Clustering Timber Harvests and the Effect of Dynamic Forest Management Policy on Forest Fragmentation

To integrate multiple uses (mature forest and commodity production) better on forested lands, timber management strategies that cluster harvests have been proposed. One such approach clusters harvest activity in space and time, and rotates timber production zones across the landscape with a long temporal period (dynamic zoning). Dynamic zoning has been shown to increase timber production and reduce forest fragmentation by segregating uses in time without reducing the spatial extent of timber production. It is reasonable to wonder what the effect of periodic interruptions in the implementation of such as strategy might be, as would be expected in a dynamic political environment. To answer these questions, I used a timber harvest simulation model (HARVEST) to simulate a dynamic zoning harvest strategy that was periodically interrupted by changes in the spatial dispersion of harvests, by changes in timber production levels, or both. The temporal scale (period) of these interruptions had impacts related to the rate at which the forest achieved canopy closure after harvest. Spatial dynamics in harvest policies had a greater effect on the amount of forest interior and edge than did dynamics in harvest intensity. The periodically clustered scenarios always produced greater amounts of forest interior and less forest edge than did their never clustered counterparts. The results suggest that clustering of harvests produces less forest fragmentation than dispersed cutting alternatives, even in the face of a dynamic policy future. Although periodic episodes of dispersed cutting increased fragmentation, average and maximum fragmentation measures were less than if clustered harvest strategies were never implemented. Clustering may also be useful to mitigate the fragmentation effects of socially mandated increases in timber harvest levels. Implementation of spatial clustering during periods of high timber harvest rates reduced the variation in forest interior and edge through time, providing a more stable supply of forest interior habitat across the landscape. Received 19 September 1997; accepted 6 August 1998.     

Short-term forest management effects on a long-lived ectotherm

Timber harvesting has been shown to have both positive and negative effects on forest dwelling species. We examined the immediate effects of timber harvests (clearcuts and group selection openings) on ectotherm behavior, using the eastern box turtle as a model. We monitored the movement and thermal ecology of 50 adult box turtles using radiotelemetry from May-October for two years prior to, and two years following scheduled timber harvests in the Central Hardwoods Region of the U.S. Annual home ranges (7.45 ha, 100% MCP) did not differ in any year or in response to timber harvests, but were 33% larger than previous estimates (range 0.47-187.67 ha). Distance of daily movements decreased post-harvest (from 22 m±1.2 m to 15 m±0.9 m) whereas thermal optima increased (from 23±1°C to 25±1°C). Microclimatic conditions varied by habitat type, but monthly average temperatures were warmer in harvested areas by as much as 13°C. Animals that used harvest openings were exposed to extreme monthly average temperatures (～40°C). As a result, the animals made shorter and more frequent movements in and out of the harvest areas while maintaining 9% higher body temperatures. This experimental design coupled with radiotelemetry and behavioral observation of a wild ectotherm population prior to and in response to anthropogenic habitat alteration is the first of its kind. Our results indicate that even in a relatively contiguous forested landscape with small-scale timber harvests, there are local effects on the thermal ecology of ectotherms. Ultimately, the results of this research can benefit the conservation and management of temperature-dependent species by informing effects of timber management across landscapes amid changing climates.     

Energetics of surface-active terrestrial salamanders in experimentally harvested forest

Environmental temperatures affect nearly all aspects of ectotherm physiology, including terrestrial salamanders. Therefore, habitat disturbances that alter temperature regimes may interact with physiological processes to affect energy budgets of salamanders or constrain surface activity and possibly lead to changes in population-level parameters. We hypothesized that warmer surface temperatures following harvesting of canopy trees could cause surface-active salamanders to expend more energy for metabolism, potentially leaving a smaller proportion of the energy budget available for reproduction or storage. From 2006 to 2008, we quantified temperature regimes of salamander refugia in a field experiment replicated at 4 sites that included plots subjected to a timber harvest and plots not manipulated during this time period. At each site, we quantified temperature regimes in regenerating forest stands which, approximately 10 years earlier, experienced a range of harvest intensity from shelterwood to silvicultural clearcut. Further, we compared energetic parameters including 1) calories required to maintain homeostasis across an active season, 2) abundance of available potential energy (i.e., invertebrate prey), and 3) a measure of growth and storage (i.e., body condition index) among silvicultural treatments for surface-active salamanders. For surface-active eastern red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus), mean calories required for maintenance were approximately 33% greater in recently harvested forest compared to unharvested controls, but body condition was inconsistent among treatments, and invertebrate abundances were similar among treatments but differed by study site. In contrast, we did not detect a treatment effect in any energetic metric 8–14 growing seasons after harvesting. Given that surface-active salamanders in recently harvested forest may be forced to restrain behaviors associated with foraging and mating or trade-off growth or reproduction for increased basic maintenance costs, energetics may be an important but overlooked short-term contributor to observed changes in abundances, reproductive demography, or surface activities after timber harvesting. Managing for both the rapid recovery of understory vegetation and retention of large stumps and logs may help mitigate warming of microclimate for salamanders and should be considered further. © The Wildlife Society, 2011     

