 14 days, L. benedeni did not reach equilibrium with their new isotope values. Since the experiment was conducted on adult subjects, it is evident that turnover was mainly influenced by metabolism (in contrast to growth). Unlike traditional dietary shifts, our laboratory‐based dual stable isotope tracer approach does not shift the experimental organisms into a new diet and avoids dietary effects on isotope values. Results confirm the application of isotopic tracers to label mysid subpopulations and could be used to reflect assimilation and turnover from the labeled dietary sources. Field‐based stable isotope studies often use isotopic mixing models commonly assuming diet‐tissue steady state. Unfortunately, in cases where the isotopic composition of the animal is not in equilibrium with its diet, this can lead to highly misleading conclusions. Thus, our laboratory‐based isotopic incorporation rates assist interpretation of the isotopic values from the field and provide a foundation for future research into using isotopic tracers to investigate invasion ecology.  相似文献   

6.
7.
    
In forests of the humid subtropics of China, chronically elevated nitrogen (N) deposition, predominantly as ammonium (NH4+), causes significant nitrate (NO3?) leaching from well‐drained acid forest soils on hill slopes (HS), whereas significant retention of NO3? occurs in near‐stream environments (groundwater discharge zones, GDZ). To aid our understanding of N transformations on the catchment level, we studied spatial and temporal variabilities of concentration and natural abundance (δ15N and δ18O) of nitrate (NO3?) in soil pore water along a hydrological continuum in the N‐saturated Tieshanping (TSP) catchment, southwest China. Our data show that effective removal of atmogenic NH4+ and production of NO3? in soils on HS were associated with a significant decrease in δ15N‐NO3?, suggesting efficient nitrification despite low soil pH. The concentration of NO3? declined sharply along the hydrological flow path in the GDZ. This decline was associated with a significant increase in both δ15N and δ18O of residual NO3?, providing evidence that the GDZ acts as an N sink due to denitrification. The observed apparent 15N enrichment factor (ε) of NO3? of about ?5‰ in the GDZ is similar to values previously reported for efficient denitrification in riparian and groundwater systems. Episode studies in the summers of 2009, 2010 and 2013 revealed that the spatial pattern of δ15N and δ18O‐NO3? in soil water was remarkably similar from year to year. The importance of denitrification as a major N sink was also seen at the catchment scale, as largest δ15N‐NO3? values in stream water were observed at lowest discharge, confirming the importance of the relatively small GDZ for N removal under base flow conditions. This study, explicitly recognizing hydrologically connected landscape elements, reveals an overlooked but robust N sink in N‐saturated, subtropical forests with important implications for regional N budgets.  相似文献   

8.
    
Increasing nitrogen (N) deposition in subtropical forests in south China causes N saturation, associated with significant nitrate (NO3?) leaching. Strong N attenuation may occur in groundwater discharge zones hydrologically connected to well‐drained hillslopes, as has been shown for the subtropical headwater catchment “TieShanPing”, where dual NO3? isotopes indicated that groundwater discharge zones act as an important N sink and hotspot for denitrification. Here, we present a regional study reporting inorganic N fluxes over two years together with dual NO3? isotope signatures obtained in two summer campaigns from seven forested catchments in China, representing a gradient in climate and atmospheric N input. In all catchments, fluxes of dissolved inorganic N indicated efficient conversion of NH4+ to NO3? on well‐drained hillslopes, and subsequent interflow of NO3? over the argic B‐horizons to groundwater discharge zones. Depletion of 15N‐ and 18O–NO3? on hillslopes suggested nitrification as the main source of NO3?. In all catchments, except one of the northern sites, which had low N deposition rates, NO3? attenuation by denitrification occurred in groundwater discharge zones, as indicated by simultaneous 15N and 18O enrichment in residual NO3?. By contrast to the southern sites, the northern catchments lack continuous and well‐developed groundwater discharge zones, explaining less efficient N removal. Using a model based on 15NO3? signatures, we estimated denitrification fluxes from 2.4 to 21.7 kg N ha?1 year?1 for the southern sites, accounting for more than half of the observed N removal. Across the southern catchments, estimated denitrification scaled proportionally with N deposition. Together, this indicates that N removal by denitrification is an important component of the N budget of southern Chinese forests and that natural NO3? attenuation may increase with increasing N input, thus partly counteracting further aggravation of N contamination of surface waters in the region.  相似文献   

9.
    
