Human pressures on two estuaries of the Iberian Peninsula are reflected in food web structure.

ABSTRACT: As a result of the increased urban and agricultural development in coastal environments, estuaries are among the most modified and threatened aquatic ecosystems. This study used stable isotopes to examine the effects of human impacts by contrasting the food web structures of two Iberian estuaries exposed to different degrees of human pressure. More complex feeding pathways were found in the more altered estuary (Guadalquivir). Greater spread among species along the carbon axis suggests that the primary consumers exploit organic matter with various origins, whereas different nitrogen signals of the secondary consumers suggest that they feed on different suites of prey. In contrast, the similar isotopic signals of secondary consumers in the relatively little influenced estuary (Guadiana) sug

SUBMITTER: Donazar-Aramendia I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6687818 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature