Hydrogen sulfide, bacteria, and fish: a unique, subterranean food chain
Date
2011Author
Roach, Katherine A.
Tobler, Michael
Winemiller, Kirk O.
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Photoautotrophs are generally considered to be the base of food webs, and habitats that lack light, such as caves, frequently rely on surface-derived carbon. Here we show, based on analysis of gut contents and stable isotope ratios of tissues (13C:12C and 15N:14N), that sulfur-oxidizing bacteria are directly consumed and assimilated by the fish Poecilia mexicana in a sulfide-rich cave stream in Tabasco state, Mexico. Our results provide evidence of a vertebrate deriving most of its organic carbon and nitrogen from in situ chemoautotrophic production, and reveals the importance of alternative energy production sources supporting animals in extreme environments.
Citation
Roach, K. A., Tobler, M., & Winemiller, K. O. (2011). Hydrogen sulfide, bacteria, and fish: a unique, subterranean food chain. Ecology, 92(11), 2056-2062. https://doi.org/10.1890/11-0276.1