Stable isotope analysis position of intertidal of food source and trophic nematodes and copepods

Four dominant nematode species and various copepods from an intertidal mudflat in Marennes-Oleron Bay were analyzed for delta C-13 and delta N-15 ratios together with their potential food source, the microphytobenthos. It was shown that microphytobenthic C is passed to nematodes either by grazing or predation on herbivorous meiofauna by other nematodes. Diatoms of different sizes exhibited different C-13 content, which can be reflected in herbivorous meiofauna, such as the nematodes Daptonema oxycerca and Metachromadora remanei and the bulk of copepods, indicating they can select different sizes of diatoms. Results confirm the need to analyze meiofauna feeding habits at the species or genera level since the delta N-15 and delta C-13 signatures differed substantially among meiofaunal species.