title: Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) delta(15)N as a bioindicator of nitrogen sources: Observations and modeling.
abstract: Stable nitrogen isotopes (delta(15)N) in bioindicators are increasingly employed to identify nitrogen sources in many ecosystems and biological characteristics of the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) make it an appropriate species for this purpose. To assess nitrogen isotopic fractionation associated with assimilation and baseline variations in oyster mantle, gill, and muscle tissue delta(15)N, manipulative fieldwork in Chesapeake Bay and corresponding modeling exercises were conducted. This study (1) determined that five individuals represented an optimal sample size; (2) verified that delta(15)N in oysters from two locations converged after shared deployment to a new location reflecting a change in nitrogen sources; (3) identified required exposure time and temporal integration (four months for muscle, two to three months for gill and mantle); and (4) demonstrated seasonal delta(15)N increases in seston (summer) and oysters (winter). As bioindicators, oysters can be deployed for spatial interpolation of nitrogen sources, even in areas lacking extant populations.
authors.affiliation: Integration and Application Network, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Cambridge, MD 21613, United States. bfertig@umces.edu
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fertig
authors.forename: T J B
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Carruthers
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Dennison
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Fertig
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Altabet
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049896:Crassostrea / Q000378:metabolism*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005880:Gills / Q000378:metabolism; D008956:Models, Chemical; D009132:Muscles / Q000378:metabolism; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes / Q000378:metabolism*; D019370:Observation; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
references.citation: Anal Chem. 2005 Sep 1;77(17):5589-95
references.pmid: 16131070
references.citation: Naturwissenschaften. 2004 Feb;91(2):90-3
references.pmid: 14991147
references.citation: Biol Bull. 2001 Oct;201(2):294-6
references.pmid: 11687432
references.citation: J Environ Qual. 2004 Jan-Feb;33(1):124-32
references.pmid: 14964366
references.citation: Environ Sci Technol. 2006 May 1;40(9):2910-6
references.pmid: 16719090
references.citation: Environ Monit Assess. 2002 Mar;74(2):167-92
references.pmid: 11878641
references.citation: Ecol Appl. 2007 Dec;17(8):2333-46
references.pmid: 18213973
references.citation: Mar Pollut Bull. 2001 Feb;42(2):149-56
references.pmid: 11381886
references.citation: J Biol Chem. 1988 Sep 15;263(26):13231-45
references.pmid: 3417655
references.citation: Environ Sci Technol. 2004 Jun 15;38(12):3254-62
references.pmid: 15260321
references.citation: Mar Pollut Bull. 2008 May;56(5):860-8
references.pmid: 18348892
references.citation: Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom. 2005;19(18):2497-506
references.pmid: 16106342
references.citation: Oecologia. 1983 Mar;57(1-2):32-37
references.pmid: 28310153
references.citation: Ecol Appl. 2006 Aug;16(4):1405-20
references.pmid: 16937807
references.citation: Biomarkers. 2004 Jul-Oct;9(4-5):305-30
references.pmid: 15764295
references.citation: Oecologia. 2005 Aug;144(4):570-84
references.pmid: 15891851
references.citation: Anal Chem. 2007 Jul 15;79(14):5297-303
references.pmid: 17567102