Food webs of the Paraná River floodplain: Assessing basal sources using stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes

Abstract

Food webs in floodplain ecosystems may be based on a variety of aquatic, terrestrial or amphibious food resources. Here, we determined which of the basal resources mostly contribute to the food webs in a floodplain lake of the Middle Paraná River using isotopic composition of C and N ( δ 13 C and δ 15 N) of potential food sources in the Paraná floodplain (Argentina). We analyzed if organic matter sources isotope of C and N differ between flooding and low water seasons, and analyzed the isotopic niche representations of consumers in order to characterize niches width and intraguilds overlapping. To estimate the contribution of different sources of carbon to primary consumers, we measured the stable isotopic compositions of bottom sediment organic matter, coarse particulate organic matter, biofilm, suspended particulate organic matter, epiphyton, phytoplankton, C3 and C4 macrophytes and riparian tree leaves, benthic macroinvertebrates, aquatic orthopterans and fishes in dry and flooding seasons. The packages Stable Isotope Analysis and the Stable Isotope Bayesian Ellipses algorithm in R were calculated to compare the C and N isotopic variability between the primary consumers and their sources. The energy sources available for benthic organisms mainly originated from autochthonous sources based on the C3 photosynthesis pathway. The isotopic signatures of sources and primary consumers did not differ significantly between low and high water seasons. Our results demonstrated a higher contribution to primary consumers of C3 macrophytes and low contributions of C4 for herbivores; biofilm and benthic organic matter for gatherer collectors (Oligochaeta and Chironominae); epiphyton for ephemeropterans, amphipods and fishes, whereas biofilm was the most important source for mussels.