Stable carbon isotope ratios in Red Sea barnacles (Cirripedia) as an indicator of their food source |
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Authors: | Y Achituv I Brickner J Erez |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 52900, Israel, IL;(2) Insitute of Earth Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel, IL |
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Abstract: | The stable isotope ratio 12C/13C was used to investigate the source of carbon in free-living barnacles and in coral-inhabiting barnacles from the Red Sea.
The δ13C of most of the barnacles collected on the open shore ranges between −17.5 and −19.7‰, indicating relative enrichment of
light carbon originating from the open-sea phytoplankton. Those collected in closed habitats showed heavier isotopic composition.
The δ13C of the coral-inhabiting barnacles ranges from −14.1 to −16.7‰, suggesting that the carbon contribution of open-sea plankton
to these barnacles is less important than it is to free-living barnacles. We hypothesize that coral organic matter and zooxanthellae
expelled by the host coral contribute carbon to the barnacle, and that a mixture of this relatively heavy carbon with carbon
from other sources is responsible for the high values of δ13C in coral barnacles.
Received: 28 February 1997 / Accepted: 16 September 1997 |
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