Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis of an Amphibolis griffithii seagrass bed

Western Australia has a rich diversity of seagrasses, many of which are meadow-forming species with a high diversity of associated epiphytes. Potential food sources and dominant invertebrates and fishes were collected in a non-quantitative sampling programme designed to examine the variability in naturally occurring isotopes (13C/12C and 15N/14N) within an Amphibolis griffithii dominated seagrass bed in Western Australia. The aims of this study were to determine the isotopic composition of the organisms, and to determine the sources of carbon available to consumers using the variations in the ratio of 15N/14N and 13C/12C among organisms in the seagrass assemblage. Autotrophs showed a wide distribution of δ13C values, with seagrass material significantly enriched in 13C relative to macroalgal sources by >10‰. This variation allowed us to successfully identify macroalgae as the main contributor of carbon to the trophic structure. δ15N ratios did not vary to the degree that would make it useful as tracer, but it was applied to estimating the total number of trophic transfers of nitrogen. Analysis of δ15N values suggested that four trophic positions were present, with fishes (Acanthaluteres vittiger, Scobonichthys granulatus and Siphonognathus radiatus, Pelsartia humeralis, Pelates sexlineatus, Leviprora inops, Odax acroptilus and Notolabrus parilus) occupying the top two levels. δ13C of seston (20-200 μm) and sedimentary organic matter indicate that seagrass material is the main contributor to these two carbon pools, and that very little of it is incorporated into the trophic structure.