Fine-scale variability in the dietary sources of grazing invertebrates in a temperate Australian saltmarsh

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dc.contributor.authorSaintilan, Nen_AU
dc.contributor.authorMazumder, Den_AU
dc.date.accessioned2010-08-05T04:24:21Zen_AU
dc.date.available2010-08-05T04:24:21Zen_AU
dc.date.issued2010-05-28en_AU
dc.date.statistics2010-05-28en_AU
dc.description.abstractSaltmarsh floristic diversity declines with increasing latitude on the Australian east coast, with the dominant tropical C4 grass Sporobolus virginicus being replaced progressively by a suite of mostly succulent C3 species. The temperate Towra Point saltmarsh consists of a mosaic of vegetation communities, including stands of the C4 saltmarsh grass Sporobolus virginicus, and the C3 succulents Suaeda australis and Sarcocornia quinqueflora. The contrasting stable isotope signatures of these plants provide an opportunity to determine the extent to which plant material is contributing to the diet of grazing invertebrates inhabiting these communities. The grazing crabs Parasesarma erythrodactyla and Helograpsus haswellianus, and the snail Littoraria luteola, were sampled for their carbon and nitrogen isotope signatures. In the Sarcocornia communities, crab and snail δ13C signatures could not be matched to the signature of dominant plants, but were close to the fine benthic material on the marsh surface. In the Sporobolus community, the δ13C signatures of the same species were enriched and closer to that of the dominant plant. Results suggest that grazing herbivores feed over very small spatial ranges within mosaics of vegetation on locally sourced benthic material, with S. virginicus plant material making a contribution to dietary carbon where present. © 2010, CSIRO Publishingen_AU
dc.identifier.citationSaintilan, N., & Mazumder, D. (2010). Fine-scale variability in the dietary sources of grazing invertebrates in a temperate Australian saltmarsh. Marine and Freshwater Research, 61(5), 615-620.en_AU
dc.identifier.govdoc2209en_AU
dc.identifier.issn1323-1650en_AU
dc.identifier.issue5en_AU
dc.identifier.journaltitleMarine and Freshwater Researchen_AU
dc.identifier.pagination615-620en_AU
dc.identifier.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.1071/MF09187en_AU
dc.identifier.urihttp://apo.ansto.gov.au/dspace/handle/10238/2062en_AU
dc.identifier.volume61en_AU
dc.language.isoenen_AU
dc.publisherCSIRO Publishingen_AU
dc.subjectStable isotopesen_AU
dc.subjectEstuariesen_AU
dc.subjectInvertebratesen_AU
dc.subjectDieten_AU
dc.subjectMarshesen_AU
dc.subjectAustraliaen_AU
dc.titleFine-scale variability in the dietary sources of grazing invertebrates in a temperate Australian saltmarshen_AU
dc.typeJournal Articleen_AU
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