Effects of nutrient enrichment on C and N stable isotope ratios of invertebrates, fish and their food resources in boreal streams

Abstract

Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes are frequently used to study energy sources and food web structure in ecosystems, and more recently, to study the effects of anthropogenic stress on aquatic ecosystems. We investigated the effect of nutrient enrichment on δ13C and δ15N in fine (FPOM), coarse (CPOM) particulate organic matter, periphyton, invertebrates and fish in nine boreal streams in south-central Sweden. In addition, we analysed the diet of benthic consumers using stable isotope data. Increases in δ15N of periphyton (R 2 = 0.88), CPOM (0.78), invertebrates (0.92) and fish (0.89) were related to nutrient enrichment. In contrast, δ13C signatures did not change along the nutrient gradient. Our results show that δ15N has potential as a sensitive indicator of nutrient enrichment in boreal streams. Carbon and nitrogen isotopes failed to elucidate putative diets of selected aquatic consumers. Indeed, comparison of low- and high-impact sites showed that δ13C of many consumers were found outside the ranges of basal resource δ13C. Moreover, ranges of basal resource δ13C and δ15N overlapped at both low and high sites, making discrimination between the importance of allochthonous and autochthonous production difficult. Our findings show that a fractionation rate of 3.4‰ is not always be appropriate to assess trophic interactions, suggesting that more studies are needed on fractionation rates along gradients of impairment.