1
|
Nash LN, Kratina P, Recalde FC, Jones JI, Izzo T, Romero GQ. Tropical and temperate differences in the trophic structure and aquatic prey use of riparian predators. Ecol Lett 2023; 26:2122-2134. [PMID: 37807844 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
The influence of aquatic resource-inputs on terrestrial communities is poorly understood, particularly in the tropics. We used stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen to trace aquatic prey use and quantify the impact on trophic structure in 240 riparian arthropod communities in tropical and temperate forests. Riparian predators consumed more aquatic prey and were more trophically diverse in the tropics than temperate regions, indicating tropical riparian communities are both more reliant on and impacted by aquatic resources than temperate communities. This suggests they are more vulnerable to disruption of aquatic-terrestrial linkages. Although aquatic resource use declined strongly with distance from water, we observed no correlated change in trophic structure, suggesting trophic flexibility to changing resource availability within riparian predator communities in both tropical and temperate regions. Our findings highlight the importance of aquatic resources for riparian communities, especially in the tropics, but suggest distance from water is less important than resource diversity in maintaining terrestrial trophic structure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Liam N Nash
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Pavel Kratina
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Fátima C Recalde
- Laboratory of Multitrophic Interactions and Biodiversity, Department of Animal Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
| | - John Iwan Jones
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Thiago Izzo
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Comunidades, Departamento de Botânica e Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Q Romero
- Laboratory of Multitrophic Interactions and Biodiversity, Department of Animal Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Mendonça Filho SF, Queiroz de Brito G, Rodrigues de Melo Murta J, Salemi LF. Invasion in the riparian zone: What is the effect of Pteridium arachnoideum on topsoil permeability? ACTA OECOLOGICA 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2022.103867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
|
3
|
Zhang J, Xu J, Tan X, Zhang Q. Nitrogen loadings affect trophic structure in stream food webs on the Tibetan Plateau, China. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 844:157018. [PMID: 35772539 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic activities, such as agricultural and industrial development, have increased nutrient inputs into waterways, which affect trophic interactions and the flow of energy through food webs in the aquatic ecosystems. However, the responses of food web structure and function to specific anthropogenic stressors in the alpine stream systems remain unclear. Here, we studied the stream food webs in the Lhasa River on the Tibetan Plateau, China. We measured the isotopic ratios (δ13C and δ15N) of macroinvertebrate and fish functional feeding groups (FFGs) and their basal resources in the streams. Dietary contributions of basal resources to consumers and food web metrics including trophic length, diversity, and redundancy were used to quantify changes in stream food webs in response to anthropogenic disturbance. Dietary analysis showed that allochthonous resources contributed more than autochthonous resources to macroinvertebrate primary consumers regardless of the disturbance intensity in the adjacent land areas. Anthropogenic activities increased the δ15N values in epilithic algae and isotopic variation in basal resources and fish but reduced the trophic length and redundancy (i.e., fewer species or taxon at each trophic level) in food webs. Additionally, the total nitrogen concentration in waters was the most important environmental variable affecting trophic diversity and redundancy. Therefore, the reduction of nitrogen inputs into streams is critical for sustainable river management and biodiversity conservation in the streams on the Tibetan Plateau.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jian Zhang
- Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, Tibet University, Lhasa 850000, Tibet, China; College of Science, Tibet University, Lhasa 850000, Tibet, China; Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan, Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Jilei Xu
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan, Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Xiang Tan
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan, Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China.
