6533b861fe1ef96bd12c4558

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Contribution of planktonic and benthic food sources to the diet of the reef-forming vermetid gastropod Dendropoma petraeum in the western Mediterranean

Francesca ColomboValentina CostaValentina CostaSalvatrice VizziniAntonio Mazzola

subject

Settore BIO/07 - EcologiaMediterranean climateDendropoma petraeumgeographygeography.geographical_feature_categorybiologyEcologyfungiIntertidal zoneAquatic SciencePlanktonOceanographybiology.organism_classificationVermetidae stable isotopes intertidal food habit wave exposure mixing modelOceanographyMediterranean seaBenthic zoneReefgeographic locationsTrophic level

description

Abstract In the Mediterranean Sea, the vermetid Dendropoma petraeum (Monterosato, 1884) forms highly biodiverse reefs that have received increasing attention in recent years although very little is known about the food habit of this species. The main goal of this study was to describe the trophic role of planktonic and benthic food sources for D. petraeum . Specimens from three morphological zones of the reef (inner edge, cuvette and outer edge) at two sites with different wave exposure along the north-western coast of Sicily (Italy; western Mediterranean) were compared for δ 13 C and δ 15 N. Isotopic determinations were also carried out on potential food sources identified in epilithon, reef macroalgae and suspended particulate organic matter. δ 13 C for D. petraeum showed significantly more depleted values in the more exposed conditions (i.e. the site with higher wave exposure and outer edge of the reef), while δ 15 N did not differ appreciably. These results suggest greater exploitation of benthic sources in the sheltered than in the exposed site and reveal diet shift and trophic flexibility at a small spatial scale for the reef-former D. petraeum.

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
2012-01-01Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2011.11.021