Recycling of Elements Transported Upstream by Runs of Pacific Salmon: I, δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C Evidence in Sashin Creek, Southeastern Alaska

Abstract

Values of δ 15 N and δ 13 C (the per mil deviation from the recognized isotope standard) from biota of a southeastern Alaska stream (Sashin Creek) that receives an annual run of 30 000 anadromous pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) were measured to determine sources of nitrogen (N) and carbon (C). Marine-derived nitrogen (MDN) is the predominant source of N for food webs found in the lower 1200 m of the stream which, due to a waterfall, is the only portion of the stream available to salmon returning to spawn. Comparable spawning section biota were enriched by about 5 per mil relative to the salmon-free control section, corresponding to the difference between 0 and 100% MDN in a mixing model. Food webs of resident rainbow trout (O. mykiss), at the outlet of one of the source lakes, Sashin Lake, have very low δ 13 C, suggesting the importance of a respired C pool in the lake. The source of C in the remainder of the stream is C fixation by autochthonous producers and marine organic C (within the salmon spawning section). Resident fishes in the salmon spawning section depend on MDN and some of the C delivered by the annual run of returning salmon.