Isotope Ecology

Feature Publications
Spatial analysis of carbon isotopes reveals seagrass contribution to fishery food web
Connolly et al. 2015 Ecosphere
Despite the widespread use of carbon stable isotopes to distinguish among potential energy pathways in food webs, their usefulness is limited where potential basal carbon sources are numerous and diverse. We measured carbon isotope values of the major fisheries species, the mostly carnivorous Scylla serrata (giant mud crab), and potential basal, autotrophic sources supporting the food web.
Saltmarsh grass supports fishery food webs in subtropical Australian estuaries  
Jinks et al. 2020 ​Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
All fishery food webs are ultimately underpinned by organic matter produced by algae and plants, some of it supplied by primary producers at the fringes of fish habitats. This is no different in tropical and subtropical estuaries where secondary production by crustaceans and finfish may depend on coastal wetlands (e.g. mangroves, seagrass, saltmarshes) abutting channels. Coastal urbanisation is a major cause of wetland loss globally. 
Sample acidification significantly alters stable isotope ratios of sulfur in aquatic plants and animals
Connolly et al. 2013 Marine Ecology Progress Series
​Sulfur stable isotopes are increasingly being used as tracers of material processing in studies of both modern and historical food webs. Preparation of plant and animal material for isotope analysis routinely includes steps that remove inorganic material not normally assimilated by consumers. 

Isotope ecology publications 

Rod Connolly's publications relating isotope ecology 
2022
  • Waltham NJ, Connolly RM (2022) Food webs supporting fisheries production in estuaries with expanding coastal urbanisation. Food Webs 33:00259 PDF
  • Harada Y, Lee SY, Connolly RM, Fry B (2022) Compound-specific isotope analysis of amino acids reveals dependency on grazing rather than detritivory in mangrove food webs. Marine Ecology Progress Series 681:13-20 PDF

2020

  • Pearson RM, van de Merwe JP, Gagan MK, Connolly RM (2020) Unique post-telemetry recapture enables development of multi-element isoscapes from barnacle shell for retracing host movement. Frontiers in Marine Science 7:596 PDF​
  • Jinks KI, Rasheed MA, Brown CJ, Olds AD, Schlacher TA, Sheaves M, York PH, Connolly RM (2020) Saltmarsh grass supports fishery food webs in subtropical Australian estuaries. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 238:106719 PDF
  • Harada Y, Connolly RM, Fry B, Maher DT, Sippo JZ, Jeffrey LC, Bourke AJ, Lee SY (2020) Stable isotopes track the ecological and biogeochemical legacy of mass mangrove dieback in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia. Biogeosciences 17:5599-5613 PDF
  • Pearson RM, van de Merwe JP, Connolly RM (2020) Global oxygen isoscapes for barnacle shells: application for tracing movement in oceans. Science of the Total Environment 705:135782 doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135782 PDF
  • Harada Y, Fry B, Lee SY, Maher DT, Sippo JZ, Connolly RM (2020) Stable isotopes indicate ecosystem restructuring following climate-driven mangrove dieback. Limnology and Oceanography 65:1251-1263 PDF

2019
  • Jinks KI, Brown CJ, Rasheed MA, Scott AL, Sheaves M, York PH, Connolly RM (2019) Habitat complexity influences the structure of food webs in Great Barrier Reef seagrass meadows. Ecosphere 10:e02928 PDF
  • Duncan CK, Gilby BL, Olds AD, Connolly RM, Ortodossi NL, Henderson CJ, Schlacher TA (2019) Landscape context modifies the rate and distribution of predation around habitat restoration sites. Biological Conservation 237:97-104  PDF
  • Pearson RM, van de Merwe JP, Gagan MK, Limpus CJ, Connolly RM (2019) Distinguishing between sea turtle foraging areas using stable isotopes from commensal barnacle shells. Scientific Reports 9:6565 PDF

2017
  • Doell SA, Connolly RM, Limpus CJ, Pearson RM, van de Merwe JP (2017) Using growth rates to estimate age of the sea turtle barnacle Chelonibia testudinaria. Marine Biology 164:222 DOI 10.1007/s00227-017-3251-5 PDF
  • Pearson RM, van de Merwe JP, Limpus CJ, Connolly RM (2017) Realignment of sea turtle isotope studies needed to match conservation priorities. Marine Ecology Progress Series 583:259-271 PDF

