The Trophic Status of Macrobenthos on the Okhotsk Sea Continental Slope Revealed by Carbon and Nitrogen Stable Isotope Compositions.

Stable isotope ratios of carbon (13C/12C) and nitrogen (15N/14N) in soft tissues of 41 abundant macrobenthic species from the continental slope of the Sea of Okhotsk were determined. The δ15N and δ13С values of invertebrate species and groups studied were highly variable, reflecting the diversity of their ratio compositions. The range of δ 15N values (from 6.8 to 18.3‰) corresponded to four trophic levels: from second (for detritivorous bivalve molluscs) to fifth (for some species of carnivorous gastropods and starfish). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]