Linking the evolution of habitat choice to ecosystem functioning: direct and indirect effects of pond-reproducing fire salamanders on aquatic-terrestrial subsidies

Shifts in life history traits and in the behaviour of species can potentially alter ecosystem functioning. The reproduction of the central European fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra), which usually deposits its larvae in first-order streams, in small pool and pond-like habitats, is an example of a recent local adaptation in this species. Here we aimed to quantify the direct and indirect effects of the predatory larvae on the aquatic food webs in the ponds and on the flux of matter between the ponds and adjacent terrestrial habitats. Our estimates are based on biomass data of the present pond fauna as well as on the analysis of stomach content data, growth rates and population dynamics of the salamander larvae in pond habitats. By their deposition of larvae in early spring, female fire salamanders import between 0.07 and 2.86 g dry mass m^?2 larval biomass into the ponds. Due to high mortality rates in the larval phase and the relatively small size at metamorphosis of the pond-adapted salamanders compared to stream-adapted ones, the biomass export of the metamorphosed salamanders clearly falls below the initial biomass import. Catastrophic events such as high water temperatures and low oxygen levels may even occasionally result in mass mortalities of salamander larvae and thus in a net 100 % import of the salamander biomass into the pond food webs. Indirect effects further accelerate this net import of matter into the aquatic habitat, e.g. the feeding of salamanders on aquatic insect larvae with the emergence of terrestrial adults—thus preventing export—and on terrestrial organisms that fall on the water surface (supporting import). This study demonstrates that the adaptation of salamanders to pond reproduction can alter food web linkages across ecosystem boundaries by enhancing the flux of materials and energy from terrestrial (i.e. forest) to the aquatic (i.e. pond) habitat.     

Ground beetle responses to patch retention harvesting in high elevation forests of British Columbia

The effect of a forest harvesting system whereby small (typically 0.1–2.0 ha) patches of standing timber are retained inside of harvests, was compared to conventional clearcutting for its effect on ground beetle assemblages. Two seasons of pitfall trapping entailed 46 451 trap days, and yielded 15 799 individuals of 28 species; abundance was dominated by four species comprising 92.4% of the catch. Most species were known to have wide geographic distributions in Canada and Alaska but many species seemed to respond to disturbance on a site-specific basis. Contrary to findings of similar studies, no species could be characterized as "mature-forest specialists", or "forest generalists". Forest patches and edge habitats immediately inside the forest canopy contained assemblages more closely related to mature forest than to cleared areas. Harvested areas with patches yielded catches distinct from typical clearcuts, based primarily on changes in abundance of one common species. Climatic regimes and landscape disturbance levels were the two important factors distinguishing our study from others, and we have suggested that these may influence the degree to which patches are an effective conservation tool.     

Experimental assessment of salamanders as predators of detrital food webs: effects on invertebrates, decomposition and the carbon cycle

Declines in amphibian populations and the loss of some species has spurred research into the causes of declines. Little research has been done on what the loss of amphibian species may mean to ecosystem function. I describe a field experiment where the number of Plethodon cinereus (the red-backed salamander) was manipulated in enclosures buried in the forest floor. I determined the composition of the forest floor invertebrate community and the rate of decomposition of leaf litter in enclosures with and without salamanders over 4.5 months. Salamander predation in enclosures significantly reduced invertebrate numbers compared to control enclosures. Salamander predation also indirectly reduced rate of decomposition by between 11 and 17%. This was probably due to salamanders consuming a significant number of leaf fragmenters (e.g. Coleoptera and Diptera larvae). Predation on leaf litter fragmenters may alter carbon dynamics in forested ecosystems.     

