Trophic importance of a temperate intertidal wetland to resident and itinerant taxa: evidence from multiple stable isotope analyses

Mazumder, D; Saintilan, N; Williams, RJ; Szymczak, R

Trophic importance of a temperate intertidal wetland to resident and itinerant taxa: evidence from multiple stable isotope analyses

Date

2011-01-18

Authors

Publisher

CSIRO Publishing

Abstract

Juveniles of commercially important fish species congregate in shallow vegetated estuarine habitats during high tides. Considerable debate has centred on whether the significance of these habitats lies in their provision of greater feeding opportunities, or shelter from predation afforded by greater structural complexity. We tested the hypothesis that an inundated mangrove and saltmarsh wetland provided feeding opportunities for itinerant species, and that the contribution of wetland primary producers and grazing herbivores could be identified in their diet, using stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen. Potential sources of dietary carbon included mangrove, saltmarsh, seagrass, seagrass epiphytic material and benthic organic material. Saltmarsh plants (mostly Sporobolus virginicus and Juncus kraussii) and fine benthic organic material appeared to be the primary sources of dietary carbon for the resident grazing herbivores in the wetlands, based on IsoSource mixing models. During high tide, species of itinerant fish enter the mangrove and, when inundated, the saltmarsh, and feed primarily on crab larvae and copepods. Fine benthic organic matter, seagrass epiphyte, and C3 and C4 plant materials also supplement the diet of some fish. The crab larvae therefore provide a significant source of nutrition and an important link between the intertidal wetlands and the adjacent estuarine ecosystem. The carnivorous fish Acanthopagrus australis, at the highest trophic level, hunted within or adjacent to the mangrove–saltmarsh wetland and fed on several lower-order consumers within the wetland. The present study highlights the significance of mangrove and saltmarsh wetlands as a feeding habitat for resident grazers and itinerant nekton. © 2011, CSIRO Publishing

Keywords

Wetlands, Stable isotopes, Fishes, Diet, Mangroves, Marshes

Citation

Mazumder, D., Saintilan, N., Williams, R. J., & Szymczak, R. (2011). Trophic importance of a temperate intertidal wetland to resident and itinerant taxa: evidence from multiple stable isotope analyses. Marine and Freshwater Research, 62(1), 11-19. doi:10.1071/MF10076