Importance of kelp-derived organic carbon to the scallop Chlamys farreri in an integrated multi-trophic aquaculture system

• Published in: Chinese journal of oceanology and limnology Vol. 34; no. 2; pp. 322 - 329
• Main Author: 许强 高菲 杨红生
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg Science Press 01.03.2016; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Algae; Aquaculture; Azumapecten farreri; Bivalvia; Carbon; Carbon isotopes; China; Chlamys farreri; coculture; Detritus; diet; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; farms; Filter feeders; Food sources; Kelp; macroalgae; Marine; Marine ecology; Marine molluscs; Mollusks; Oceanography; Organic carbon; Organic materials; Organic matter; Particulate organic carbon; Phytoplankton; Polyculture (aquaculture); S2 Adaptation and Evolution to Special Environment of Coastal Zone; Saccharina japonica; Scallops; Seaweeds; spring; stable isotopes; trophic relationships; Wet weight; winter; 双壳贝类; 栉孔扇贝; 水产养殖系统; 海带; 碳同位素分析; 营养作用; 衍生; 颗粒有机碳; INW, China, People's Rep., Shandong Prov., Weihai; China, People's Rep; INW, China, People's Rep., Shandong Prov., Sungo Bay; China; integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA); stable carbon isotope; kelp; bivalve; detritus; food source
• ISSN: 0254-4059; 2096-5508; 1993-5005; 2523-3521
• DOI: 10.1007/s00343-015-4332-2

Bivalves and seaweeds are important cleaners that are widely used in integrated multi-trophic aquaculture （IMTA） systems. A beneficial relationship between seaweed and bivalve in the seaweed- based IMTA system has been confirmed, but the trophic importance of seaweed-derived particulate organic materials to the co-cultured bivalve is still unclear. We evaluated the trophic importance of the kelp Saccharinajaponica to the co-cultured scallop Chlamysfarreri in a typical IMTA farm in Sungo Bay （Weihai, North China）. The dynamics of detritus carbon in the water were monitored during the culturing period. The proportion of kelp-derived organic matter in the diet of the co-cultured scallop was assessed via the stable carbon isotope method. Results showed that the detritus carbon in the water ranged from 75.52 to 265.19 ~tg/L, which was 25.6% to 73.8% of total particulate organic carbon （TPOC） during the study period. The amount of detritus carbon and its proportion in the TPOC changed throughout the culture cycle of the kelp. Stable carbon isotope analysis showed that the cultured scallop obtained 14.1% to 42.8% of its tissue carbon from the kelp, and that the percentages were closely correlated with the proportion of detritus carbon in the water （F=0.993, P=0.003）. Evaluation showed that for 17 000 tons （wet weight） of annual scallop production, the kelp contributed about 139.3 tons of carbon （535.8 tons of dry mass）. This confirms that cultured kelp plays a similar trophic role in IMTA systems as it does in a natural kelp bed. It is a major contributor to the detritus pool and supplies a vital food source to filter-feeding scallops in the IMTA system, especially during winter and early spring when phytoplankton are scarce.