Modeling the Complex Impacts of Timber Harvests to Find Optimal Management Regimes for Amazon Tidal Floodplain Forests

At the Amazon estuary, the oldest logging frontier in the Amazon, no studies have comprehensively explored the potential long-term population and yield consequences of multiple timber harvests over time. Matrix population modeling is one way to simulate long-term impacts of tree harvests, but this approach has often ignored common impacts of tree harvests including incidental damage, changes in post-harvest demography, shifts in the distribution of merchantable trees, and shifts in stand composition. We designed a matrix-based forest management model that incorporates these harvest-related impacts so resulting simulations reflect forest stand dynamics under repeated timber harvests as well as the realities of local smallholder timber management systems. Using a wide range of values for management criteria (e.g., length of cutting cycle, minimum cut diameter), we projected the long-term population dynamics and yields of hundreds of timber management regimes in the Amazon estuary, where small-scale, unmechanized logging is an important economic activity. These results were then compared to find optimal stand-level and species-specific sustainable timber management (STM) regimes using a set of timber yield and population growth indicators. Prospects for STM in Amazonian tidal floodplain forests are better than for many other tropical forests. However, generally high stock recovery rates between harvests are due to the comparatively high projected mean annualized yields from fast-growing species that effectively counterbalance the projected yield declines from other species. For Amazonian tidal floodplain forests, national management guidelines provide neither the highest yields nor the highest sustained population growth for species under management. Our research shows that management guidelines specific to a region’s ecological settings can be further refined to consider differences in species demographic responses to repeated harvests. In principle, such fine-tuned management guidelines could make management more attractive, thus bridging the currently prevalent gap between tropical timber management practice and regulation.     

Edge effects of three anthropogenic disturbances on spider communities in Alberta’s boreal forest

Increasing fragmentation of forests worldwide by timber and industrial development makes it important to understand the edge effects of common anthropogenic disturbances on forest fauna. We collected ground-active spiders along transects across the edge of logging clearcuts, gravel roads and gas pipelines in the boreal forest of Alberta, sampling on the disturbance (10?m from forest edge), and 10, 45, and 200?m into the forest. We asked whether the three disturbances were associated with edge effects on spider communities, and whether the extent of their associated edge effects were equivalent. The spider community at the edges of clearcuts was distinct from interior and on-disturbance communities 10?m into the forest from the clearcut edge, showing an edge effect of between 10 and 45?m from clearcut edges, while no edge effects were apparent at road and pipeline edges. Edge effects therefore differ at linear and non-linear openings in the boreal forest, which suggests that small linear openings may be associated with minimal edge effects compared to large polygonal forest openings. This result has important consequences for forest management, where clearcuts and other non-linear openings are likely to cause edge effects on spider communities that are between 10 and 45?m in their extent. The small size of clearcuts as practiced in the public forests of Canada, and their dense and broad application across the landscape, makes this edge effect of broad spatial significance in protecting biodiversity in managed landscapes.     

Increased growth rates of stream salamanders following forest harvesting

Timber harvesting can influence headwater streams by altering stream productivity, with cascading effects on the food web and predators within, including stream salamanders. Although studies have examined shifts in salamander occupancy or abundance following timber harvest, few examine sublethal effects such as changes in growth and demography. To examine the effect of upland harvesting on growth of the stream‐associated Ouachita dusky salamander (Desmognathus brimleyorum), we used capture–mark–recapture over three years at three headwater streams embedded in intensely managed pine forests in west‐central Arkansas. The pine stands surrounding two of the streams were harvested, with retention of a 14‐ and 21‐m‐wide forested stream buffer on each side of the stream, whereas the third stream was an unharvested control. At the two treatment sites, measurements of newly metamorphosed salamanders were on average 4.0 and 5.7 mm larger post‐harvest compared with pre‐harvest. We next assessed the influence of timber harvest on growth of post‐metamorphic salamanders with a hierarchical von Bertalanffy growth model that included an effect of harvest on growth rate. Using measurements from 839 individual D. brimleyorum recaptured between 1 and 6 times (total captures, n = 1229), we found growth rates to be 40% higher post‐harvest. Our study is among the first to examine responses of individual stream salamanders to timber harvesting, and we discuss mechanisms that may be responsible for observed shifts in growth. Our results suggest timber harvest that includes retention of a riparian buffer (i.e., streamside management zone) may have short‐term positive effects on juvenile stream salamander growth, potentially offsetting negative sublethal effects associated with harvest.     

