15N and 13C abundances in the Antartic Ocean with emphasis on the biogeochemical structure of the food web

Abstract

Distributions of δ 15N and δ 13C for biogenic substances in the Antarctic Ocean were investigated to construct a biogeochemical framework for assessing the Antarctic ecosystem. Phytoplankton exhibited particularly low δ 15N (0.5%) and 13C (-26.9%) values in pelagic plankton samples. High nitrate concentrations, and high P CO 2 in the surface waters on the southern side of the polar front and the resulting slow growth rate of phytoplankton under low light intensity are suggested as possible factors in causing the low isotopic compositions. Mean fractionation factors of 1.029 and 1.006 were estimated for photosynthetic carbon fixation and for the assimilation of inorganic nitrogeneous compounds (ammonium plus nitrate) during algal growth, respectively. Enrichment of 15N with increasing trophic level was confirmed for Antarctic ecosystems: δ 15N animal% = 3.3 (trophic level −1) + δ 5N algae, whereas 13C content did not increase in the same manner. Differences in lipid content among animals may be the main factor in causing this δ 13C anomaly. 15N and 13C abundance of sedimentary organic nitrogen differed from phytoplankton and settling particles. An exact mechanism for explaining the high δ 15N (around 5%) is not known. The very high δ 13C value of −20.5% at Sta. 3B may originate in ice algae that had grown under CO 2-limited conditions. Particles collected by sediment traps gave characteristically low δ 15N values (−3.0 to 0.9%), strongly suggesting a phytoplankton origin. The δ 15N and δ 13C values of settling material showed similar vertical profiles with depth which might arise from temporal variation of algal growth.