Contribution of methane to benthic food web in a shallow lake

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In a shallow lake, the larval chironomids showed dramatically low values of carbon stable isotope ratios, which indicate the marker for dietary components. Since carbon stable isotope ratios were decreased while methane concentrations at the depth of larval chironomids burrow were high, some larvae were considered to assimilate carbon derived from biogenic methane by feeding on methane oxidizing bacteria. The results of fatty acid composition, which is another dietary marker, indicated bacteria are important food source for the larval chironomids