Biokinetics and discrimination factors for δ13C and δ15N in the omnivorous freshwater crustacean, Cherax destructor

Abstract

Knowledge and understanding of biokinetics and discrimination factors for carbon-13 (δ13C) and nitrogen-15 (δ15N) are important when using stable isotopes for food-web studies. Therefore, we performed a controlled laboratory diet-switch experiment to examine diet–tissue and diet–faeces discrimination factors as well as the biokinetics of stable-isotope assimilation in the omnivorous freshwater crustacean, Cherax destructor. The biokinetics of δ13C could not be established; however, the δ15N value of C. destructor tissue reached equilibrium after 80 ± 35 days, with an estimated biological half-time for 15N of 19 ± 5 days. Metabolic activity contributed to the turnover of 15N by nearly an order of magnitude more than growth. The diet–tissue discrimination factors at the end of the exposure were estimated as –1.1 ± 0.5‰ for δ13C and +1.5 ± 1.0‰ for δ15N, indicating that a δ15N diet–tissue discrimination factor different from the typically assumed +3.4‰ may be required for freshwater macroinvertebrates such as C. destructor. The diet–faeces discrimination factor for δ15N after 120 days was estimated as +0.9 ± 0.5‰. The present study provides an increased understanding of the biokinetics and discrimination factors for a keystone freshwater macroinvertebrate that will be valuable for future food-web studies in freshwater ecosystems.