Stable isotope analysis has become an important tool in ecology over the last 25 years. A wealth of ecological information is stored in animal tissues in the relative abundances of the stable isotopes of several elements, particularly carbon and nitrogen, because these isotopes navigate through ecological processes in predictable ways. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes have been measured in most primate taxonomic groups and have yielded information about dietary content, dietary variability, and habitat use. Stable isotopes have recently proven useful for addressing more fine‐grained questions about niche dynamics and anthropogenic effects on feeding ecology. Here, we discuss stable carbon and nitrogen isotope systematics and critically review the published stable carbon and nitrogen isotope data for modern primates with a focus on the problems and prospects for future stable isotope applications in primatology. Am. J. Primatol. 74:969‐989, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.  相似文献   

10.
11.
Although most carabids are primarily carnivorous, some carabid species are omnivorous, with mainly granivorous feeding habits during the larval and/or adult stages (granivorous carabids). This feeding habit has been established based on laboratory and field experiments; however, our knowledge of the feeding ecology of these beetles in the field is limited owing to the lack of an appropriate methodology. In this study, we tested the utility of stable isotope analysis in investigations of the feeding ecology of granivorous carabids in the field, using two closely related syntopic species, Amara chalcites and Amara congrua. We addressed two issues concerning the feeding ecology of granivorous carabids: food niche differentiation between related syntopic species during the larval stage and the effect on adult body size of supplementing seeds with an animal diet during the larval stage. To investigate larval feeding habits, we analysed newly emerged adults, most somatic tissues of which are considered of larval origin. In the two populations examined, both δ15N and δ13C were significantly higher in A. chalcites than A. congrua, suggesting that the two species differentiate food niches, with A. chalcites larvae being more carnivorous than A. congrua larvae. The two isotope ratios of A. chalcites samples from one locality were positively correlated with body size, suggesting that more carnivorous larvae become larger adults. However, this relationship was not detected in other species/locality groups. Thus, our results were inconclusive on the issue of diet supplementation. Nevertheless, overall, these results are comparable with those of previous laboratory‐rearing experiments and demonstrate the potential utility of stable isotope analysis in field studies on the feeding ecology of granivorous carabids.  相似文献   

12.
    
Mutualistic nutritional symbioses are widespread in marine ecosystems. They involve the association of a host organism (algae, protists, or marine invertebrates) with symbiotic microorganisms, such as bacteria, cyanobacteria, or dinoflagellates. Nutritional interactions between the partners are difficult to identify in symbioses because they only occur in intact associations. Stable isotope analysis (SIA) has proven to be a useful tool to highlight original nutrient sources and to trace nutrients acquired by and exchanged between the different partners of the association. However, although SIA has been extensively applied to study different marine symbiotic associations, there is no review taking into account of the different types of symbiotic associations, how they have been studied via SIA, methodological issues common among symbiotic associations, and solutions that can be transferred from one type of association with another. The present review aims to fill such gaps in the scientific literature by summarizing the current knowledge of how isotopes have been applied to key marine symbioses to unravel nutrient exchanges between partners, and by describing the difficulties in interpreting the isotopic signal. This review also focuses on the use of compound‐specific stable isotope analysis and on statistical advances to analyze stable isotope data. It also highlights the knowledge gaps that would benefit from future research.  相似文献   

13.
    
Progress in the study of stable isotope discrimination in carbon assimilation by aquatic macrophytes has been slower than for other groups of primary producers, such as phytoplankton and terrestrial plants. A probable reason has been the methodologies employed for such a study: field collections or long‐term incubations, both relying on the observation of changes in carbon isotope composition of plant tissue. Here, we present a short‐term incubation method based on the change in carbon stable isotope composition in water. Its fundamental advantage over the other approaches is that the change in stable isotope composition in water in a closed system is much faster than in the plant tissue. We applied the method to investigate the relationship between carbon assimilation intensity and isotope discrimination. The results included a relatively small discrimination in respiration, a significant influence of carbon assimilation rate on discrimination, and the suggestion of HCO3? or CO2 uptake in photosynthesis. The information gathered using this method would be difficult to obtain in other ways, and so we believe that it should contribute to a better understanding of the physiology and ecology of aquatic macrophytes.  相似文献   

14.
    
