Navigation Links
Fish food fight: Fish don't eat trees after all, says new study
Date:11/24/2009

in Millbrook, N.Y., was a large-scale experiment on three lakes in Michigan. Researchers fertilized these lakes with a labeled form of carbon dioxide sprinkled on the lakes' surfaces over more than a month. They then analyzed how much of that labeled carbon showed up in animals at each position in the aquatic food web. Even when terrestrial plant matter was only about 20 percent of the available food, they found, the animals appeared to be composed of about 50 percent land-based carbon.

The UW study took a different approach. Brett and colleagues raised zooplankton in the lab, feeding them a diet of either pure algae, pure land-based carbon, or various mixtures of the two. They found that zooplankton fed a purely land-based diet survived and reproduced but were small and produced relatively few offspring. Zooplankton fed a diet of pure algae were 10 times bigger than their tree-fed twins and produced 20 times more offspring. Zooplankton fed a mixed diet were larger and produced more offspring as the proportion of algae in their diet went up. Even when zooplankton ate almost nothing but land-based carbon, nearly all their lipids came from algae.

"I think we were able to show that the terrestrial source is such low quality that it's inconceivable that it could be nearly as important as what that study suggested," Brett said.

This research was funded by the National Science Foundation. Co-authors are Sami Taipale and Hari Seshan of the UW and Martin Kainz of the Danube University Krems in Austria.

So why did the earlier study suggest that fish were eating land-based food? Brett believes the reason is those researchers discounted the idea of zooplankton migration, the daily movement down to deeper waters during the daytime to hide from predatory fish. Researchers sprinkled tagged food in the upper waters and assumed that any other food source must be land-based.

"The flaw was that there was an alternative source. They could h
'/>"/>

Contact: Hannah Hickey
hickeyh@uw.edu
206-543-2580
University of Washington
Source:Eurekalert

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2 3

Related biology news :

1. Prevent periodontitis to reduce the risk of head and neck cancer
2. Periodontitis and myocardial infarction: A shared genetic predisposition
3. Time of day matters to thirsty trees, U of T researcher discovers
4. Ants are friendly to some trees, but not others
5. As ash borer claims more trees, researcher at ISU works for species survival
6. Electrical circuit runs entirely off power in trees
7. Large trees declining in Yosemite
8. New discovery suggests trees evolved camouflage defense against long extinct predator
9. Tires made from trees -- better, cheaper, more fuel efficient
10. Ferns took to the trees and thrived
11. When palm trees gave way to spruce trees
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
(Date:6/19/2013)... journal Polar Biology, researchers report using DNA from tissues samples ... type of killer whale ( Orcinus orca ). ... on a New Zealand beach and a skeleton was saved ... it was almost 50 years before this unique form of ... bulbous forehead, was documented alive in the wild. , ...
(Date:6/19/2013)... MedNet Solutions , a global life ... is pleased to announce its participation in the 2013 ... Boston .  This represents the 10 ... cloud-based eClinical solutions, has exhibited at this premier industry ... iMedNet™ EDC , MedNet,s latest, easy-to-use eClinical technology ...
(Date:6/19/2013)... variety of canary seeds bred specifically for human consumption ... for people with celiac disease (CD), scientists have confirmed ... Agricultural and Food Chemistry . , Joyce Irene ... million people in the United States alone have CD. ... barley, rye and other grains that contain gluten-related proteins. ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):MedNet Solutions To Spotlight iMedNet EDC At The 49th DIA Annual Meeting 2
... wastewater reaches recipient waters, nutrients must be removed in ... result in serious damage to animal and plant life. Robert ... his thesis that better removal of nitrogen from wastewater can ... with alternating high and low levels of nutrients. The ...
... team of researchers that includes James Kennett, professor of ... nearly 13,000-year-old layer of thin, dark sediment buried in ... sediment layer contains an exotic assemblage of materials, including ... researchers, are the result of a cosmic body impacting ...
... tiny bits of genetic material that control protein formation in ... to how memories are made and how drugs might someday ... to mental illness and brain wasting diseases. In a ... researchers said certain microRNAsgenetic elements that control which proteins get ...
Cached Biology News:New methods for better purification of wastewater 2Study jointly led by UCSB researcher supports theory of extraterrestrial impact 2Making memories: How 1 protein does it 2Making memories: How 1 protein does it 3
(Date:6/19/2013)... June 19, 2013 ... presents Innovative Drug Delivery Systems: ... Licensing Opportunities for Generic Pharmaceutical ... There are more than ... drugs approved all over the ...
(Date:6/19/2013)... A new look at “big glass” and visionary ... highlight technical sessions at SPIE Photomask Technology 2013 ... year, the three-day event is the industry’s largest mask ... 100 technical presentations and numerous networking lunches and receptions. ... and photonics , the meeting will be held at ...
(Date:6/18/2013)... WATERLOO, Ont. (Monday, June 17, 2013) A million electric ... end of the decade with the help of research by ... and the University of Waterloo. , Professor Zhongwei Chen is ... Laboratory looking to develop non-precious materials to replace the expensive ... barriers to the adoption of fuel cells in vehicles is ...
(Date:6/18/2013)... 2013 The Regulatory Affairs Professionals ... new offices in Asia—one in Singapore and one in ... RAPS’ Pan-Asia office , serving the Asia Pacific ... on audiences within China. , The announcement comes just ... five Singapore government agencies to develop and implement a ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Innovative Drug Delivery Systems: Novel Product and Formulation Technology Licensing Opportunities for Generic Pharmaceutical Companies 2Innovative Drug Delivery Systems: Novel Product and Formulation Technology Licensing Opportunities for Generic Pharmaceutical Companies 3‘Big Glass’ and Visions for the Future are on the Program for SPIE Photomask Technology 2‘Big Glass’ and Visions for the Future are on the Program for SPIE Photomask Technology 3US and Canadian researchers drive towards cheaper fuel cells for electric cars 2RAPS Opens Offices in Singapore and China 2RAPS Opens Offices in Singapore and China 3
... still a search company. While the Mountain View, California, firm ... its focus generally stays on making information easier to find. ... Maps is a recent offering that blends Google's intuitive ... online maps act more like static Web sites, Google's new ...
... has introduced a new service to its ... operations. , ,Workspace Recovery provides customers with a ... Norlight's headquarters. Displaced employees can temporarily go to ... primary facility is cut off by a disasters ...
... his colleagues want to develop a commercial drug for Alzheimer's ... Wisconsin legislators are introducing a new computer privacy law aimed ... UW's Science Expeditions will be open to the public April ... Listen to this episode ...
Cached Biology Technology:Google Maps makes navigation a pleasure 2Google Maps makes navigation a pleasure 3
SDS-OutT Precipitation Reagent...
Extracti-Gel D Detergent Removing Gel...
... FLA-5000 imaging system allows scanning ... as large as 40 x ... as 25 microns. This system ... electrophoresis in the proteomics field ...
... Biometras T1 Thermocycler provides high speed ... been optimized with a TGradient Thermocycler can ... thermocycler comes with a silver block for ... for 384 well plates or in-situ applications ...
Biology Products: