Trophic structure and energy flow in backwater lakes of two large floodplain rivers assessed using stable isotopes

Abstract

Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N, respectively) were measured for locally abundant primary producers, detritus, aquatic invertebrates, and fish in backwater lakes of two large floodplain rivers in an effort to understand patterns of energy dependence and trophic structure within these habitats. We observed trophic enrichment values for 15N that were within the ranges observed for other aquatic systems but were often considerably lower than the 3.4‰ typically assumed in stable isotope studies. Production based on benthic and terrestrial material, combined with planktonic production for larval fish, appears to be an important energy source supporting consumers in backwater lakes of large floodplain rivers. Our isotopic data challenge the conventional wisdom that macrophytes are centrally involved in supplying carbon to aquatic consumers in shallow lakes and that food webs in most lakes are sustained almost exclusively by carbon fixed by phytoplankton.