Bulk hydrogen stable isotope composition of seaweeds: Clear separation between Ulvophyceae and other classes |
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Authors: | Matheus C. Carvalho Pedro Bastos de Macedo Carneiro Fernando Gaspar Dellatorre Pablo Ezequiel Gibilisco Julian Sachs Bradley D. Eyre |
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Affiliation: | 1. Centre for Coastal Biogeochemistry Research, School of Environmental Science and Management, Southern Cross University, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia;2. Laboratório de Macroalgas, Instituto de Ciências do Mar (LABOMAR), Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil;3. UTN Facultad Regional Chubut / CESIMAR ‐ CONICET Av. del Trabajo 1536, Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina;4. National University of Patagonia San Juan Bosco, Puerto Madryn, Argentina;5. School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA |
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Abstract: | Little is known about the bulk hydrogen stable isotope composition (δ2H) of seaweeds. This study investigated the bulk δ2H in several different seaweed species collected from three different beaches in Brazil, Australia, and Argentina. Here, we show that Ulvophyceae (a group of green algae) had lower δ2H values (between ?94‰ and ?130‰) than red algae (Florideophyceae), brown algae (Phaeophyceae), and species from the class Bryopsidophyceae (another group of green algae). Overall the latter three groups of seaweeds had δ2H values between ?50‰ and ?90‰. These findings were similar at the three different geographic locations. Observed differences in δ2H values were probably related to differences in hydrogen (H) metabolism among algal groups, also observed in the δ2H values of their lipids. The marked difference between the δ2H values of Ulvophyecae and those of the other groups could be useful to trace the food source of food webs in coastal rocky shores, to assess the impacts of green tides on coastal ecosystems, and to help clarify aspects of their phylogeny. However, reference materials for seaweed δ2H are required before the full potential of using the δ2H of seaweeds for ecological studies can be exploited. |
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Keywords: | Chlorophyta green algae hydrogen intercontinental macroalgae seaweeds stable isotopes Ulvophyceae |
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