Relationship between carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios for lower trophic ecosystem in marine environments

To examine the relationship between carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios (δ13C and δ15N) along food chains, we analyzed using the data from the Oyashio waters at the western North Pacific (samples collected from March to October 2009), the warm-core ring 86-B derived from the Kuroshio extension region (preserved samples), and previously published data from the Gulf of Alaska and Antarctic Ocean. The statistical analysis suggested a common slope of δ15N versus δ13C (Δδ15N/Δδ13C) among regions. We attribute this similarity to common physiological aspects of feeding processes (e.g., kinetic isotope effects inherent in the processes of amino acid synthesis). We also compared seasonal differences seasonal in Δδ15N/Δδ13C for the euphotic layers of the Oyashio waters. The Δδ15N/Δδ13C slope of the food chain during the spring bloom differs from its common value in other seasons. If we could better understand both carbon and nitrogen trophic fractionation within ecosystems, the stable isotope ratios may help to elucidate migratory behavior of higher trophic levels such as fishes in marine ecosystems as well as frame work of biogeochemical cycles in question.