Effects of Timber Management on Pond-Breeding Salamanders

Abstract: Pond-breeding salamanders spend most of their lives in forested habitat surrounding the vernal pools where they breed. Timber harvesting has been demonstrated to have negative impacts on salamander populations due to changes in soil temperature, soil compaction, and general degradation of habitat. However, little is known about how long it takes for harvested forest habitat to once again become suitable for salamanders. Questions also remain as to whether salamanders will use an area that has been harvested in recent years if an older intact forest area is available. We used drift fences and pitfall traps to capture adult spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) and marbled salamanders (A. opacum) migrating to 3 vernal ponds during their breeding seasons. The study area contained tracts of forest that were clear-cut 11–12 years prior to the study. All 3 ponds were surrounded by areas of clear-cut and intact forest and drift fences were placed in both habitat types. Similar numbers of spotted salamanders entered the ponds from clear-cut and intact forest areas. The number of marbled salamanders migrating to the ponds did not differ between areas of clear-cut and intact forest. These results suggest that clear-cut habitats may become suitable for adult pond-breeding salamanders after a relatively short regeneration period.     

Spatial variation in water loss predicts terrestrial salamander distribution and population dynamics

Many patterns observed in ecology, such as species richness, life history variation, habitat use, and distribution, have physiological underpinnings. For many ectothermic organisms, temperature relationships shape these patterns, but for terrestrial amphibians, water balance may supersede temperature as the most critical physiologically limiting factor. Many amphibian species have little resistance to water loss, which restricts them to moist microhabitats, and may significantly affect foraging, dispersal, and courtship. Using plaster models as surrogates for terrestrial plethodontid salamanders (Plethodon albagula), we measured water loss under ecologically relevant field conditions to estimate the duration of surface activity time across the landscape. Surface activity time was significantly affected by topography, solar exposure, canopy cover, maximum air temperature, and time since rain. Spatially, surface activity times were highest in ravine habitats and lowest on ridges. Surface activity time was a significant predictor of salamander abundance, as well as a predictor of successful recruitment; the probability of a juvenile salamander occupying an area with high surface activity time was two times greater than an area with limited predicted surface activity. Our results suggest that survival, recruitment, or both are demographic processes that are affected by water loss and the ability of salamanders to be surface-active. Results from our study extend our understanding of plethodontid salamander ecology, emphasize the limitations imposed by their unique physiology, and highlight the importance of water loss to spatial population dynamics. These findings are timely for understanding the effects that fluctuating temperature and moisture conditions predicted for future climates will have on plethodontid salamanders.     

The influence of habitat provisioning: use of earthworm burrows by the terrestrial salamander, Plethodon cinereus

Studies examining the influence of habitat provisioning by one species on the behavior of other species can provide key insights regarding impacts of ecosystem engineers on the availability of resources to other species. More specifically, an organism’s use of additional habitat provided by ecosystem engineers may affect the interpretation of observational or demographic data. We chose to examine the possible influence of earthworms, as ecosystem engineers, on the behavior of terrestrial salamanders, common forest vertebrates in North America. We conducted two experiments in microcosms to examine whether the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris acted as an ecosystem engineer by providing additional habitat (burrows) for Plethodon cinereus, a common woodland salamander. We also examined whether the behavioral changes of the non-burrowing, fossorial P. cinereus differed across age classes. Adults and juveniles responded similarly, with both adults and juveniles found under cover objects more often when earthworms were absent and using earthworm burrows when available. Our field data supported our experimental data in that greater numbers of earthworms on field plots were associated with a lower proportion of cover objects being occupied by salamanders (i.e., salamanders were likely underground). We found no differences in the response of adults and juveniles to the presence of earthworms. By providing underground habitat for a common terrestrial amphibian, the presence of earthworms may impact demographic studies on salamanders and conclusions drawn from those studies regarding aboveground faunal communities in eastern North America.     

Red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus) as a bioindicator of mercury in terrestrial forests of the northeastern United States

Despite concerns over the widespread deposition of mercury (Hg) in remote forested areas of the northeastern United States (U.S.), little information is available on the bioaccumulation of Hg in this region's terrestrial fauna. There is a strong need to develop baseline data on appropriate bioindicator species for this area, and here we report Hg concentrations in one of the most widely distributed vertebrates in forested areas, the red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus). To inform the use of this species as a bioindicator of Hg accumulation, we assessed ratios of bioavailable methylmercury (MeHg) to total Hg, and techniques for non-destructive sampling along an elevational gradient of increasing forest floor Hg concentrations. Total Hg in body samples was 70% MeHg, and Hg concentrations in tail-clips, which can be collected non-lethally, were positively correlated with body concentrations. Mercury concentrations in salamanders increased 2.4-fold along an increasing elevational gradient of Hg in soils. We conclude that Hg concentrations in P. cinereus can act as a biomonitoring tool for broad areas of remote terrestrial forests, and may help identify regions and landscape characteristics of particular concern for Hg bioaccumulation.     

