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Sources of carbon and dietary habits of new Lessepsian entry Brachidontes pharaonis (Bivalvia, Mytilidae) in the western Mediterranean

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Abstract

The sources of carbon and the dietary habits of Brachidontes pharaonis (Mollusca, Bivalvia), a new Lessepsian entry in the western Mediterranean, living in a cooling vat of a saltworks system in western Sicily (MED), were assessed by estimating throughout a season the relative abundance of a stable carbon isotope (δ13C) in particulate organic matter (POM), sedimentary organic matter (SOM), primary organic matter sources (seagrasses, sand microflora, macroalgae), Brachidontes pharaonis and its biodeposition material. In the saltworks the most enriched primary food source potentially fuelling the saltworks food web was Cymodocea nodosa (seasonal average –7.9±0.6‰), Laurencia papillosa and Cystoseira sp., which represented the predominant macroalgae (seasonal average –19.0±1.0‰) and sand microflora δ13C (–14.7±0.11‰). POM annual mean δ13C was –17.4±0.9‰, and that of SOM was –17.0±2.3‰. The seasonal mean isotopic value of B. pharaonis was −14.7±0.7‰; while its faeces was more depleted (–17.7±2.4‰), while the pseudofaeces (–14.6±3.6‰) was similar to somatic B. pharaonis in composition. Our study showed that Brachidontes assimilated mostly mixed sedimentary organic carbon re-arranged via a detritus route dominated mainly by macroalgae and sand microflora and that it was able to exploit almost all the predominant carbon sources available in its colonised environment both directly (sand microflora) and indirectly via the POM/SOM detritus route. These carbon sources incorporated most of the environmental variability relative to the isotopic composition of primary producers (about –11‰ throughout the year).

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Acknowledgements

The authors are particularly grateful to Dr. Don Phillips (US Environment Protection Agency, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Corvallis, Ore., USA) for his essential suggestions to improve the manuscript, and Dr. Daniela Campobello (University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada) for the profitable and stimulating discussions we had with her on this paper. We are also particularly indebted to Dr. Raymond Hesslein (Freshwater Institute, NSERC, Winnipeg, Canada) and Dr. Keith Hobson (Canadian Wildlife Service, Saskatoon, Canada) for their precious suggestions in reviewing the manuscript and Dr. Giulia Ceccherelli (University of Sassari, Italy) for her statistical support and precious tips in the experimental design; Dr. Michele Caruso (University of Palermo, Italy) and Dr. Chiara Romano (Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth, UK) for their generous technical support during field sampling and laboratory analyses. The first author dedicates this paper to his daughter Elisabetta. This work was funded by the Ministero Politiche Agricole e Forestali (MiPAF, Italy) and the Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Università e della Ricerca (MIUR, Italy).

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  1. Marine Biology and Sea Resources Laboratory, Department of Animal Biology, University of Palermo, Via Archirafi 18, 90123, Palermo, Italy

    G. Sarà, S. Vizzini & A. Mazzola

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  1. G. Sarà
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  2. S. Vizzini
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  3. A. Mazzola
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Correspondence to G. Sarà.

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Communicated by R. Cattaneo-Vietti, Genova

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Sarà, G., Vizzini, S. & Mazzola, A. Sources of carbon and dietary habits of new Lessepsian entry Brachidontes pharaonis (Bivalvia, Mytilidae) in the western Mediterranean. Marine Biology 143, 713–722 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-003-1118-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-003-1118-4

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