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- Title
Determination of Trophic Transfer at a Created Intertidal Oyster ( Crassostrea ariakensis) Reef in the Yangtze River Estuary Using Stable Isotope Analyses.
- Authors
Quan, Wei-min; Humphries, Austin; Shi, Li-yan; Chen, Ya-qu
- Abstract
Oysters can create reefs that provide habitat for associated species resulting in elevated resident abundances, lower mortality rates, and increased growth and survivorship compared to other estuarine habitats. However, there is a need to quantify trophic relationships and transfer at created oyster reefs to provide a better understanding of their potential in creating suitable nekton habitat. Stable isotope analyses (δC and δN) were conducted to examine the organic matter sources and potential energy flow pathways at a created intertidal oyster ( Crassostrea ariakensis; hereinafter, oyster) reef and adjacent salt marsh in the Yangtze River estuary, China. The δC values of most reef-associated species (22 of 37) were intermediate between those of suspended particle organic matter (POM) and benthic microalgae (BMI), indicating that both POM and BMI are the major organic matter sources at the created oyster reef. The sessile and motile macrofauna colonizing the reef make up the main prey of transient nekton (e.g., spotted sea bass, Asian paddle crab, and green mud crab), thus suggesting that the associated community was most important in supporting higher trophic levels as opposed to the direct dietary subsidy of oysters. The created oyster reef consistently supported higher trophic levels than the adjacent salt marsh habitat due to the dominance of secondary consumers. These results indicate that through the provision of habitat for associated species, created oyster reefs provide suitable habitat and support a higher average trophic level than adjacent salt marsh in the Yangtze River estuary.
- Subjects
YANGTZE River (China); CHINA; SUMINOE oyster; REEF fishes; ESTUARIES; FISH habitats; FISH development; BENTHIC ecology; MICROALGAE
- Publication
Estuaries & Coasts, 2012, Vol 35, Issue 1, p109
- ISSN
1559-2723
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s12237-011-9414-6