Croatica Chemica Acta, Vol. 78 No. 4, 2005.
Original scientific paper
Nitrogen – 15 signals of anthropogenic nutrient loading in Anemonia sulcata as a possible indicator of human sewage impacts on marine coastal ecosystems: a case study of Pirovac Bay and the Murter Sea (Central Adriatic)
Tadej Dolenec
Barbara Vokal
Matej Dolenec
Abstract
The results of the present research study indicate that the isotopic composition of nitrogen in the sea anemone Anemonia sulcata may be an excellent parameter for detecting and monitoring human sewage input into the marine coastal ecosystems of the Adriatic Sea if caution is used in selecting unpolluted reference sites. The 15N signal of Anemonia sulcata tissue was significantly higher at more or less polluted sites of the semi-enclosed Pirovac Bay and in the coastal part of the Murter Sea (Central Adriatic) than in the reference location. 15N enrichment was as high as 7.7 ‰ and is larger that would be expected from natural variation alone. Furthermore, the results also enabled us to create a map of δ 15N values, which could be useful in monitoring the influence of human sewage impacts in marine coastal ecosystems.
Keywords
Anemonia sulcata; environmental impact; human sewage; nitrogen isotopes; Central Adriatic
Hrčak ID:
2549
URI
Publication date:
20.12.2005.
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