Clams as Bioindicators of Riverine Inputs in Oyster Harbour, Western Australia

Winter 2021 and summer 2022 stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values from estuary food web samples collected in Oyster Harbour, Western Australia. The dataset includes values from clams (Katelysia spp.), various particulate organic matter sources, and macroalgae across 14 sites. It was created by Sonja Pascho and analyzed at the West Australian Biogeochemistry Centre.

Use Cases

• Model estuarine food web connectivity based on stable isotope values.
• Assess seasonal variability in riverine nutrient contributions to an estuary.
• Compare bioindicator signals across different spatial sampling sites.
• Analyze the isotopic composition of different organic matter sources (rPOM, ePOM, cPOM, BOM).

Strengths

• Includes GPS coordinates for 14 distinct sampling sites.
• Covers two distinct seasonal periods (winter and summer).
• Analyzed using a specified continuous flow system with an elemental analyser and mass spectrometer.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Clam species (K. scalarina, K. rhytiphora, K. peronii) are not distinguished in the data.

Provenance

Source

Sonja Pascho, corresponding author [email protected].

Collection Method

Field collection of biological and particulate matter samples followed by stable isotope analysis.

Time Range

August-September 2021 and January-February 2022.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-19 04:30:27; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Oyster Harbour and its main tributaries (Kalgan River, King River, Yakamia Creek), Albany, Western Australia.