Contribution of allochthonous carbon to American shad production in the Mattaponi River, Virginia, using stable isotopes

Abstract

Our objective was to quantify the contribution of autochthonous, locally-produced phytoplankton, and allochthonous, terrestrial-derived organic matter (OM) to the production of young-of-year (YOY) American shad(Alosa sapidissima) using stable isotopes. We measured the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope composition of YOY American shad in the tidal fresh water of the Mattaponi River, a tributary in the York River estuary, during three consecutive years. The isotopic ratios of larval American shad varied among years, indicating a switch from reliance on a primarily autochthonous food web pathway during low and moderate discharge years (50–90%; 2002, 2004) to a primarily allochthonous pathway during a high discharge year (< 35% phytoplankton; 2003). Reliance on phytoplankton by larval fish declined exponentially with increasing Mattaponi River discharge. In 2003, juvenile production was also supported by allochthonous OM, though autochthonous phytoplankton accounted for an increasingly large fraction during June through August, up to 40–55%. We also found a long-term, positive relationship between the duration of above average flow during April through June in the Mattaponi River and a corresponding index of juvenile American shad abundance. The largest American shad cohort recorded since 1967 was observed in 2003, a high discharge year. The production of this cohort was largely supported by allochthonous OM. The results suggest an important link between river discharge, energy flow, and recruitment, wherein high discharge favors reliance on terrestrial carbon by YOY American shad, owing to changes in zooplankton diet, macroinvertebrate abundance, or both, and also favors high American shad abundance.