ISSN:
1095-8649
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
The scales of whitefish Coregonus lavaretus were used in place of dorsal muscle, which necessitates killing the fish, to study food webs from the δ13C and δ15N isotopic ratios in the organic fraction. As scales are composed of both organic and calcified fractions, a protocol for scale decalcification was first devised. The δ13C and δ15N values of the decalcified scales were then shown to be closely correlated to those of the dorsal muscle, demonstrating that scales could be used in place of muscle to study food webs. Changes in the δ13C of whitefish were determined from a scale collection that extended over the period during which the trophic state of Lake Geneva was recovering.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1095-8649.2003.00239.x
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