Upper trophic structure in the Atlantic Patagonian shelf break as inferred from stable isotope analysis -- Journal of Oceanology and Limnology,2018,36(3):717-725

	Cite this paper:
	ZHU Guoping, ZHANG Haiting, YANG Yang, WANG Shaoqin, WEI Lian, YANG Qingyuan. Upper trophic structure in the Atlantic Patagonian shelf break as inferred from stable isotope analysis[J]. Journal of Oceanology and Limnology, 2018, 36(3): 717-725

Upper trophic structure in the Atlantic Patagonian shelf break as inferred from stable isotope analysis

ZHU Guoping^1,2,3, ZHANG Haiting^1,3, YANG Yang^1,3, WANG Shaoqin^1,3, WEI Lian^1,3, YANG Qingyuan^1,3

1 College of Marine Sciences, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China;
2 National Engineering Research Center for Oceanic Fisheries, Shanghai 201306, China;
3 Polar Marine Ecosystem Group, Key Laboratory of Sustainable Exploitation of Oceanic Fisheries Resources, Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Education, Shanghai 201306, China

Abstract:

The Patagonian Shelf is a very productive region with different ecosystem structures. A long history of fishing in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean combined with a complex hydrographic structure, with a permanent front over the shelf-break and different coastal frontal regions, and a wide non-frontal area in between have made the food web in this area more complex and have resulted in changes to the spatialtemporal scale. Stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen were used to determine the trophic structure of the Patagonian shelf break which was previously poorly understood. The results indicated that the average δ¹⁵N value of pelagic guild (Illex argentinus) was remarkable lower than those of the other guilds. The δ¹³C values of almost all species ranged from -17‰ to -18‰, but Stromateus brasiliensis had a significant lower δ¹³C value. Compared with the southern Patagonian shelf, short food chain length also occurred. The impact of complex oceanographic structures has resulted in food web structure change to the temporal-spatial scale on the Patagonian shelf. The Patagonian shelf break can be considered as a separated ecosystem structure with lower δ¹⁵N values.

Key words: ¹³C|¹⁵N|trophic structure|Patagonian shelf break

Received: 2017-01-04 Revised:

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