| | - Quanfa Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan, Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Olson AM, Prentice C, Monteith ZL, VanMaanen D, Juanes F, Hessing-Lewis M. Grazing preference and isotopic contributions of kelp to Zostera marina mesograzers. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:991744. [PMID: 36311148 PMCID: PMC9608150 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.991744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
In seagrass food webs, small invertebrate mesograzers often exert top-down control on algal epiphytes growing on seagrass blades, which in turn releases the seagrass from competition for light and nutrients. Yet, nearshore habitat boundaries are permeable, and allochthonous subsidies can provide alternative food sources to in-situ production in seagrass meadows, which may in turn alter mesograzer-epiphyte interactions. We examined the contribution of allochthonous kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana), autochthonous epiphytic macroalgal (Smithora naiadum), Ulva lactuca, and seagrass production to mesograzer diets in a subtidal Zostera marina (eelgrass) meadow. In both choice feeding experiments and isotopic analysis, mesograzer diets revealed a preference for allochthonous N. luetkeana over Z. marina, S. naiadum, and U. lactuca. Notably, Idotea resecata showed an ~20x greater consumption rate for N. luetkeana in feeding experiments over other macrophytes. In the meadow, we found a positive relationship between epiphytic S. naiadum and gammarid amphipod biomass suggesting weak top-down control on the S. naiadum biomass. Epiphyte biomass may be driven by bottom-up factors such as environmental conditions, or the availability and preference of allochthonous kelp, though further work is needed to disentangle these interactions. Additionally, we found that gammarid and caprellid amphipod biomass were positively influenced by adjacency to kelp at seagrass meadow edges. Our findings suggest that N. luetkeana kelp subsidies are important to the diets of mesograzers in Z. marina meadows. Spatial planning and management of marine areas should consider trophic linkages between kelp and eelgrass habitats as a critical seascape feature if the goal is to conserve nearshore food web structure and function.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Angeleen M. Olson
- Nearshore Ecology, Hakai Institute, Heriot Bay, BC, Canada
- Fisheries Ecology and Conservation Lab, Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | | | | | | | - Francis Juanes
- Fisheries Ecology and Conservation Lab, Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Margot Hessing-Lewis
- Nearshore Ecology, Hakai Institute, Heriot Bay, BC, Canada
- Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Recalde FC, Breviglieri CP, Kersch-Becker MF, Romero GQ. Contribution of emergent aquatic insects to the trophic variation of tropical birds and bats. FOOD WEBS 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fooweb.2021.e00209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
|
6
|
Antiqueira PAP, Petchey OL, Rezende F, Machado Velho LF, Rodrigues LC, Romero GQ. Warming and top predator loss drive direct and indirect effects on multiple trophic groups within and across ecosystems. J Anim Ecol 2021; 91:428-442. [PMID: 34808001 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The interspecific interactions within and between adjacent ecosystems strongly depend on the changes in their abiotic and biotic components. However, little is known about how climate change and biodiversity loss in a specific ecosystem can impact the multiple trophic interactions of different biological groups within and across ecosystems. We used natural microecosystems (tank-bromeliads) as a model system to investigate the main and interactive effects of aquatic warming and aquatic top predator loss (i.e. trophic downgrading) on trophic relationships in three integrated food web compartments: (a) aquatic micro-organisms, (b) aquatic macro-organisms and (c) terrestrial predators (i.e. via cross-ecosystem effects). The aquatic top predator loss substantially impacted the three food web compartments. In the aquatic macrofauna compartment, trophic downgrading increased the filter feeder richness and abundance directly and indirectly via an increase in detritivore richness, likely through a facilitative interaction. For the microbiota compartment, aquatic top predator loss had a negative effect on algae richness, probably via decreasing the input of nutrients from predator biological activities. Furthermore, the more active terrestrial predators responded more to aquatic top predator loss, via an increase in some components of aquatic macrofauna, than more stationary terrestrial predators. The aquatic trophic downgrading indirectly altered the richness and abundance of cursorial terrestrial predators, but these effects had different direction according to the aquatic functional group, filter feeder or other detritivores. The web-building predators were indirectly affected by aquatic trophic downgrading due to increased filter feeder richness. Aquatic warming did not affect the aquatic micro- or macro-organisms but did positively affect the abundance of web-building terrestrial predators. These results allow us to raise a predictive framework of how different anthropogenic changes predicted for the next decades, such as aquatic warming and top predator loss, could differentially affect multiple biological groups through interactions within and across ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Augusto P Antiqueira
- Laboratório de Interações Multitróficas e Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biologia (IB), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
| | - Owen L Petchey
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Felipe Rezende
- Laboratório de Interações Multitróficas e Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biologia (IB), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
