Food resources of the bivalve Astarte elliptica in a sub-Arctic fjord: a multi-biomarker approach

Type Article
Date 2017-03
Language English
Author(s) Gaillard Blandine1, 2, Meziane Tarik2, Tremblay RejeanORCID1, Archambault Philippe1, 3, Blicher Martin E.4, Chauvaud Laurent5, Rysgaard SorenORCID4, 6, 7, Olivier Frederic2
Affiliation(s) 1 : Univ Quebec, Inst Sci Mer, 310 Allee Ursulines, Rimouski, PQ G5L 3A1, Canada.
2 : UPMC, Biol Organismes & Ecosyst Aquat, Natl Museum Nat Hist, UMR MNHN,CNRS,IRD,UCN,UA, 61 Rue Buffon,CP 53, F-75231 Paris 05, France.
3 : Univ Laval, Dept Biol, Quebec Ocean, Quebec City, PQ G1V 0A6, Canada.
4 : Greenland Inst Nat Resources, Greenland Climate Res Ctr, Kivioq 2,Box 570, Nuuk 3900, Greenland.
5 : Inst Univ Europeen Mer, UMR 6539, Unite Mixte Rech, Lab Sci Environm Marin LEMAR, Technopole Brest Iroise,Rue Dumont Urville, F-29280 Plouzane, France.
6 : Univ Manitoba, CHR Fac Environm Earth & Resources, Ctr Earth Observat Sci, 499 Wallace Bldg, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada.
7 : Aarhus Univ, Arctic Res Ctr, Ny Munkegade 114,Bldg 1540, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
Source Marine Ecology Progress Series (0171-8630) (Inter-research), 2017-03 , Vol. 567 , P. 139-156
DOI 10.3354/meps12036
WOS© Times Cited 27
Keyword(s) Trophic ecology, Stable isotopes, Fatty acid trophic markers, Compound-specific stable isotope analysis, Sub-Arctic fjord, Bivalve
Abstract

It is generally agreed that pelagic-benthic coupling is tight on Arctic shelves, i.e. that organic matter produced in the surface layers supports the seafloor and benthos. However, this paradigm is mainly based on the assumption that phytoplankton and ice algae are the main sources of carbon for the benthic communities. Climate change is expected to alter the relative contribution of food sources for benthic organisms. Macroalgal biomass is predicted to increase in near-shore systems in response to increased temperature and reduced sea ice cover. Thus, a better understanding of the relative contribution of benthic and pelagic components in benthic food webs in the Arctic is needed. In this study, a multi-biomarker approach (stable isotopes, fatty acid trophic markers, and compound-specific stable isotope analysis) was applied to link potential sources of carbon, including particulate organic matter from subsurface and bottom waters, sediment organic matter, and 6 macroalgal species to the diet of the bivalve Astarte elliptica collected below the euphotic zone in a sub-Arctic fjord (Kobbefjord, Greenland). Results showed that A. elliptica feeds on particulate and sediment organic matter and that brown macroalgae significantly support the Arctic benthic food web. Multi-biomarker approaches can be used to determine the diet of benthic organisms and track temporal variability in sources of food. It therefore appears to be an interesting method to study food regime strategies in response to changing primary production dynamics.

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Gaillard Blandine, Meziane Tarik, Tremblay Rejean, Archambault Philippe, Blicher Martin E., Chauvaud Laurent, Rysgaard Soren, Olivier Frederic (2017). Food resources of the bivalve Astarte elliptica in a sub-Arctic fjord: a multi-biomarker approach. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 567, 139-156. Publisher's official version : https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12036 , Open Access version : https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00616/72824/