Effects of Experimental Canopy Manipulation on Amphibian Egg Deposition

ABSTRACT Although effects of forest management on amphibians are relatively well studied, few studies have examined how these practices affect egg deposition by adults, which can impact population recruitment. We quantified the effects of 4 canopy tree-retention treatments on amphibian oviposition patterns in clusters of 60-L aquatic mesocosms located in each treatment. We also related aquatic and terrestrial biophysical parameters in treatment plots to oviposition patterns. Cope's gray treefrogs (Hyla chrysoscelis) deposited more egg masses in clear-cut and 25–50% tree-retention treatments than in controls. In contrast, mountain chorus frogs (Pseudacris brachyp***hona) deposited more egg masses in unharvested control and 75% retention treatments than in clear-cut or 25–50% retention treatments. Spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) only deposited eggs in 75% retention treatments and controls. The number of egg masses deposited by mountain chorus frogs was positively related to canopy cover and negatively related to water temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen, whereas we noted the opposite relationships for Cope's gray treefrogs. We did not detect a relationship between the number of egg masses deposited by any species and the distance of mesocosms to either the nearest mature closed-canopy forest or to the nearest natural amphibian breeding pool. The impacts of the silvicultural treatments we studied were species-specific and depended on the amount of trees removed. In areas where protection of spotted salamander and mountain chorus frog breeding habitat is a priority, we recommend harvests retain at least 75% of the canopy. Our results also suggest that retention of 25–50% of canopy trees surrounding amphibian breeding pools has little conservation benefit.     

Watershed Land Use and Seasonal Variation Constrain the Influence of Riparian Canopy Cover on Stream Ecosystem Metabolism

Ecosystem metabolism is an important determinant of trophic structure, nutrient cycling, and other critical ecosystem processes in streams. Whereas watershed- and local-scale controls on stream metabolism have been independently investigated, little is known about how controls exerted at different scales interact to determine stream metabolic rates, particularly in urban streams and across seasons. To address this knowledge gap, we measured ecosystem metabolism in four urban and four reference streams in northern Kentucky, USA, with paired closed and open riparian canopies, during each of the four seasons. Gross primary production (GPP), ecosystem respiration, and net ecosystem production (NEP) were all best predicted by models with season as a main effect, but interactions between season, canopy, and watershed varied for each response. Urban streams exhibited higher GPP during most seasons, likely due to elevated nutrient loads. Open canopy reaches in both urban and forested streams, supported higher rates of GPP than the closed canopy which reaches during the summer and fall, when the overhead vegetation shaded the closed reaches. The effect of canopy cover on GPP was similar among urban and forested streams. The combination of watershed and local-scale controls resulted in urban streams that alternated between net heterotrophy (NEP <0) and net autotrophy (NEP >0) at the reach-scale during seasons with dense canopy cover. This finding has management relevance because net production can lead to accumulation of algal biomass and associated issues like nighttime hypoxia. Our study suggests that although watershed urbanization fundamentally alters ecosystem function, the preservation and restoration of canopied riparian zones can provide an important management tool at the local scale, with the strongest impacts on stream metabolism during summer.     

Riparian disturbance restricts in‐stream movement of salamanders

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Predicting Pasture and Forest Landowner Intention to Create Early Successional Habitat