| | - Luiz Felipe Machado Velho
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Limnologia, Ictiologia e Aquicultura (NUPELIA)/PEA/CCB, Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM), Maringá, Brazil.,Instituto Cesumar de Ciência e Tecnolgia - ICETI. Universidade Cesumar - UniCesumar- PPGTL, Maringá, Brazil
| | - Luzia Cleide Rodrigues
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Limnologia, Ictiologia e Aquicultura (NUPELIA)/PEA/CCB, Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM), Maringá, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Quevedo Romero
- Laboratório de Interações Multitróficas e Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biologia (IB), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
McCary MA, Kasprzak MD, Botsch JC, Hoekman D, Jackson RD, Gratton C. Aquatic insect subsidies influence microbial composition and processing of detritus in near‐shore subarctic heathland. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Madeline D. Kasprzak
- Dept of Entomology, Univ. of Wisconsin‐Madison Madison WI USA
- Student Activity Center, Univ. of Wisconsin‐Madison Madison WI USA
| | | | - David Hoekman
- Dept of Entomology, Univ. of Wisconsin‐Madison Madison WI USA
- Dept of Biology, Redeemer Univ. Ancaster ON Canada
| | | | - Claudio Gratton
- Dept of Entomology, Univ. of Wisconsin‐Madison Madison WI USA
- Dept of Integrative Biology, Univ. of Wisconsin‐Madison Madison WI USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Nash LN, Antiqueira PAP, Romero GQ, de Omena PM, Kratina P. Warming of aquatic ecosystems disrupts aquatic-terrestrial linkages in the tropics. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:1623-1634. [PMID: 33955003 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Aquatic ecosystems are tightly linked to terrestrial ecosystems by exchanges of resources, which influence species interactions, community dynamics and functioning in both ecosystem types. However, our understanding of how this coupling responds to climate warming is restricted to temperate, boreal and arctic regions, with limited knowledge from tropical ecosystems. We investigated how warming aquatic ecosystems impact cross-ecosystem exchanges in the tropics, through the export of aquatic resources into the terrestrial environment and the breakdown of terrestrial resources within the aquatic environment. We experimentally heated 50 naturally assembled aquatic communities, contained within different-sized tank-bromeliads, to a 23.5-32°C gradient of mean water temperatures. The biomass, abundance and richness of aquatic insects emerging into the terrestrial environment all declined with rising temperatures over a 45-day experiment. Structural equation and linear mixed effects modelling suggested that these impacts were driven by deleterious effects of warming on insect development and survival, rather than being mediated by aquatic predation, nutrient availability or reduced body size. Decomposition was primarily driven by microbial activity. However, total decomposition by both microbes and macroinvertebrates increased with temperature in all but the largest ecosystems, where it decreased. Thus, warming decoupled aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, by reducing the flux of aquatic resources to terrestrial ecosystems but variably enhancing or reducing terrestrial resource breakdown in aquatic ecosystems. In contrast with increased emergence observed in warmed temperate ecosystems, future climate change is likely to reduce connectivity between tropical terrestrial and aquatic habitats, potentially impacting consumers in both ecosystem types. As tropical ectotherms live closer to their thermal tolerance limits compared to temperate species, warming can disrupt cross-ecosystem dynamics in an interconnected tropical landscape and should be considered when investigating ecosystem-level consequences of climate change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Liam N Nash
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Pablo A P Antiqueira
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Q Romero
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
| | - Paula M de Omena
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA), Belém, Brazil
| | - Pavel Kratina
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Ferreira VMB, Paiva NDO, Soares BE, Moraes M. Diversity and microhabitat use of benthic invertebrates in an urban forest stream (Southeastern Brazil). IHERINGIA. SERIE ZOOLOGIA 2021. [DOI: 10.1590/1678-4766e2021020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT This work aimed to assess the diversity and microhabitat use of benthic invertebrates in an urban forest stream in southeastern Brazilian region. The invertebrates were sampled in a headwater stream, located at the Tijuca Forest, Rio de Janeiro. Three types of microhabitats were sampled (litter, sand and stone) using a Surber sampler. Specimens were identified to the family-level and rarefaction curves were constructed for the total sampling and for each type of microhabitat. Community structure indices (abundance, taxonomic richness, diversity, and dominance) were calculated for each microhabitat. Differences among indices were tested through a repeated measure ANOVA, and differences among microhabitatsʼ composition through a PerMANOVA. A total of 9,800 specimens were registered in which Chironomidae was the most abundant. The rarefaction curves did not reach the asymptote. Community structure indices exhibited differences (RM ANOVA; p < 0.001), as well as microhabitats’ composition (PerMANOVA; p < 0.001). Abundance and taxonomic richness were the highest in litter, diversity was higher both in litter and stone, and sand had the highest dominance. Results highlighted that the variety of microhabitats may enhance local diversity and that the differences in resources availability of each type of microhabitat determine the distribution of these invertebrates.
