Compound-specific isotopes of fatty acids as indicators of trophic interactions in the East China Sea ecosystem -- Journal of Oceanology and Limnology,2016,34(5):1085-1096

	Cite this paper:
	WU Ying, WANG Na, ZHANG Jing, WAN Ruijing, DAI Fangqun, JIN Xianshi. Compound-specific isotopes of fatty acids as indicators of trophic interactions in the East China Sea ecosystem[J]. Journal of Oceanology and Limnology, 2016, 34(5): 1085-1096

Compound-specific isotopes of fatty acids as indicators of trophic interactions in the East China Sea ecosystem

WU Ying¹, WANG Na^1,2, ZHANG Jing¹, WAN Ruijing³, DAI Fangqun³, JIN Xianshi³

1 State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China;
2 Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin 300308, China;
3 Key Laboratory for Sustainable Utilization of Marine Fisheries Resource, Ministry of Agriculture, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China

Abstract:

The composition and compound-specific isotopes of fatty acids were studied within food webs in the East China Sea. Lipid-normalized stable carbon isotopes of total organic carbon had a good correlation with trophic level. Variations in fatty acid compositions among different species were observed but were unclear. Different dietary structures could be traced from molecular isotopes of selected fatty acids in the Shiba shrimp (Matapenaeus joyneri), the coastal mud shrimp (Solenocera crassicornis) and the northern Maoxia shrimp (Acetes chinensis). Both M. joyneri and S. crassicornis are mainly benthos feeders, while A. chinensis is a pelagic species, although they have a similar fatty acid composition. There was a good correlation for isotopes of arachidonic acid (C20:4n6; ARA) and docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6n3; DHA) among pelagic species from higher trophic levels. The isotopic compositions of DHA in benthic species were more negative than those of pelagic species at the same trophic level. The fact that the diet of benthic species contains more degraded items, the carbon isotopes of which are derived from a large biochemical fraction, may be the reason for this variation. A comparative study of benthic and pelagic species demonstrated the different carbon sources in potential food items and the presence of a more complex system at the watersediment interface.

Key words: fatty acid|compound-specific isotope ratio|stable isotope ratio|East China Sea

Received: 2015-03-14 Revised: 2015-06-15

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