Dynamics of an estuarine nursery ground: the spatio-temporal relationship between the river flow and the food web of the juvenile common sole (Solea solea, L.) as revealed by stable isotopes analysis

Type Article
Date 2010-07
Language English
Author(s) Kostecki Caroline1, Le Loc'h F.2, Roussel J. -M.3, Desroy NicolasORCID4, Huteau D.3, Riera Pascal5, Le Bris H.1, Le Pape Olivier1
Affiliation(s) 1 : Univ Europeenne Bretagne, UMR Agrocampus Ouest 985, Inra Ecol & Sante Ecosyst, F-35042 Rennes, France.
2 : IRD, UMR EME 212, CRH, F-34200 Sete, France.
3 : INRA, UMR Ecol & Sante Ecosyst 985, F-35042 Rennes, France.
4 : CRESCO, Lab Environm Ressources Finistere Bretagne Nord, IFREMER, F-35801 Dinard, France.
5 : Univ Paris 06, CNRS, UMR 7144, Stn Biol Roscoff, F-29682 Roscoff, France.
Meeting 7th International Symposium on Flatfish Ecology, Sesimbra, PORTUGAL, NOV 02-08, 2008
Source Journal Of Sea Research (1385-1101) (Elsevier Science Bv), 2010-07 , Vol. 64 , N. 1-2 , P. 54-60
DOI 10.1016/j.seares.2009.07.006
WOS© Times Cited 37
Keyword(s) Juvenile Common Sole, Stable Isotopes, Estuarine Nursery Grounds, Food Web, Eastern Atlantic
Abstract Estuaries are essential fish habitats because they provide nursery grounds for a number of marine species. Previous studies in the Bay of Vilaine (part of the Bay of Biscay, France) have underlined the estuarine dependence of juvenile common sole (Solea solea, L) and shown that the extent of sole nursery grounds was positively influenced by the variability of the river flow. In the present study, stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes were used to describe the trophic network until the young-of-the-year sole and to compare interannual variations in the dominant trophic pathways in the sole nursery areas in this bay. Particulate organic matter (POM), sediment organic matter (SOM), microphytobenthos, benthic invertebrate sole prey and young-of-the-year common sole were collected during the summer over 4 years characterised by contrasting river discharges. POM isotopic signatures were used to identify the origins of nutrient and organic matter assimilated into the estuarine food web through benthic organisms to juvenile common sole. Interannual spatial variations were found in the POM carbon stable isotope signatures, with the importance of these variations depending on the interannual fluctuations of the river flow. Moreover, the spatio-temporal variability of this POM isotopic signature was propagated along the food webs up to juvenile sole, confirming the central role of river discharge and terrigeneous subsidy input in the estuarine benthic food web in determining the size of the sole nursery habitat. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Kostecki Caroline, Le Loc'h F., Roussel J. -M., Desroy Nicolas, Huteau D., Riera Pascal, Le Bris H., Le Pape Olivier (2010). Dynamics of an estuarine nursery ground: the spatio-temporal relationship between the river flow and the food web of the juvenile common sole (Solea solea, L.) as revealed by stable isotopes analysis. Journal Of Sea Research, 64(1-2), 54-60. Publisher's official version : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seares.2009.07.006 , Open Access version : https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00008/11923/