Does δ15N in river food webs reflect the intensity and origin of N loads from the watershed?

被引:62
作者
Anderson, Caroline [1 ]
Cabana, Gilbert [1 ]
机构
[1] Univ Quebec, Dept Chim Biol, Trois Rivieres, PQ G9A 5H7, Canada
基金
加拿大自然科学与工程研究理事会;
关键词
fertilizers; human; isotope; manure; nitrogen; watershed; NITROGEN-ISOTOPE RATIO; NORTH-ATLANTIC OCEAN; AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS; SEABIRD ROOKERIES; MISSISSIPPI RIVER; REACTIVE NITROGEN; STABLE-ISOTOPES; NITRATE; PHOSPHORUS; FLUXES;
D O I
10.1016/j.scitotenv.2006.01.029
中图分类号
X [环境科学、安全科学];
学科分类号
08 ; 0830 ;
摘要
Stable nitrogen isotope ratios (delta N-15) were measured in invertebrates and fish collected from 82 river sites located in the Saint-Lawrence Lowlands in Quebec, Canada, to examine the relationship between aquatic biota delta N-15 and anthropogenic nitrogen (N) loads. Mean delta N-15 values of all three trophic levels examined (primary consumers, predatory invertebrates and invertebrate-feeding fish) were highly correlated with total anthropogenic N loads on the watershed (kg N km(-2) year(-1); r(2)> 0.61, p < 0.0001) and with N loads originating from livestock manure (r(2)> 0.62, p < 0.0001), synthetic fertilizers (r(2)> 0.45, p < 0.000 1), and human population (r(2)> 0.29, p < 0.0001), respectively. Significant relationships were also observed between primary consumer delta N-15 and N loads originating from each of the three livestock species examined (bovines, pigs and poultry; p < 0.000 1). Furthermore, all three animal species contributed significantly and independently in elevating primary consumer delta N-15 (multiple r(2)=0.67, p < 0.0001). Curvilinear regressions were observed at all levels of analysis, delta N-15 values increasing slowly over a wide range of low levels of N loads, but increasing much faster as N loads grew larger. The three anthropogenic N sources examined were highly correlated with one another, preventing us from statistically isolating their respective effects on delta N-15. When these loads were expressed as a proportion of total N load, delta N-15 of aquatic biota was still highly correlated with N from livestock and fertilizers, but not with N from human population. Overall, these results suggest that delta N-15 values of aquatic consumers could be used as indicators of the intensity of anthropogenic N loading on watersheds, but not as tracers of the relative importance of individual N sources. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
引用
收藏
页码:968 / 978
页数:11
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