Phytoplankton community similarity in a semiarid floodplain under contrasting hydrological connectivity regimes

In this study we compare phytoplankton community similarity between sites in a semiarid floodplain wetland over a 6-year period with variable hydroperiod and connectivity regimes. Phytoplankton communities showed a relatively high site idiosyncrasy during most parts of the study; however, during situations of low connectivity when individual sites were highly fragmented, phytoplankton communities occasionally became more similar between sites. This suggests that mass effects related to dispersal-mediated processes could be important. Viewed from a metacommunity perspective, phytoplankton community assembly at the wetland scale involves complex hierarchical processes that can act independently at different spatial extents. The main conclusion of this study is that the well-known effects of environmental variability associated with hydrological disturbance alone may not be sufficient for explaining, and by extension predicting, community assembly in this wetland. Other processes, perhaps involving overland dispersal, may eventually add a new dimension to, and complicate our understanding of, community processes in fluctuating wetlands.     

Fish mediate high food web connectivity in the lower reaches of a tropical floodplain river

High levels of hydrological connectivity during seasonal flooding provide significant opportunities for movements of fish between rivers and their floodplains, estuaries and the sea, possibly mediating food web subsidies among habitats. To determine the degree of utilisation of food sources from different habitats in a tropical river with a short floodplain inundation duration (~2 months), stable isotope ratios in fishes and their available food were measured from three habitats (inundated floodplain, dry season freshwater, coastal marine) in the lower reaches of the Mitchell River, Queensland (Australia). Floodplain food sources constituted the majority of the diet of large-bodied fishes (barramundi Lates calcarifer, catfish Neoarius graeffei) captured on the floodplain in the wet season and for gonadal tissues of a common herbivorous fish (gizzard shad Nematalosa come), the latter suggesting that critical reproductive phases are fuelled by floodplain production. Floodplain food sources also subsidised barramundi from the recreational fishery in adjacent coastal and estuarine areas, and the broader fish community from a freshwater lagoon. These findings highlight the importance of the floodplain in supporting the production of large fishes in spite of the episodic nature and relatively short duration of inundation compared to large river floodplains of humid tropical regions. They also illustrate the high degree of food web connectivity mediated by mobile fish in this system in the absence of human modification, and point to the potential consequences of water resource development that may reduce or eliminate hydrological connectivity between the river and its floodplain.     

群落水平食物网能流季节演替特征

稳定碳、氮同位素比值分析技术是研究生态系统中物质循环与能量流动的有效技术.δ13C可以用来判断食物网中不同生物的能量来源;δ15N主要用于确定生物在食物网中所处的营养位置.通常用δ13C—δ15N图来表征某一特定时间或空间的食物网结构,但是这种方法在比较不同时间和空间食物网结构中功效较差.同时这种定性描述食物网结构也无法满足食物网复杂变化下的假说验证.应用环形统计方法,以太湖梅梁湾鱼类群落为例,定量评价了群落水平食物网能流季节演替特征.结果表明太湖梅梁湾鱼类营养生态位移动的季节特征明显.进一步物种水平分析结果表明,各种鱼类角度和幅度随季节均有变化.Rayleigh检验结果表明,群落中不同种类在秋冬、冬春和夏秋均有显著的一致的方向变化;而春夏期间不显著.Watson-William检验结果表明,群落水平的鱼类营养生态位移动在秋冬和冬春季节转换中有显著差异.引起鱼类群落水平营养生态位在食物网空间中季节性移动的主要因素为可利用资源稳定同位素的季节变化和不同鱼类种群自身的食性季节性转变.同时,由于梅梁湾食物网鱼类群落杂食性水平高,季节性浮游初级生产力成为食物网能量流动的重要驱动作用.因此,在富营养化生态系统中,食物网群落水平营养生态位季节波动也暗示了系统稳定性的下降.定量评价食物网变化有助于认识和理解食物网结构与功能在生态学和生态系统管理等方面的重要.     

