Effects of preservatives on stable isotope analyses of four marine species

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to quantify the effect of formalin–ethanol preservation on the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope signatures of four taxonomical groups of marine species ( Himanthalia elongata, Anemonia sulcata, Mytilus galloprovincialis and Patella vulgata). To examine temporal changes in the effects of preservation and to determine if preservation induced predictable shifts in δ 13C and δ 15N signatures, repeated analyses were carried out after 6, 12 and 24 months of preservation. Data from our study showed highly variable effects of the formalin–ethanol preservation on carbon and nitrogen isotope signatures between species. The use of a general correction factor was not possible, or else it should be species-specific. Differences in nitrogen isotopic values between preserved and unpreserved samples were minor compared to the assumed enrichment between trophic levels. The combined use of data from preserved and unpreserved samples could lead to biases in the estimation of the trophic level of organisms. Changes that preservatives caused in carbon values were variable between species and not always small enough to be ignored. So the use of data from preserved samples could change the interpretation of the mixing models used to determine the importance of multiple sources of carbon. In order to elucidate the effects that preservatives have in other species, further studies will be necessary.