Application of isotopic techniques for the study and monitoring of marine food webs
Stable isotope analysis has revolutionized environmental sciences, providing a powerful tool for
studying marine food webs and resource management. This technique offers crucial insights into species interactions and trophic levels, supporting the implementation of European Union
environmental policies, such as the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), with a focus on the achievement of the environmental targets defined by Descriptor 4.
This study aims to isotopically characterize the lower levels of the food web (seston and zooplankton) in the Adriatic,
Ionian and Central Mediterranean, and Western Mediterranean subregions. The goal is to define
isotopic baselines to estimate trophic levels of organisms and assess the contribution of autochthonous and allochthonous sources of carbon and nitrogen to the composition of seston and
zooplankton.
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