Species-specific trophic enrichment factor of stable nitrogen and carbon isotopes in fish otolith organic matter
Ming-Tsung Chung A # , Yu-Yang Peng A # , Aafaq Nazir
A , Yu-Chun Wang B , Pei-Lin Wang A and Jen-Chieh Shiao A *
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei City, 10617, Taiwan.
B Fisheries Research Institute, Council of Agriculture, 199 Hou-Ih Road, Keelung, 202008, Taiwan.
* Correspondence to: jcshiao@ntu.edu.tw
# These authors contributed equally to this paper
Handling Editor: Iwan Jones
Marine and Freshwater Research 74(11) 956-968 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF23022
Submitted: 31 January 2023 Accepted: 22 May 2023 Published: 14 June 2023
© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing
Abstract
Context: Although stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopes are widely used to study feeding ecology, the use of these isotopes in otolith organic matter to assess the diet of fishes is rarely investigated.
Aim: This study evaluated the relationship of δ13C and δ15N values among muscle, otolith organic matter and diet. The samples were analysed using an elemental analyzer connected to isotope-ratio mass spectrometry.
Key results: The δ15N values were highest in muscle followed by otoliths, diet and plankton, although no significant difference in δ15N values was found between the otolith and diet for most of the samples. The fish collected from water reservoirs showed similar δ13C values between otolith and muscle, both of which were higher than the isotopic values of the fish diet. However, the farmed fishes showed small but significant difference in the δ13C values between muscle and otolith, which reflects diet change or commercial diet containing a mixture of different food items.
Conclusion: Otolith δ15N value can provide information about fish diet and the otolith δ13C value can act as a good proxy of muscle δ13C composition in fish species.
Implications: Otolith δ15N and δ13C values can faithfully reflect the trophic position and feeding behaviours of fish.
Keywords: calcified structure, feeding ecology, food-web structure, isotopic fractionation, otolith, stable isotopes, teleostean fish, turnover rate.
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