Stable isotope and fatty acid variation of a planktivorous fish among and within large lakes.

ABSTRACT: Aquatic food webs are spatially complex, potentially contributing to intraspecific variability in production pathway reliance of intermediate trophic level consumers. Variation in trophic reliance may be described by well-established trophic indicators, like stable isotope ratios (δ13C, δ15N), along with emerging trophic indicators, such as fatty acid composition. We evaluated stable isotope ratios and fatty acid profiles of European smelt (Osmerus eperlanus) among and within distinct regions of three large Swedish lakes (Hjälmaren, Mälaren, Vättern) which differed in trophic status. We expected that smelts in more oligotrophic lakes and regions would be characterized by distinct stable isotope signatures and fatty acid profiles, with particularly high polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) rel

SUBMITTER: Hook TO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11262694 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature