Download Improved understanding of large-scale trophic succession through

Levin, L. A., IOD, Scripps Inst. Ocean., La Jolla, CA, USA, llevin@ucsd.edu
Currin, C., Nat. Ocean Service, NOAA, Beaufort, NC, Carolyn.Currin@noaa.gov
Neira, C. IOD, Scripps Inst. Ocean., La Jolla, CA, USA, cneira@coast.ucsd.edu
McMillan, P., IOD, Scripps Inst. Ocean., La Jolla, CA, USA, pmcmillan@ucsd.edu
Mendoza, G., IOD, Scripps Inst. Ocean., La Jolla, CA, USA, guillmendoza@hotmail.com
Whitcraft, C., IOD, Scripps Inst. Ocean., La Jolla, CA, USA, cwhitcra@ucsd.edu
Gonzalez, J., IOD, Scripps Inst. Ocean., La Jolla, CA, USA, jpgonzal@ucsd.edu
Carman, K., Dept. of Biol. Sci, LSU, Baton Rouge, LA, USA, zocarm@lsu.edu
IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING OF LARGE-SCALE TROPHIC SUCCESSION
THROUGH SMALL-SCALE ISOTOPIC ENRICHMENT EXPERIMENTS
Of the many factors regulating succession in benthic marine communities, food has
commanded relatively little attention. In California tidal wetlands, disturbance,
restoration and plant invasions induce shifts from microalgal-dominated to plant-covered
sediments. By enriching algae or bacteria with C-13 and Spartina or cyanobacteria with
N-15, we are able to identify those infaunal taxa that preferentially feed on each food
source, or C and N derived from these. Experimental results combined with time-series
community data reveal that large-scale shifts in community structure in restored salt
marshes (from insect to annelid-dominated assemblages) and Spartina-invaded tidal
wetlands (from surface to subsurface feeders) are likely to be caused by changes in food
availability.
2003 Am. Society of Limnology and Oceanography Meeting