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

海洋大型藻类在南极半岛沿海食物网中的重要性尚不为人所知。Kenneth Dunton博士利用从南极半岛几个地点收集的海洋动植物，建议通过使用稳定的碳和氮同位素特征来确定大型藻类碳对丰富的底栖生物群落的贡献。沿海大型藻类密度极高，其生产力可能与当地浮游植物相当或超过当地浮游植物。需要检验的假设是，大型藻类是许多底栖动物和底栖动物的重要食物碳源，就像最近对低纬度的海藻所证明的那样。采集的动植物的稳定同位素分析将为评估高纬度食物网中大型藻类碳的贡献以及南极半岛海洋动物的营养关系和摄食策略提供独特的机会。

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.