Collapse
|
10
|
Zhou X, Mammides C, Zhou X, Hobson KA, Zhu H, Wen Y, Jiang A. Food web structure in exotic eucalyptus plantations in Southern China: Stable isotope (δ13C, δ15N) analyses reveal the importance of understory and landscape-level planning. Glob Ecol Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
|
11
|
Wilkinson CL, Chua KWJ, Fiala R, Liew JH, Kemp V, Hadi Fikri A, Ewers RM, Kratina P, Yeo DCJ. Forest conversion to oil palm compresses food chain length in tropical streams. Ecology 2020; 102:e03199. [PMID: 32969053 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2019] [Revised: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
In Southeast Asia, biodiversity-rich forests are being extensively logged and converted to oil palm monocultures. Although the impacts of these changes on biodiversity are largely well documented, we know addition to samples we collected in 201 little about how these large-scale impacts affect freshwater trophic ecology. We used stable isotope analyses (SIA) to determine the impacts of land-use changes on the relative contribution of allochthonous and autochthonous basal resources in 19 stream food webs. We also applied compound-specific SIA and bulk-SIA to determine the trophic position of fish apex predators and meso-predators (invertivores and omnivores). There was no difference in the contribution of autochthonous resources in either consumer group (70-82%) among streams with different land-use type. There was no change in trophic position for meso-predators, but trophic position decreased significantly for apex predators in oil palm plantation streams compared to forest streams. This change in maximum food chain length was due to turnover in identity of the apex predator among land-use types. Disruption of aquatic trophic ecology, through reduction in food chain length and shift in basal resources, may cause significant changes in biodiversity as well as ecosystem functions and services. Understanding this change can help develop more focused priorities for mediating the negative impacts of human activities on freshwater ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Clare L Wilkinson
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 16 Science Drive 4, Singapore, 117558, Singapore
| | - Kenny W J Chua
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 16 Science Drive 4, Singapore, 117558, Singapore
| | - Roswitha Fiala
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University London, London, E1 4DQ, UK
| | - Jia H Liew
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 16 Science Drive 4, Singapore, 117558, Singapore.,School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Victoria Kemp
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University London, London, E1 4DQ, UK
| | - Arman Hadi Fikri
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu, 88400, Malaysia
| | - Robert M Ewers
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London-Silwood Park, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, SL5 7PY, UK
| | - Pavel Kratina
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University London, London, E1 4DQ, UK
| | - Darren C J Yeo
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 16 Science Drive 4, Singapore, 117558, Singapore.,Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, National University of Singapore, 2 Conservatory Drive, Singapore, 117377, Singapore
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Recalde FC, Breviglieri CPB, Romero GQ. Allochthonous aquatic subsidies alleviate predation pressure in terrestrial ecosystems. Ecology 2020; 101:e03074. [PMID: 32304220 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Revised: 03/01/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The input of external energy and matter in recipient ecosystems can act as a bottom-up force that subsidizes consumers, with subsequent cascading effects throughout the food web. Depending on the amount of input, dietary preference, and the strength of trophic links, allochthonous resources generally play a stabilizing role on food webs. In this study, we investigated the stabilizing role of allochthonous aquatic resources on intraguild predation (IGP) and their consequences on shared prey in a terrestrial ecosystem. To this end, we manipulated the input of emergent aquatic insects (the allochthonous resources) from streams to land, and predation pressure by bats and birds (the top predators), in a multitrophic food web using an orthogonal exclusion experiment. Using stable isotope metrics, we found that bats, birds, and spiders (the mesopredators), were highly subsidized