Abstract
•δ13C of leucine and isoleucine distinguish between algal and bacterial material•δ15NPhe values indicated NO3− as the main N source for AA synthesis.•Potential use of δ15NThr as a proxy for trophic position TP•Extracellular protein hydrolysis main POM degradation process•Low signal of heterotrophic resynthesis (ΣV) in POM in top 100 m