长江上游弥陀漫滩水体鱼类食物网动态的季节性变化

长江上游是我国鱼类生物多样性最为丰富的地区之一,漫滩作为河流生态系统的重要组成部分对维持区域鱼类生物多样性具有重要作用。于2019年丰水期(8月份)和枯水期间(11月份)应用碳、氮稳定同位素技术并结合Bayesian混合模型和SIBER分析方法,对长江上游弥陀漫滩水体鱼类食物网结构动态的季节性变化特征进行了研究。结果显示：丰水期基础碳源的δ¹³C、δ¹⁵N平均值分别为-23.02‰和2.58‰,范围分别为-31.01‰—-11.2‰(δ¹³C)和-0.51‰—6.84‰(δ¹⁵N);枯水期其δ¹³C、δ¹⁵N平均值分别为-21.93‰、7.22‰,范围分别为-26.31‰—-15.36‰(δ¹³C)和4.89‰—8.81‰(δ¹⁵N)。丰水期鱼类食物网能量主要依赖于外源性营养物质,食物链长度达到3.6级;枯水期内源性营养物质是食物网能量的主要贡献者,食物链长度为2.6级。相对于枯水期,丰水期间鱼类群落拥有更大的生...     

Ciliate community structure and interactions within the planktonic food web in two alpine lakes of contrasting transparency

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Influence of hydrological seasonality on bacterioplankton in two neotropical floodplain lakes

Seasonal fluctuation in river stage strongly affects the ecological functioning of tropical floodplain lakes. This study was conducted to assess the influence of hydrological seasonality on bacterial production and abundance in two floodplain lakes of the Autana River, a blackwater river in the Middle Orinoco basin, Venezuela. Water samples for nutrient chemistry, chlorophyll a, and microbiological determinations were collected in two floodplain lakes and in the mainstem of the river during 1997–98. DOC and chlorophyll a concentrations were similar between mainstem and lake sites during high water when river and lakes were well connected but became different during the period of low water when the interaction was minimal. Higher values of bacterial production were observed in the floodplain lakes (0.62–1.03 g C l^–1 h^–1) compared to the mainstem sites (0.17–0.19 g C l^–1 h^–1) during the period of low water, while during the period of high water river and lake sites showed similar levels (0.04 g C l^–1 h^–1). Bacterial numbers followed bacterial production in the floodplain lakes, reaching higher numbers during the period of low water (1.41–2.40 × 10⁶ cells ml^–1). Availability of substrate and inorganic nutrients, pH, and inputs and losses of bacterial cells could be determining the observed seasonal patterns in bacterial production and abundance. The Autana lakes exhibited a strong seasonal pattern in the chemical and biological conditions, showing higher productivity during the lentic phase that lasted between 5 and 6 months.     

Seasonal subsidy stabilizes food web dynamics: Balance in a heterogeneous landscape

Resource subsidies from external habitats can substantially affect the food web dynamics of local habitats. In this paper, we explore a mathematical model that is tailored for a stream food web, studied by Nakano and colleagues, in which consumers, in situ prey and subsidies all show seasonal fluctuation. The model reveals that the food web dynamics are stabilized if subsidies increase in summer when in situ productivity is low. Consumer dynamics are stabilized because subsidies complement seasonal resource deficiency. In situ prey dynamics are stabilized because subsidies indirectly balance the predation pressure by consumers, with seasonal change in prey carrying capacity. In summer when prey carrying capacity is low, seasonally abundant subsidies indirectly decrease predation pressure, whereas in winter, with high prey carrying capacity, scarce subsidies increase the predation pressure. Our results suggest that temporal productivity differences between spatially linked habitats are important to promote the stability of food web dynamics in a landscape context.     

Temporal organization of fish assemblages in floodplain lagoons: the role of hydrological connectivity

The present study evaluated the hypothesis that after flooding events, non-random patterns of species co-occurrence (segregation) are progressively intensified in fish assemblages inhabiting seasonally isolated lagoons. We sampled lagoons in the upper Paraná River floodplain between 1992 and 1993, and classified them into five hydrological phases, according to their surface connectivity. During the period of isolation (9 months), lagoons depth decreased progressively, but desiccation was reversed after 4 months (possibly due to groundwater infiltration and rainfall). A significant co-occurrence pattern (segregation) occurred in the last phase, supporting our initial hypothesis. However, richness, abundance and composition were significantly correlated with habitat depth, indicating that assemblage structure and organization is closely associated with dynamics of habitat retraction/expansion during isolation. Although environmental conditions of lagoons (absence of prolonged desiccation) prevented an adequate test of our hypothesis, our data suggests that, in addition to the importance of surface floods, the hydrological cycle as a whole has a crucial role shaping the organization of fish assemblages in floodplain lagoons seasonally isolated.     