As human land uses expand across the landscape, the management practices of private landowners are an essential part of effective conservation. Early successional habitats (ESH) and the species that depend on them are a priority in the eastern United States, and efforts to create ESH on private lands has primarily focused on forest landowners and timber harvests. Private pasture lands in a forested landscape present an additional opportunity to create and maintain ESH, yet our understanding of landowner values and attitudes about management strategies in pastures is lacking. To address this, we surveyed private landowners in 5 Virginia counties who own ≥10.1 ha at >610 m elevation (n = 503). Our primary objective was to understand how a variety of factors such as landowner values, past experience with habitat management, and perceived barriers to carrying out habitat management are associated with private landowner intention to carry out 7 ESH management strategies (i.e., reduced mowing, reduced grazing, timber harvests within forest, timber harvests at a field-forest border, prescribed fire, use of machinery, and use of herbicides to control invasive species) for the benefit of wildlife in the next 5 years. We used boosted regression trees to determine which factors best predicted the intention to carry out each management strategy. We were able to predict accuracy >75% of the time for landowner intention to engage in open pasture and timber management strategies. Landowner values were not consistent across the different management strategies; landowners likely to reduce mowing or grazing valued ecological aspects of their land (e.g., pollinator habitat, water quality), whereas landowners likely to harvest timber valued hunting and revenue. Past experience with wildlife management was the strongest predictor of likelihood to reduce mowing and grazing. Our results suggest that expanding outreach efforts to include pasture management options would engage a broader set of landowners in creating ESH, especially if such efforts highlighted the benefits to pollinator species, water quality, and enhanced opportunities for hunting and other types of recreation. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.     

A system-wide assessment of forest biomass production,markets, and carbon

This study examines the effects of supplying forest biomass on forest ecosystem services and goods with a dynamic systems model. This unique analysis models dynamic trade and investments in forestry, thereby capturing price changes from increased forest biomass demand on current and future flows of forest ecosystem services and natural capital stocks. Forests across the globe are interconnected through timber and forest biomass markets, which influence forest management decisions, land rents, and policy responses. Results indicate that expanding forest biomass consumption, even at relatively low levels, will have important impacts on ecosystem services, particularly the benefits of terrestrial carbon sequestration and timber outputs. Increased forest biomass production can be achieved with smaller impacts on ecosystem services through policies targeting natural forest preservation. However, policies that encourage residual biomass use for energy or discourage forest plantation expansion could potentially compromise carbon benefits.     

Edge Effects of Gated and Ungated Roads on Terrestrial Salamanders

ABSTRACT Roads through forest habitats reduce the abundance of many animal species. These reductions are often referred to as edge effects and their causes include roadkill, degradation of forest habitat, and changes in biotic interactions. Which of these causes are operating can have important implications for management. Terrestrial salamanders in the southern Appalachians have previously been shown to be subject to edge effects from forest roads that are open to traffic. In this study, I examined edge effects on red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) along forest roads that were either open or gated to prevent vehicle entry. I also included roads that varied in the width of the gravel surface, the width of the roadside verge, and the magnitude of habitat gradients at the forest edge. I found that ungated roads were associated with consistent edge effects on salamanders, whereas no detectable edge effects were found for gated roads. Road width was as good a predictor of the magnitude of edge effects as was the presence of a gate, though the width of the roadside verge was largely unrelated to the magnitude of edge effects. Gradients in habitat variables (soil moisture, temp, leaf litter thickness) were not closely related to the magnitude of edge effects. These results demonstrate that narrow, gated roads do not typically produce edge effects on terrestrial salamanders of the same magnitude as wider, ungated roads. In addition, the apparent importance of road type or road width and the relative unimportance of habitat characteristics suggest that traffic-related factors may be a substantial contributor to edge effects on terrestrial salamanders. These findings provide some support for the closing of redundant forest roads as a low-cost method for diminishing the negative effects of roads on forest ecosystems.     

Evolution mediates the effects of apex predation on aquatic food webs

Ecological and evolutionary mechanisms are increasingly thought to shape local community dynamics. Here, I evaluate if the local adaptation of a meso-predator to an apex predator alters local food webs. The marbled salamander (Ambystoma opacum) is an apex predator that consumes both the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) and shared zooplankton prey. Common garden experiments reveal that spotted salamander populations which co-occur with marbled salamanders forage more intensely than those that face other predator species. These foraging differences, in turn, alter the diversity, abundance and composition of zooplankton communities in common garden experiments and natural ponds. Locally adapted spotted salamanders exacerbate prey biomass declines associated with apex predation, but dampen the top-down effects of apex predation on prey diversity. Countergradient selection on foraging explains why locally adapted spotted salamanders exacerbate prey biomass declines. The two salamander species prefer different prey species, which explains why adapted spotted salamanders buffer changes in prey composition owing to apex predation. Results suggest that local adaptation can strongly mediate effects from apex predation on local food webs. Community ecologists might often need to consider the evolutionary history of populations to understand local diversity patterns, food web dynamics, resource gradients and their responses to disturbance.