Food Web Structure and Importance of Macroalgal Carbon to Coastal Communities of the Antarctic Peninsula Based on Stable Carbon & Nitrogen Isotope Signatures

海洋大型藻类在沿海食物网中的重要性 南极洲的半岛并不为人所知。 肯尼斯·邓顿博士， 海洋植物群和动物群收集的几个地点的 南极半岛，建议确定 大型藻类碳丰富的底栖生物群落， 碳和氮的同位素特征 沿海密度 大型藻类的产量极高， 与当地的浮游植物相匹配甚至超过。 的 有待检验的假设是大型藻类作为重要的 许多底栖和底表动物的食物碳源， 最近在低纬度地区的海带中得到证实。 稳定 对收集到的动物群和植物群进行同位素分析， 这是一个评估大型藻类 高纬度食物网中的碳，以及营养关系 南极海洋动物的觅食策略 半岛。

The importance of marine macroalgae in coastal food webs of the Antarctic Peninsula is not well known. Dr. Kenneth Dunton, using marine flora and fauna collected from several sites on the Antarctic Peninsula, proposes to determine the contribution of macroalgal carbon to the rich benthic communities by using stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic signatures. The density of coastal macroalgae is extremely high, the productivity of which probably matches or exceeds that of the local phytoplankton. The hypothesis to be tested is that macroalgae serve as an important dietary carbon source of many benthic and epibenthic fauna, as recently demonstrated for kelps in low latitudes. The stable isotopic analysis of the collected fauna and flora will provide an unique opportunity to evaluate the contribution of macroalgal carbon in high latitude food webs, as well as trophic relations and feeding strategies of marine fauna on the Antarctic Peninsula.