1. Species diversities of some insect lineages have been attributed to differentiation of feeding habits among species. Our objective was to determine variation in diet composition among harpaline ground beetle species occurring in a riverside grassland. 2. We examined the diet compositions of 14 species from six genera in the spring and 10 species from two genera in the autumn. We performed measurements of nitrogen and carbon stable isotope ratios in consumers and in their potential food items, and estimated relative contributions of different food items with two mixing models, IsoSource and MixSIR. 3. IsoSource and MixSIR software gave similar results, but IsoSource tended to calculate higher contributions of principal food items and smaller percentile ranges than MixSIR. Among harparine beetle species, there were diverse food utilisation patterns among four food categories (detritivorous invertebrates, herbivorous invertebrates, C3 plants, and C4 plants). Detritivores comprised the main diets of abundant harpaline species in the spring, whereas abundant harpaline species in the autumn were primarily herbivores feeding on C4 plants, or omnivores feeding on herbivorous invertebrates and C3 plants. Seasonal changes in food use were related to seasonal changes in the abundance of each food resource. 4. Mixing model analysis of stable isotope ratios is a convenient and effective method for roughly estimating diets of many species with diverse food habits (such as ground beetles). This method can contribute to determining the trophic relationships of related insects in one ecosystem.  相似文献   

15.
    
Stable isotope natural abundance measurements integrate across several biogeochemical processes in ecosystem N and C dynamics. Here, we report trends in natural isotope abundance (δ13C and δ15N in plant and soil) along a climosequence of 33 Nothofagus forest stands located within Patagonia, Southern Argentina. We measured 28 different abiotic variables (both climatic variables and soil properties) to characterize environmental conditions at each of the 33 sites. Foliar δ13C values ranged from ?35.4‰ to ?27.7‰, and correlated positively with foliar δ15N values, ranging from ?3.7‰ to 5.2‰. Soil δ13C and δ15N values reflected the isotopic trends of the foliar tissues and ranged from ?29.8‰ to ?25.3‰, and ?4.8‰ to 6.4‰, respectively, with no significant differences between Nothofagus species (Nothofagus pumilio, Nothofagus antarctica, Nothofagus betuloides). Principal component analysis and multiple regressions suggested that mainly water availability variables (mean annual precipitation), but not soil properties, explained between 42% and 79% of the variations in foliar and soil δ13C and δ15N natural abundance, which declined with increased moisture supply. We conclude that a decline in water use efficiency at wetter sites promotes both the depletion of heavy C and N isotopes in soil and plant biomass. Soil δ13C values were higher than those of the plant tissues and this difference increased as annual precipitation increased. No such differences were apparent when δ15N values in soil and plant were compared, which indicates that climatic differences contributed more to the overall C balance than to the overall N balance in these forest ecosystems.  相似文献   

16.
    
A combination of dietary guild analysis and nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) stable‐isotope analysis was used to assess the trophic structure of the fish community in Rhode Island and Block Island Sounds, an area off southern New England identified for offshore wind energy development. In the autumn of 2009, 2010 and 2011, stomach and tissue samples were taken from 20 fish and invertebrate species for analysis of diet composition and δ15N and δ13C signatures. The food chain in Rhode Island and Block Island Sounds comprises approximately four trophic levels within which the fish community is divided into distinct dietary guilds, including planktivores, benthivores, crustacivores and piscivores. Within these guilds, inter‐species isotopic and dietary overlap is high, suggesting that resource partitioning or competitive interactions play a major role in structuring the fish community. Carbon isotopes indicate that most fishes are supported by pelagic phytoplankton, although there is evidence that benthic production also plays a role, particularly for obligate benthivores such as skates Leucoraja spp. This type of analysis is useful for developing an ecosystem‐based approach to management, as it identifies species that act as direct links to basal resources as well as species groups that share trophic roles.  相似文献   

17.
    
