Evrard V, Soetaert K, Heip CHR, Huettel M, Xenopoulos MA, Middelburg JJ

Carbon and nitrogen flows through the benthic food web of a photic subtidal sandy sediment

Sandy, permeable sediments cover large parts of the continental shelf. Waves and currents transport particles, oxygen and nutrients, for which permeable sediments act as filters. Much of the area covered by these sediments is in the photic zone, supporting benthic primary production. Using ¹³C and ¹⁵N as tracers, Evrard and colleagues investigated the trophic relationships in the benthic community of a shallow subtidal sandy sediment. Notwithstanding the potential pelagic input, their study reveals the pivotal role of microphytobenthos as energy carrier for bacteria, meiofauna and macrofauna. Microphytobenthos diversity appears to be crucial for most deposit-feeders, which depend on meiofauna, while macrofauna taxa rely mostly on bulk organic matter.

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