by emergent aquatic insects. Moreover, among terrestrial prey, top predators fed more on spiders than insects. As predicted, spiders were strongly affected by the presence of top predators when allochthonous resources were excluded. Consequently, in this scenario terrestrial insects were two times more abundant. Because spiders showed a higher preference for consuming aquatic resources, we suggest that nonconsumptive effects of spiders upon terrestrial insects could be mediating the strong response of those shared prey. We demonstrate that the input of allochthonous aquatic resources can play a fundamental role in stabilizing terrestrial trophic interactions and trophic cascades in riparian zones via decreasing predation pressure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fátima C Recalde
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Ecologia, Institute of Biology, State University of Campinas - UNICAMP, Campinas, 13083-970, Brazil.,Department of Basic Sciences, Polytechnic Faculty, National University of Asunción - UNA, San Lorenzo, 2160, Paraguay
| | - Crasso P B Breviglieri
- Department of Animal Biology, Institute of Biology, State University of Campinas - UNICAMP, Campinas, 13083-970, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Q Romero
- Department of Animal Biology, Institute of Biology, State University of Campinas - UNICAMP, Campinas, 13083-970, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Price EL, Sertić Perić M, Romero GQ, Kratina P. Land use alters trophic redundancy and resource flow through stream food webs. J Anim Ecol 2019; 88:677-689. [PMID: 30712255 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2018] [Accepted: 12/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The changes to physical and chemical ecosystem characteristics as a response to pervasive and intensifying land use have the potential to alter the consumer-resource interactions and to rewire the flow of energy through entire food webs. We investigated these structural and functional properties of food webs in stream ecosystems distributed across woodland, agricultural and urban areas in the Zagreb region of Croatia. We compared resource availability and consumer diet composition using stable isotope mixing models and tested how the isotopic variance of basal resources, primary consumers, macroinvertebrate predators and other food web characteristics change with different land-use types. Combination of increased loading and altered composition of nutrients, lower water discharge and higher light availability at urban sites likely promoted the contribution of aquatic macrophytes to diets of primary consumers. Macroinvertebrate predators shifted their diet, relying more on active filterers at urban sites relative to woodland and agricultural sites. Urban food webs also had lower trophic redundancy (i.e. fewer species at each trophic level) and a more homogenized energy flow from lower to higher trophic levels. There was no effect of land use on isotopic variation of basal resources, primary consumers or macroinvertebrate predators, but all these trophic groups at urban and agricultural sites were 15 N-enriched relative to their counterparts in woodland stream food webs. The physical and chemical ecosystem characteristics associated with intensive land use altered the resource availability, trophic redundancy and the flow of energy to other trophic levels, with potentially negative consequences for community dynamics and ecosystem functioning. These empirical findings indicate that reducing nutrient pollution, agricultural runoffs and maintaining riparian vegetation can mitigate the impacts of land use on structure and function of stream ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elliott L Price
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Mirela Sertić Perić
- Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Gustavo Q Romero
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
| | - Pavel Kratina
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Hoekman D, McCary MA, Dreyer J, Gratton C. Reducing allochthonous resources in a subarctic grassland alters arthropod food webs via predator diet and density. Ecosphere 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- David Hoekman
- Department of Entomology University of Wisconsin Madison Wisconsin 53706 USA
| | - Matthew A. McCary
- Department of Entomology University of Wisconsin Madison Wisconsin 53706 USA
| | - Jamin Dreyer
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Wisconsin Madison Wisconsin 53706 USA
| | - Claudio Gratton
- Department of Entomology University of Wisconsin Madison Wisconsin 53706 USA
