Stable isotopes and fatty acids as dietary tracers of intertidal bivalves

Abstract

We evaluated the potential food sources of six commercially important bivalve species (Mactra veneriformis, Mactra chinensis, Ruditapes philippinarum, Cyclina sinensis, Dosinia laminate, and Sinonovacula constricta) that coexist in intertidal areas of Zhuanghe Bay, northern China. The δ13C values of bivalves (−19.9 to −19.0 ‰) were between those of particulate organic matter (POM) (−22.5 ‰) and sedimentary organic matter (SOM) (−14.9 ‰). Based on the isotope two-source mixing model, the relative contributions of POM and SOM to the dietary regime of intertidal bivalves were 71.6 and 29.4 %, respectively. This result is consistent with the traditional view that POM is the principal food source of bivalves. The lack of significant differences in δ13C values among species suggests that they had the same primary food source. High proportions of dinoflagellate fatty acid markers in all species supported the premise that POM was their primary food source. Levels of bacterial and terrestrial organic matter (TOM) fatty acid markers were also high in all species, indicating that bacteria and TOM can be important supplemental food sources for intertidal bivalves.