Mapping stable isotope gradients (isoscapes) has become a powerful tool to understand and forecast the status and variability of marine ecosystems at different levels of ecological organization. To differentiate five marine areas from the Southwest Atlantic Ocean towards oceanic and polar waters, a key foraging area for many marine consumers, we built isoscapes at different spatial scales using carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope values of phytoplankton, zooplankton and particulate organic matter in sediment. We analyzed the isotopic variability between marine areas in relation with oceanographic parameters (e.g. temperature, salinity) and geographical sampling site data (e.g. latitude, longitude). We collected samples during 6 oceanographic surveys conducted in spring and autumn between 2014 and 2019 at the Beagle Channel, the Atlantic coast of Tierra del Fuego and Burdwood Bank. We included also published isotopic data of zooplankton from two other oceanic areas (the Polar Frontal Zone and Polar Antarctic Peninsula waters) to construct large-scale isoscapes. We found that the marine areas analyzed have substantially different δ13C and δ15N baselines; some differences exist between spring and autumn but the general pattern of isotopic variability remains similar. Combining different biological components and spatial scale analysis, isotopic variability was found to be related to variables such as seawater temperature, depth, chlorophyll and nutrients. The generated data will enhance the efficacy of isoscapes in long-term monitoring initiatives that documents alterations in attributes and features across marine expanses. This is particularly pertinent to areas under legal protection, such as the oceanic Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) established in Argentine waters.

中文翻译：

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西南大西洋朝向极地水域的稳定同位素空间格局


绘制稳定同位素梯度 （isoscapes） 已成为理解和预测不同生态组织水平海洋生态系统的状态和变异性的强大工具。为了区分从西南大西洋到海洋和极地水域的五个海洋区域，这是许多海洋消费者的主要觅食区，我们使用浮游植物、浮游动物和沉积物中颗粒有机物的碳 （δ13C） 和氮 （δ15N） 同位素值在不同空间尺度上构建了等景区。我们分析了与海洋学参数（例如温度、盐度）和地理采样点数据（例如纬度、经度）相关的海洋区域之间的同位素变化。我们在 2014 年至 2019 年春季和秋季在比格尔海峡、火地岛大西洋沿岸和伯德伍德滩进行的 6 次海洋学调查中收集了样本。我们还包括了来自其他两个海洋区域 （极地锋区和极地南极半岛水域） 的已发表的浮游动物同位素数据，以构建大规模的等位素。我们发现，分析的海洋区域的 δ13C 和 δ15N 基线大不相同;春季和秋季之间存在一些差异，但同位素变异的一般模式仍然相似。结合不同的生物成分和空间尺度分析，发现同位素变异性与海水温度、深度、叶绿素和营养物质等变量有关。生成的数据将提高等景区在长期监测计划中的有效性，这些计划记录了整个海洋区域的属性和特征的变化。这与受法律保护的地区尤其相关，例如在阿根廷水域建立的海洋海洋保护区 （MPA）。