Macroinvertebrate diet in intertidal seagrass and sandflat communities: A study using C, N, and S stable isotopes

Abstract

Most seagrass community food-web studies using stable isotopes have been carried out in subtidal habitats during one sampling event. We used C, N, and S stable isotopes to characterise the diet of the dominant macroinvertebrates found in intertidal Zostera capricorni and sandflat communities of southern New Zealand in late summer and winter. The range of ä13C and ä34S values for Z. capricorni was wide (>5‰), which highlights the importance of accounting for spatial and temporal variability in primary producer isotopic signatures. The range of ä15N values for Z. capricorni was comparatively small (