Publication - Food choice of Antarctic soil arthropods clarified by stable isotope signatures
Abstract
Antarctic soil ecosystems are amongst the most simplified on Earth and include only few soil arthropod species, generally believed to be opportunistic omnivorous feeders. Using stable isotopic analyses, we investigated the food choice of two common and widely distributed Antarctic soil arthropod species using natural abundances of C-13 and N-15 and an isotope labelling study. In the laboratory we fed the isotomid springtail Cryptopygus antarcticus six potential food sources (one algal species, two lichens and three mosses). Our results showed a clear preference for algae and lichens rather than mosses. These results were corroborated by field data comparing stable isotope signatures from the most dominant cryptogams and soil arthropods (C. antarcticus and the oribatid mite Alaskozetes antarcticus). Thus, for the first time in an Antarctic study, we present clear evidence that these soil arthropods show selectivity in their choice of food and have a preference for algae and lichens above mosses.
Authors
Datasets
| Title | Start date | End date |
| Functioning of terrestrial ecosystems of the Maritime Antarctic in a warmer climate | 2003-01-01 | 2007-01-01 |
Projects
| Title | Funding id | Period |
| Terrestrial ecosystems in ARctic and ANTarctic: effects of UV Light, Liquefying ice and Ascending temperatures | 851.40.003 | 2007-10-01 - 2010-12-31 |
External resource
Publication type
Journal Article
Date
2007-07-01
Journal
Polar Biology
Volume
30
Issue
8
Pages
983-990
ISBN
0722-4060
DOI
Keywords
- Alaskozetes antarcticus
- Alaskozetes-antarcticus
- Antarctic
- Byers-peninsula
- Carbon
- Collembola
- Collembolan cryptopygus-antarcticus
- Cryptopygus antarcticus
- Fauna
- Food choice
- Invertebrates
- Livingston-island
- South-shetland-islands
- Terrestrial ecosystems
- Trophic structure
