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Trophodynamics and functional feeding groups of North Sea fauna: a combined stable isotope and fatty acid approach

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Abstract

The trophodynamics of pelagic and benthic animals of the North Sea, North Atlantic shelf, were assessed using stable isotope analysis (SIA) of natural abundance carbon and nitrogen isotopes, lipid fingerprinting and compound-specific SIA (CSIA) of phospholipid-derived fatty acids (PLFAs). Zooplankton (z), epi- and supra-benthic macrofauna were collected in the Southern Bight, at the Oyster Grounds and at North Dogger, 111 km north of the Dogger Bank. The study included 22 taxonomic groups with particular reference to Mollusca (Bivalvia and Gastropoda) and Crustacea. Primary consumers (Bivalvia) were overall most 15N enriched in the southern North Sea (6.1‰) and more depleted in the Oyster Grounds (5.5‰) and at North Dogger (2.8‰) demonstrating differences in isotopic baselines for bivalve fauna between the study sites. Higher trophic levels also followed this trend. Over an annual cycle, consumers tended to exhibit 15N depletion during spring followed by 15N enriched signatures in autumn and winter. The observed seasonal changes of δ 15N were more pronounced for suspension feeders and deposit feeders (dfs) than for filter feeders (ffs). The position of animals in plots of δ 13C and δ 15N largely concurred with the expected position according to literature-based functional feeding groups. PLFA fingerprints of groups such as z were distinct from benthic groups, e.g. benthic ffs and dfs, and predatory macrobenthos. δ 13CPLFA signatures indicated similarities in 13C moiety sources that constituted δ 13CPLFA. Although functional groups of pelagic zooplankton and (supra-) benthic animals represented phylogenetically distinct consumer groups, δ 13CPLFA demonstrated that both groups were supported by pelagic primary production and relied on the same macronutrients such as PLFAs. Errors related to the static categorization of small invertebrates into fixed trophic positions defined by phylogenetic groupings rather than by functional feeding groups, and information on seasonal trophodynamic variability, may have implications for the reliability of numerical marine ecosystem models.

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Acknowledgments

This is a contribution to the EURopean network of excellence for OCean Ecosystems ANalysiS (EUR-OCEANS) funded by the European Commission. The field work and data interpretations were partially funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA, UK, contract ME3205). The authors thank master and crew of RV CEFAS Endeavour, the cruise leaders and several cruise participants for their support. We are thankful to M. Houtekamer, P. van Rijswijk, P. van Breugel and A. Knuijt at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO, NL) for analytical support. We thank J. Newton and R. McGill at the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre (SUERC, Scottish Life Sciences Mass Spectrometry Facility, UK) for SIA and training permitted through a SUERC grant. We also thank Jon Barry and Dave Maxwell (both of Cefas) for their inputs on Fig. 4, and two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel | GEOMAR, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105, Kiel, Germany

    Benjamin Kürten

  2. Departamento de Zoología y Antropología Física, Universidad de Alcalá, 28871, Alcalá de Henares, Spain

    Inmaculada Frutos

  3. Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions-und Biodiversitätsforschung an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany

    Ulrich Struck

  4. Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, NR33 0HT, UK

    Suzanne J. Painting

  5. School of Marine Science and Technology, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK

    Nicholas V. C. Polunin

  6. Centre for Estuarine and Marine Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), PO Box 140, 4400 AC, Yerseke, The Netherlands

    Jack J. Middelburg

  7. Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, PO Box 80021, 3508 TA, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Jack J. Middelburg

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Kürten, B., Frutos, I., Struck, U. et al. Trophodynamics and functional feeding groups of North Sea fauna: a combined stable isotope and fatty acid approach. Biogeochemistry 113, 189–212 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-012-9701-8

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