The impact of vertebrate and invertebrate predators on a stream benthic community |
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Authors: | Jonas Dahl |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Ecology, Limnology, Ecology Building, S-223 62 Lund, Sweden e-mail: Jonas.Dahl@limnol.lu.se, Fax: +46-46-104003, SE |
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Abstract: | I assessed the impact of both vertebrate and invertebrate predators on a lotic benthic community in a 1-month-long experiment,
using enclosures containing cobble/gravel bottoms, with large-mesh netting that allowed invertebrates to drift freely. Brown
trout (Salmo trutta) and leeches (Erpobdella octoculata) were used as predators and four treatments were tested: a predator-free control, leeches only, trout only, and leeches and
trout together. A density of 26.7 leeches/m2 (20 leeches/enclosure) and 1.3 trout/m2 (one trout per enclosure) was stocked into the enclosures. The total biomass of invertebrate prey was significantly lower
in the trout and trout plus leech treatments than in the leech and control treatments, which were due to strong negative effects
of trout on Gammarus. On the individual prey taxon level, both trout and leeches affected the abundance of Asellus
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Baetis and Ephemerella, whereas the abundance of Gammarus was only affected by trout, and the abundance of Orthocladiinae and Limnephilidae was only affected by leeches. In the treatment
with trout and leeches together, the abundance of Ephemerella and Baetis was higher than when trout or leeches were alone, which was probably due to predator interactions. Leeches and trout had
no effects on prey immigration but did affect per capita emigration rates. Both trout and leeches indirectly increased periphyton
biomass in enclosures, probably due to their strong effects on grazers. Both trout and leeches were size-selective predators,
with trout selecting large prey, and leeches selecting small prey. Size-selective predation by trout and leeches affected
the size structure of five commonly consumed prey taxa. Trout produced prey populations of small sizes owing to consumption
of large prey as well as increased emigration out of enclosures by these large prey. Leech predation produced prey assemblages
of larger size owing to consumption and increased emigration of small prey. These results suggest that in lotic habits, predatory
invertebrates can be as strong interactors as vertebrate predators.
Received: 23 June 1997 / Accepted: 4 May 1998 |
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Keywords: | Predation Interaction Food web Fish Invertebrates |
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