Abstract. 1. We propose a non‐lethal sampling method involving stable isotope analysis for estimating the trophic position of the endangered giant water bug Kirkaldyia (=Lethocerus) deyrolli (Heteroptera: Belostomatidae) in the wild. 2. Kirkaldyia deyrolli individuals were collected and their δ15N and δ13C values were measured. The δ15N and δ13C values of periphyton and particulate organic matter, the basal food sources in lentic ecosystems of rice fields, were also measured to estimate the trophic position of K. deyrolli. When individual isotopic signatures of the whole body were compared with those of their middle leg tarsus, we found strong correlations between them for both δ15N and δ13C. To estimate their trophic position without killing individuals, we constructed a regression model incorporating their middle leg tarsus’s isotopic signatures and their body size as explanatory variables. This non‐lethal method revealed that K. deyrolli showed great individual variation in its δ15N which is a proxy of trophic position, ranging from 5.60‰ to 8.11‰. 3. To evaluate the negative effects of our non‐lethal method on the fitness of K. deyrolli, we examined how the removal of the middle leg tarsus affected reproductive performance under laboratory conditions. A comparison between the manipulated and unmanipulated individuals revealed that the removal treatment did not have any negative effects on female clutch size or egg hatchability for males. 4. In conclusion, stable isotope analysis of the middle leg tarsus of K. deyrolli is useful for estimating its trophic position without lethal or any negative fitness effects.  相似文献   

18.
    
  • In gynodioecious plants, females are expected to produce more or better seeds than hermaphrodites in order to be maintained within the same population. Even though rarely measured, higher seed production can be achieved through differences in physiology.
  • In this work, we measured sexual dimorphism in several physiological traits in the gynodioecious plant Geranium sylvaticum. Photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, WUE and isotopic signatures were measured in plants growing in two habitats differing in light availability.
  • Females have been reported to produce more seeds than hermaphrodites. However, we did not observe any significant difference in seed output between the sexes in these experimental populations. Similarly, the sexes did not differ in any physiological trait measured. Seed production was strongly limited by light availability. Likewise, differences between plants growing in full light versus low light were detected in most physiological parameters measured.
  • Our results show that the sexes in G. sylvaticum do not show any evidence of sexual dimorphism in physiology, which concurred with a lack of sexual differences in seed output.
  相似文献   

19.
1. Broad‐scale assessment of stream health is often based on correlative relationships between catchment land‐use categories and measurements of stream biota or water chemistry. Few studies have attempted to characterise the response curves that describe how measures of ecosystem function change along gradients of catchment land use, or explored how these responses vary at broad spatial scales. 2. In autumn 2008, we conducted a survey of 84 streams in three bioregions of New Zealand to assess the sensitivity of functional indicators to three land‐use gradients: percentage of native vegetation cover, percentage of impervious cover (IC) and predicted nitrogen (N) concentration. We examined these relationships using general linear models and boosted regression trees to explore monotonic, non‐monotonic and potential threshold components of the response curves. 3. When viewing the responses to individual land‐use gradients, four of five functional indicators were positively correlated with the removal of native vegetation cover and N. In general, weaker and less responsive models were observed for the IC gradient. An analysis of the response to multiple stressors showed δ15N of primary consumers and gross primary productivity (GPP) to be the most responsive functional indicators to land‐use gradients. The multivariate models identified thresholds for change in the relationship between the functional indicators and all three land‐use gradients. Apparent thresholds were <10%IC, between 40 and 80% loss of native vegetation cover and at 0.5 and 3.2 mg L?1 N. 4. The strength of regression models and the nature of the response curves suggest that measures of ecosystem function exhibit predictable relationships with land use. Furthermore, the responses of functional indicators varied little among three bioregions. This information provides a strong argument for the inclusion of functional indicators in a holistic assessment of stream health.  相似文献   

20.
1. The energetic hypothesis proposes that the vertical structure of food webs should increase in height with increasing system productivity. I measured the trophic positions and extent of trophic separation between the invertebrate planktivores Mysis relicta and Chaoborus spp. and their putative zooplankton prey along a gradient of lake productivity with the use of stable nitrogen isotopes. 2. In lakes of low productivity, these planktivores were found to be herbivorous, becoming omnivorous at intermediate lake productivities, and only able to be truly zooplanktivorous as lakes approached mesotrophy. A subsequent secondary analysis of literature data revealed that the strength of top‐down trophic cascades among these organisms increased with lake productivity as reflected by relationships between the abundance of planktivores and that of phytoplankton. 3. Increased omnivory under conditions of low productivity, effectively shortening the vertical structure of food webs as predicted by the energetic hypothesis, may produce increased community stability.  相似文献   

设为首页 | 免责声明 | 关于勤云 | 加入收藏

Copyright©北京勤云科技发展有限公司  京ICP备09084417号