Sustaining Food Webs within the Coorong

Primary producers or autotrophs, such as plants and algae, use the energy of the sun to manufacture the organic molecules they need by photosynthesis, or sometimes chemosynthesis. Fish, birds and other animals (heterotrophs) depend on primary producers for their food. Consumption of primary producers by hetreotrophs transfers the organic molecules, and the energy stored within them, up the food chain. We investigated food-chain processes by studying the diets of key species, through the use of stable isotope analyses that trace the pathways of resources through to fish and birds. Watch the Slidecast below to learn more about the project.