C3 or C4 macrophytes: a specific carbon source for the development of semi-aquatic and terrestrial arthropods in central Amazonian river-floodplains according to delta13C values.

C4 plant species were proposed to generally represent inferior food sources compared to C3 plants thus are avoided by herbivores, particularly insects. This was tested in semi-aquatic and terrestrial arthropods from Amazonian river-floodplains by carbon isotope discrimination (delta13C). Two semi-aquatic grasshopper species (Stenacris f. fissicauda, Tucavaca gracilis-Acrididae) obtain their carbon during development from specific C4 macrophytes and two semi-aquatic species (Cornops aquaticum-Acrididae, Paulinia acuminata-Pauliniidae) from specific C3 macrophytes. The terrestrial millipede Mestosoma hylaeicum (Paradoxosomatidae) obtains about 45% of its carbon from roots of one C4 macrophyte during the development of immatures whereas adults use other food sources, including C3 trees. Results suggest, that (1) both C4 and C3 plants represent distinct hosts for terrestrial arthropods in Amazonia; (2) immatures may use plant species with a different photosynthetic pathway than adults.