利用稳定同位素技术研究外源物质输入对太湖微食物链的贡献

应用碳氮稳定同位素方法研究了太湖不同营养状态湖区内外源物质对微生物食物链主要成分的贡献.结果表明,在有大量外来物质输入的河口区,细菌、浮游枝角类、溶解性有机物(DOM)和颗粒性有机物 (POM)的δ¹³Ｃ 和δ¹⁵Ｎ同位素值,溶解性无机碳(DIC)的δ¹³Ｃ同位素值明显低于其它采样点,这表明河口区受陆源营养物质的影响强烈.其中,DOM的δ¹³Ｃ平均值和陆源C₃植物的δ¹³Ｃ值-26‰相近,表现出流域外源的排入对湖泊碳库的影响.与从DIC到浮游藻类的分馏值22‰计算得到的浮游藻类δ¹³Ｃ值相比,POM主要为内源藻类贡献.浮游枝角类的δ¹³Ｃ的平均值低于POM (0.2‰)和细菌 (2.5‰),这可能是由于枝角类脂类的积聚或选择性的摄食δ¹³Ｃ较为贫化的微型藻类(<50 μm)造成的.根据双组分混合模型(two-member mixing model),在河口区陆源C对细菌生物量的贡献占到61.2%,随着向湖心的推进,内源藻类的贡献逐渐增加(58.5%～92.9%).

Effects of Anthropogenic Organic Matter Inputs on Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopes in Organisms from Microbial Food Chain in Taihu Lake

Stable isotope analyses of carbon and nitrogen were used to evaluate autochthonous versus allochthonous contribution to the main microbial food loop components in the four sampling sites based on different trophic status in Taihu Lake. On average, the delta13 C and delta15 N values of organic matter (OM) sources (bacteria, cladocera, particulate and sedimentary organic matter) and the delta13 C of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), which are the main components in microbial food chain, showed the lowest values at estuary location compared with the other three sites, reflecting a strong influence by terrestrially derived nutrients and organic matter. The mean delta13 C value of dissolved organic matter (DOM) that we measured was close to the estimated terrestrial delta13 C - 26 per thousandd, suggesting an allochthonous-derived organic C pool. Particulate organic matter (POM) was supposed to be mainly dominated by algae under the assumption of a constant fractionation from DIC to phytoplankton of 22 per thousand. Cladocera had a lower delta13 C than the average delta13 C of POM (0.2 per thousand) and bacteria (2.5 per thousand), supposing a lipid accumulation or selective feeding a more delta13 C-depleted algal fraction (pico- and nano-plankton, < 50 microm) of POM. The contribution of autochthonous versus allochthonous carbon to the bacterial biomass was estimated by applying a two-member mixing model using a delta13 C of - 26 per thousand as the allochthonous end member. The bacterial biomass consisted of 61.2% allochthonous carbon at estuary point with large terrestrial effluents, while in the large open lake area, bacteria was mainly supported by autochthonous OM (58.5% - 92.9%). The results substantiate the finding that the analysis of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes can help to elucidate sources and sinks of organic matter in Taihu Lake, which are characterized by a great spatial variability and complexity.