Carbon Isotope Data for Coral Reef Predators and Prey in the Maldives

A study used δ13C values of essential amino acids (δ13CEAA) to trace carbon sources for reef predators in the Maldives. White muscle tissue was sampled from four groupers and eight primary consumer species representing six energy pathways. The analysis identified pelagic plankton as the primary carbon source sustaining the groupers.

Use Cases

• Modeling reef-pelagic nutrient subsidies based on δ13CEAA values.
• Assessing coral reef resilience to bleaching events based on carbon source contributions.
• Tracing energy pathways in marine food webs using essential amino acid isotope signatures.
• Comparing carbon acquisition modes between different primary consumer clusters.

Strengths

• Data includes δ13C values of essential amino acids (δ13CEAA), which provide higher resolution than bulk stable isotopes.
• Samples cover four key fishery target groupers and eight primary consumer species.
• Primary consumer data separated into four distinct clusters (algae/detritus, coral, reef plankton, pelagic plankton).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

Newcastle University

Collection Method

White muscle tissue sampling and stable isotope analysis.

Geography

Maldives