Stable isotopes to understand trophic interactions in floodplain wetlands of semi-arid Australia
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Date
2015-07-08
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Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
Abstract
We use stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) and gut-content analysis to understand the trophic interactions among aquatic and terrestrial consumers such as crustaceans, fish and kangaroos in floodplain wetlands of semi-arid Australia. Our results indicate the importance of water flow regimes in both spatial and temporal patterns in the trophic interactions among consumers. For example, by using δ13C and δ15N values of sample specimens,
we found significant spatial differences in dietary items and trophic positions of consumers in watercourses that share the same source water but are laterally disconnected (Kelleway et al., 2010). We found shifts in dietary sources and trophic positions for two fish species (one native and one introduced) that co-occur in shallow water bodies during water withdrawal, providing evidence that flow reductions in wetland systems
could increase the dietary overlap between native and introduced fish species (Mazumder et al., 2012). With these findings, we are assessing further applications of stable isotopes to better understand the trophic interactions among aquatic and terrestrial consumers in floodplain wetlands of semi-arid Australia.
Description
Physical copy held in ANSTO Library at DDC: 551/7
Keywords
Crustaceans, Wetlands, Water, Australia, Stable isotopes, Floods
Citation
Kobayashi, T., Wen, L., Mazumder, D., & Saintilan, N. (2015). Stable isotopes to understand trophic interactions in floodplain wetlands of semi-arid Australia. Presentation to the 13th Australasian Environmental Isotope Conference, 8-10th July 2015, Sydney, Australia. In 13th Australasian Environmental Isotope Conference, 8-10th July 2015, Sydney, Australia. Programme and Abstracts, (pp. 23).