2015
  • Connolly RM, Waltham NJ (2015) Spatial analysis of carbon isotopes reveals seagrass contribution to fishery food web. Ecosphere 6 art148 (doi: 10.1890/ES14-00243.1) PDF
  • Abrantes KG, Johnston R, Connolly RM, Sheaves M (2015) Importance of mangrove carbon for aquatic food webs in wet-dry tropical estuaries. Estuaries and Coasts 38:383-399 PDF

2014
  • Davis JP, Pitt KA, Fry B, Olds AD, Connolly RM (2014) Seascape-scale trophic links for fish on inshore coral reefs. Coral Reefs 33:897-907 PDF
  • Schlacher TA, Connolly RM (2014) Effects of acid treatment on carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios in ecological samples: a review and synthesis. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 5:541-550 PDF
  • Duggan M, Connolly RM, Whittle M, Curwen G, Burford MA (2014) Effects of freshwater flow extremes on intertidal biota of a wet-dry tropical estuary. Marine Ecology Progress Series 502:11-23 PDF

2013
  • Connolly RM, Schlacher TA (2013) Sample acidification significantly alters stable isotope ratios of sulfur in aquatic plants and animals. Marine Ecology Progress Series 493:1-8 PDF
  • Connolly RM, Gorman D, Hindell JS, Kildea TN, Schlacher TA (2013) High congruence of isotope sewage signals in multiple marine taxa. Marine Pollution Bulletin 71:152-158 PDF

2012
  • Lee KM, Lee SY, Connolly RM (2012) Combining process indices from network analysis with structural population measures to indicate response of estuarine trophodynamics to pulse organic enrichment. Ecological Indicators 18:652-658 PDF

2011
  • Lee KM, Lee SY, Connolly RM (2011) Short-term response of estuarine sandflat trophodynamics to pulse anthropogenic physical disturbance: support for the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 92:639-648 PDF
  • Lee KM, Lee SY, Connolly RM (2011) Combining stable isotope enrichment, compartmental modelling and ecological network analysis for quantitative measurement of food web dynamics. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 2:56-65 PDF
  • Bouillon S, Connolly RM, Gillikin D (2011) Use of stable isotopes to understand food webs and ecological processes.  In: Wolanski E, McClusky DS Treatise on estuarine and coastal science. Vol 7, pp 143-173. Academic Press, Waltham. PDF

2010
  • Oakes JM, Connolly RM, Revill AT (2010) Isotope enrichment in mangrove forests separates microphytobenthos and detritus as carbon sources for animals. Limnology & Oceanography 55:393-402 PDF