Water quality dynamics of oxbow lakes in young glacial landscape of NE Poland in relation to their hydrological connectivity

In this paper, the functioning of floodplain lakes was documented on the basis of water quality and hydrological data in a postglacial river floodplain representative of the temperate climatic zone. Nine oxbow lakes in the middle section of the River ?yna floodplain located in north-eastern Poland were investigated. Three groups of oxbow lakes distinguished on the basis of hydrological connectivity and retention time (lotic, semi-lotic and lentic) showed significant spatial and temporal differences in chemical parameters of water and matter cycling in relation to water table fluctuations, sediment character and aquatic plant diversity. Lotic habitats had parameters similar to river water, in particular to EC, main cation and anion concentrations. When the connection to a river is maintained, oxbow lakes prolong their existence due to multiple exchanges of matter. Very short-term water retention in lotic habitats is not favorable for sedimentation of such particles as Ca or SO₄, Na, K, Cl which are easily moved by river water. This is contrary to lentic (disconnected) water bodies, where retention time is incomparably longer and internal cycling limits ecosystem productivity. Disconnected oxbow lakes undergo the highest seasonal variations in nutrient availability related in summer to intensive development of free-floating phytocenoses that limit light and aeration conditions, whereas and in winter to long-term ice cover. The presented data indicate an important function of oxbow lakes that relies on the regulation of nutrient transfer towards rivers. The effectiveness of TIN withdrawal from lentic oxbow lakes is estimated as 75%, whereas and in other macroelements from 50% to 82%, when compared to the lotic type. The retention ability of natural riverine ecosystems should be considered in proper designs of created wetlands.     

Macroinvertebrate food web structure in a floodplain lake of the Bolivian Amazon

Two stable isotopes δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N were used to identify the energy sources and trophic relationships of the main freshwater macroinvertebrates in a floodplain lake of the Beni River (Bolivian Amazonia). Four energy sources (seston, bottom sediment, periphyton, and aquatic macrophytes) and macroinvertebrate communities were collected during three periods of the river hydrological cycle. Macroinvertebrates showed greater temporal variation in isotope values than their food sources. Six trophic chains were identified: four were based on seston, periphyton, C₃ macrophytes, and bottom sediments, and the last two chains on a combination of two carbon sources. One mixed seston and periphyton sources during the wet season while the other mixed periphyton and macrophytes sources during the wet and dry seasons. Periphyton was the most important energy source supporting the highest number of trophic levels and consumers. The macrophytic contribution was only significant during the dry season. Bottom sediments constituted a marginal energy source. As each season is associated with different physical and chemical conditions, processes organizing macroinvertebrate food web structure in the Beni floodplain seem strongly linked to hydrological seasonality.     

Effects of mixing on the pelagic food web in shallow lakes

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Aquatic insects in dune lakes of the central region of the Gulf of Mexico

The aim of this study is to register the presence of aquatic insects during the rainy and dry seasons, in 15 dune lakes of the Gulf of Mexico's coastal zone. These ecosystems lodge a wealth of 62 families, 60 of them present during the rainy season and 46 during the dry period. At both times Coleoptera is the order with a greater number of families, followed by Diptera. The first one is the most diverse, but Chironomidae (Diptera) is the most abundant, representing 40% of the total number of individuals. We used high rank taxa to quantify the biodiversity based on the principle that a high number of families or genus is supposed to include a greater number of species. There were not significant differences in the alpha diversity within the same lake during the two climatic seasons. The trophic structure is dominated by the detritivorous groups (57% of scrapers, collectors, gatherers, shredders), followed by predators (38%) and herbivores (5%). These numbers indicate that dune lakes have a great amount of organic matter. The results obtained contradict our working hypothesis, thus it was rejected, in summary, because there were no important differences in family composition, abundance of individuals and trophic structure of the lakes between the rainy and dry seasons.     

Successional dynamics in the seasonally forced diamond food web

Plankton seasonal succession is a classic example of nonequilibrium community dynamics. Despite the fact that it has been well studied empirically, it lacks a general quantitative theory. Here we investigate a food web model that includes a resource, two phytoplankton, and a shared grazer-the diamond food web-in a seasonal environment. The model produces a number of successional trajectories that have been widely discussed in the context of the verbal Plankton Ecology Group model of succession, such as a spring bloom of a good competitor followed by a grazer-induced clear-water phase, setting the stage for the late-season dominance of a grazer-resistant species. It also predicts a novel, counterintuitive trajectory where the grazer-resistant species has both early- and late-season blooms. The model often generates regular annual cycles but sometimes produces multiyear cycles or chaos, even with identical forcing each year. Parameterizing the model, we show how the successional trajectory depends on nutrient supply and the length of the growing season, two key parameters that vary among water bodies. This model extends nonequilibrium theory to food webs and is a first step toward a quantitative theory of plankton seasonal succession.     

