Stable isotopic analysis of Barnacle larvae and their faecal pellets to evaluate the ingested food

Stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen are useful in the evaluation of food web dynamics and have been used extensively in the feeding studies. Barnacles are dominant component of the intertidal and bio-fouling communities. Life cycle of barnacles includes planktonic naupliar stages followed by a non-feeding pre-settling cyprid stage. Development success of the nauplii depends on the food available for them in the natural environment. However, the food preference of the nauplii in the natural environment is still not well understood. In this study experiments were carried out initially to assess the 13C and 15N fractionation between the food and the Balanus amphitrite nauplii that were fed with Chaetoceros calcitrans. Laboratory reared larvae fed with C. calcitrans diet pointed out an enrichment in 13C by 0.95‰ and 15N by 1.42‰. The enrichment level in the faecal pellets was comparatively higher than that obtained from the larvae either fed or starved indicating the role of heterotrophic organisms. Expanding on these observations, efforts were made to evaluate the food of the acorn barnacle larvae collected from the wild during different seasons. The δ13C ratios of the larvae and their faecal pellets obtained during the post-monsoon season were heavier compared to pre-monsoon season indicating the feeding of larvae on isotopically heavier food sources during the post-monsoon season. However, the δ13C and δ15N ratios of the larvae and their faecal pellets did not differ significantly between the seasons and this could possibly be due to the broad range of isotopic signatures observed at the base of the food web.

► δ13C & δ15N fractionation between food, barnacle larvae & faecal pellets was assessed.
► Larvae fed with C. calcitrans was enriched in C13 by 0.95 and N15 by 1.42‰.
► Lab experiments were expanded with observations on larvae collected from the wild.
► δ13C ratios of larvae and their faecal pellets differed by ~1‰ between the seasons.
► Food of primary consumers have broad and overlapping isotopic signatures.