Earlier
  • Pitt KA, Connolly RM, Maxwell P (2009) Redistribution of sewage-nitrogen in estuarine food webs following sewage treatment upgrades. Marine Pollution Bulletin 58:573-580 PDF
  • Schlacher TA, Connolly RM, Skillington AJ, Gaston TF (2009) Can export of organic matter from estuaries support zooplankton in nearshore, marine plumes? Aquatic Ecology 43:383-393 PDF
  • Schlacher TA, Connolly RM (2009) Land-ocean coupling of carbon and nitrogen fluxes on sandy beaches.  Ecosystems 12:311-321 PDF
  • Connolly RM, Schlacher TA, Gaston TF (2009) Stable isotope evidence for trophic subsidy of coastal benthic fisheries by river discharge plumes off small estuaries. Marine Biology Research 5:164-171 PDF
  • Pitt KA, Connolly RM, Meziane T (2009) Stable isotope and fatty acid tracers in energy and nutrient studies of jellyfish: a review. Hydrobiologia 616:119-132 PDF
  • Bouillon S, Connolly RM (2009) Carbon exchange among tropical coastal ecosystems.  In: Nagelkerken I. Ecological connectivity among tropical coastal ecosystems. Springer, pp 45-70 PDF
  • Schlacher TA, Skillington AJ, Connolly RM, Robinson W, Gaston TF (2008) Coupling between marine plankton and freshwater flow in the plumes off a small estuary. International Review of Hydrobiology 93:641-658 PDF
  • Pitt KA, Clement AL, Connolly RM, Thibault-Botha D (2008) Predation by jellyfish on large and emergent zooplankton: implications for benthic-pelagic coupling. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 76:827-833 PDF
  • Bouillon S, Connolly RM, Lee SY (2008) Organic matter exchange and cycling in mangrove ecosystems: recent insights from stable isotope studies.  Journal of Sea Research 59:44-58 PDF
  • Schlacher TA, Mondon JA, Connolly RM (2007) Estuarine fish health assessment: evidence of wastewater impacts based on nitrogen isotopes and histopathology. Marine Pollution Bulletin 54:1762-1776 PDF
  • Gaston TF, Schlacher TA, Connolly RM (2006) Flood discharges of a small river into open coastal waters: plume traits and material fate. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 69:4-9 PDF
  • Guest MA, Connolly RM, Loneragan NR, Lee SY, Breitfuss MJ (2006) Mechanism for the small-scale movement of carbon among estuarine habitats: organic matter transfer not crab movement. Oecologia 148:88-96 PDF
  • Guest MA, Connolly RM, Loneragan NR, Lee SY, Breitfuss MJ (2006) Mechanism for the small-scale movement of carbon among estuarine habitats: organic matter transfer not crab movement. Oecologia 148:88-96 PDF
  • Waltham NJ, Connolly, RM (2006) Trophic strategies of garfish, Arrhamphus sclerolepis, in natural coastal wetlands and artificial urban waterways. Marine Biology 148:1135-1141 PDF
  • Oakes JM, Revill AT, Connolly RM, Blackburn SI (2005) Measuring carbon isotope ratios of microphytobenthos using compound-specific stable isotope analysis of phytol. Limnology & Oceanography: Methods 3:511-519 PDF
  • Melville AJ, Connolly RM (2005) Food webs supporting fish over subtropical mudflats are based on transported organic matter not in situ microalgae. Marine Biology 148:363-371 PDF
  • Connolly RM, Gorman D, Guest MA (2005) Movement of carbon among estuarine habitats and its assimilation by invertebrates. Oecologia 144:684-691 PDF
  • Connolly RM, Hindell JS, Gorman D (2005) Seagrass and epiphytic algae support the nutrition of a fisheries species, Sillago schomburgkii, in adjacent intertidal habitats. Marine Ecology Progress Series 286:69-79 PDF
  • Guest MA, Connolly RM (2004) Fine-scale movement and assimilation of carbon in saltmarsh and mangrove habitat by resident animals. Aquatic Ecology 38:599-609 PDF
  • Guest MA, Connolly RM, Loneragan NR (2004) Carbon movement and assimilation by invertebrates in estuarine habitats at a scale of metres. Marine Ecology Progress Series 278:27-34 PDF
  • Guest MA, Connolly RM, Loneragan NR (2004) Within and among-site variability in δ13C and δ15N for three estuarine producers, Sporobolus virginicus, Zostera capricorni, and epiphytes of Z. capricorni. Aquatic Botany 79:87-94 PDF
  • Oakes JM, Connolly RM (2004) Causes of sulfur isotope variability in the seagrass, Zostera capricorni. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 302:153-164 PDF
  • Connolly RM, Guest MA, Melville AJ, Oakes JM (2004). Sulfur stable isotopes separate producers in marine food-web analysis. Oecologia 138:161-167 PDF
  • Connolly RM (2003) Differences in trophodynamics of commercially important fish between artificial waterways and natural coastal wetlands.  Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 58:929-936 PDF
  • Melville AJ, Connolly RM (2003) Spatial analysis of stable isotope data to determine primary sources of nutrition for fish. Oecologia 136:499-507 PDF
  • ​Winning M, Connolly RM, Loneragan NL, Bunn S (1999)  15N enrichment as a method of separating the isotopic signatures of seagrass and its epiphytes for food web analysis. Marine Ecology Progress Series 189:289-294 PDF