Provider: JSTOR Database: JSTOR Content: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" TY - JOUR TI - Determination of Trophic Transfer at a Created Intertidal Oyster (Crassostrea ariakensis) Reef in the Yangtze River Estuary Using Stable Isotope Analyses AU - Quan, Wei-min AU - Humphries, Austin T. AU - Shi, Li-yan AU - Chen, Ya-qu AB - Oysters can create reefs that provide habitat for associated species resulting in elevated resident abundances, lower mortality rates, and increased growth and survivorship compared to other estuarine habitats. However, there is a need to quantify trophic relationships and transfer at created oyster reefs to provide a better understanding of their potential in creating suitable nekton habitat. Stable isotope analyses (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) were conducted to examine the organic matter sources and potential energy flow pathways at a created intertidal oyster (Crassostrea ariakensis; hereinafter, oyster) reef and adjacent salt marsh in the Yangtze River estuary, China. The δ¹³C values of most reef-associated species (22 of 37) were intermediate between those of suspended particle organic matter (POM) and benthic microalgae (BMI), indicating that both POM and BMI are the major organic matter sources at the created oyster reef. The sessile and motile macrofauna colonizing the reef make up the main prey of transient nekton (e. g., spotted sea bass, Asian paddle crab, and green mud crab), thus suggesting that the associated community was most important in supporting higher trophic levels as opposed to the direct dietary subsidy of oysters. The created oyster reef consistently supported higher trophic levels than the adjacent salt marsh habitat due to the dominance of secondary consumers. These results indicate that through the provision of habitat for associated species, created oyster reefs provide suitable habitat and support a higher average trophic level than adjacent salt marsh in the Yangtze River estuary. C1 - Full publication date: JANUARY 2012 EP - 120 IS - 1 JO - Estuaries and Coasts PB - [Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation, Springer] PY - 2012 SN - 15592723, 15592731 SP - 109 UR - VL - 35 Y2 - 2021/02/26/ ER -