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Wisconsin Madison Wisconsin 53706 USA
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Breviglieri CPB, Romero GQ. Prey stimuli trigger trophic interception across ecosystems. AUSTRAL ECOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Crasso Paulo B. Breviglieri
- Department of Animal Biology; Institute of Biology; University of Campinas (UNICAMP); Campinas São Paulo 13083-970 Brazil
| | - Gustavo Q. Romero
- Department of Animal Biology; Institute of Biology; University of Campinas (UNICAMP); Campinas São Paulo 13083-970 Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Breviglieri CPB, Romero GQ. Terrestrial vertebrate predators drive the structure and functioning of aquatic food webs. Ecology 2017; 98:2069-2080. [PMID: 28464251 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2017] [Revised: 04/18/2017] [Accepted: 04/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Predators that forage at boundaries between ecosystems can affect prey from adjacent ecosystems, thereby triggering consumptive and non-consumptive cascading effects, which may affect diversity and food web structure across ecosystems. In the present study, we manipulated the access of insectivorous birds, lizards, and anurans to tank bromeliads in scrub vegetation in southern Brazil. We measured cascading effects on the community structure of aquatic invertebrates inhabiting bromeliad leaves and on the ecosystem processes of decomposition rate and bromeliad growth. The exclusion of terrestrial vertebrate predators increased the biomass of Odonate and Tabanid apex predators, which shifted the body size structure of the assemblage and generated inverted biomass pyramids that were top-heavy. Within bromeliads with larger aquatic predators, the species composition and abundance of other aquatic invertebrates also changed, resulting in higher abundance of mesopredators and scrapers, and lower abundance of shredders. Under those conditions, the detritus decomposition rate decreased, and bromeliads produced more leaves, perhaps because of the higher deposition of nitrogenous waste by mesopredators. Our results highlight that the effects of terrestrial vertebrate predators can propagate across aquatic ecosystems, altering species composition, body size structure, food web organization, and ecosystem function.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Crasso Paulo Bosco Breviglieri
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), CP 6109, Campinas, Sao Paulo, CEP 13083-970, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Quevedo Romero
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), CP 6109, Campinas, Sao Paulo, CEP 13083-970, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Breviglieri CPB, Oliveira PS, Romero GQ. Fear Mediates Trophic Cascades: Nonconsumptive Effects of Predators Drive Aquatic Ecosystem Function. Am Nat 2017; 189:490-500. [PMID: 28410025 DOI: 10.1086/691262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Predators control prey populations and influence communities and the functioning of ecosystems through a combination of consumptive and nonconsumptive effects. These effects can be locally confined to one ecosystem but can also be extended to neighboring ecosystems. In this study, we investigated the nonconsumptive effects of terrestrial avian predators on the communities of aquatic invertebrates inhabiting bromeliads and on the functioning of these natural ecosystems. Bromeliads with stuffed birds placed nearby showed a decrease in aquatic damselfly larvae abundance and biomass, and we can infer that these changes were caused by antipredator responses. These larvae, which are top predators in bromeliad ecosystems, changed the composition of the entire aquatic invertebrate community. While total species richness, mesopredator richness, and shredder abundance increased in the presence of birds, scraper biomass decreased, possibly as a consequence of the increase in mesopredator richness. High scraper biomass in the absence of birds may have accelerated detrital decomposition, making more nutrients available for bromeliads, which grew more. These results show that nonconsumptive effects triggered by terrestrial predators can cascade down to lower trophic levels and dramatically affect the functioning of aquatic ecosystems, which can in turn alter nutrient provision to terrestrial ecosystems.
Collapse
|
18
|
Affiliation(s)
- J. A. Bissonette
- Department of Wildland Resources; Quinney College of Natural Resources; Utah State University; Logan UT 84322-5200 USA
| |
Collapse
|