Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope data for a range of benthic invertebrates, macroalgae, phytoplankton, sea ice algae and fish from shallow marine coastal region around Davis Station. Part of the TRENZ program (The TRophic Ecology of the antarctic Nearshore Zone: local and global constraints on patterns and processes), and AAS project 2948.

A variety of epifaunal invertebrates were collected from hard substrates and soft sediment habitats at various sites in the Windmill Islands near Casey station in East Antarctica. Collected fauna were frozen (-18oC) and returned to Australia for analysis. Stable isotope analysis (carbon and nitrogen) was conducted on 376 samples. This work was completed as part of ASAC project 2948 (ASAC_2948), "TRENZ: The TRophic Ecology of the antarctic Nearshore Zone: local and global constraints on patterns and processes".

Project Objectives 1) To describe trophic relationships in near shore marine benthic ecosystems of East Antarctica and determine the importance of environmental forces (such as sea ice and primary production) to the structure of food webs and biological interactions in benthic assemblages. 2) To determine how marine benthic food webs in East Antarctica respond to local scale disturbances (such as sewage outfalls and abandoned waste disposal sites) and develop predictive models of the influence of local human activities on trophic relationships. 3) To develop predictive models for the potential effects of global climate change on the trophic structure and function of near shore marine benthic assemblages and determine the sensitivity of Antarctic near shore ecosystems as sentinels of climate change. 4) To measure toxicity of organic contaminants to Antarctic marine benthic invertebrates, determine concentrations in upper trophic level fauna and to model the risk of bioaccumulation of organic contaminants (from local and global sources) in near shore marine benthic food webs in East Antarctica. Collections of organisms from coastal ecosystems around Casey and Davis stations were made between 2006/07 and 2010/11. These samples have been used in a variety of ways to examine trophic interactions in Antarctic coastal ecosystems. Methods include stable isotope analysis, diet and gut contents DNA analysis, analysis of POPs (persistent organic pollutants) and the impacts of local disturbances on food webs.

Project Objectives 1) To describe trophic relationships in near shore marine benthic ecosystems of East Antarctica and determine the importance of environmental forces (such as sea ice and primary production) to the structure of food webs and biological interactions in benthic assemblages. 2) To determine how marine benthic food webs in East Antarctica respond to local scale disturbances (such as sewage outfalls and abandoned waste disposal sites) and develop predictive models of the influence of local human activities on trophic relationships. Collections of organisms from coastal ecosystems around Casey and Davis stations were made between 2006/07 and 2010/11.