River connectivity and climate behind the long‐term evolution of tropical American floodplain lakes

This study presents the long‐term evolution of two floodplains lakes (San Juana and Barbacoas) of the Magdalena River in Colombia with varying degree of connectivity to the River and with different responses to climate events (i.e., extreme floods and droughts). Historical limnological changes were identified through a multiproxy‐based reconstruction including diatoms, sedimentation, and sediment geochemistry, while historical climatic changes were derived from the application of the Standardised Precipitation‐Evapotranspiration Index. The main gradients in climatic and limnological change were assessed via multivariate analysis and generalized additive models. The reconstruction of the more isolated San Juana Lake spanned the last c. 500 years. Between c. 1,620 and 1,750 CE, riverine‐flooded conditions prevailed as indicated by high detrital input, reductive conditions, and dominance of planktonic diatoms. Since the early 1800s, the riverine meander became disconnected, conveying into a marsh‐like environment rich in aerophil diatoms and organic matter. The current lake was then formed around the mid‐1960s with a diverse lake diatom flora including benthic and planktonic diatoms, and more oxygenated waters under a gradual increase in sedimentation and nutrients. The reconstruction for Barbacoas Lake, a waterbody directly connected to the Magdalena River, spanned the last 60 years and showed alternating riverine–wetland–lake conditions in response to varying ENSO conditions. Wet periods were dominated by planktonic and benthic diatoms, while aerophil diatom species prevailed during dry periods; during the two intense ENSO periods of 1987 and 1992, the lake almost desiccated and sedimentation rates spiked. A gradual increase in sedimentation rates post‐2000 suggests that other factors rather than climate are also influencing sediment deposition in the lake. We propose that hydrological connectivity to the Magdalena River is a main factor controlling lake long‐term responses to human pressures, where highly connected lakes respond more acutely to ENSO events while isolated lakes are more sensitive to local land‐use changes.     

Effects of hydrological forcing on the structure of a tropical estuarine food web

River flow can impact which sources of particulate organic matter (POM) fuel estuarine food webs. Here, we used stable carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) isotope analyses to compare how contributions of different POM sources (terrestrial, estuarine, and marine) to the diets of zooplankton and juvenile fishes differed between low and high river flow conditions, as well as spatially across a tropical estuary, Hilo Bay, Hawaii, USA. Diets of zooplankton and juvenile fishes were affected by river flow conditions, but the magnitude and the change in the basal resources depended on the location of the station in the estuary relative to the ocean and the river mouths. Consumers from the station most isolated from the ocean and with groundwater and overland flow inputs, utilized a combination of estuarine and terrestrial POM during both low and high river flow conditions and exhibited less variability in their basal resources than stations with direct ocean exchange. Consumers from stations in the Bay most affected by ocean exchange and river inputs utilized a combination of estuarine, terrestrial, and marine POM during low flow conditions, but shifted to marine and terrestrial POM during high river flow conditions. This shift to using terrestrial POM during high river flow conditions was substantial and up to 40% higher than values measured in other estuaries. Factors suspected to be affecting which POM source(s) consumers use in Hilo Bay are gross primary production, biological availability of exported terrestrial OM, and estuarine bacteria biomass, all of which are affected by river flow. Overall, our results suggest that Hilo Bay's food web and possibly those from other tropical estuaries are vulnerable to changes in hydrology, which may be further enhanced by global climate change.     

Sources of organic carbon supporting the food web of an arid zone floodplain river

SUMMARY 1. Many Australian inland rivers are characterised by vast floodplains with a network of anastomosing channels that interconnect only during unpredictable flooding. For much of the time, however, rivers are reduced to a string of disconnected and highly turbid waterholes. Given these features, we predicted that aquatic primary production would be light-limited and the riverine food web would be dependent on terrestrial carbon from floodplain exchanges and direct riparian inputs.
2. To test these predictions, we measured rates of benthic primary production and respiration and sampled primary sources of organic carbon and consumers for stable isotope analysis in several river waterholes at four locations in the Cooper Creek system in central Australia.
3. A conspicuous band of filamentous algae was observed along the shallow littoral zone of the larger waterholes. Despite the high turbidity, benthic gross primary production in this narrow zone was very high (1.7–3.6 g C m⁻² day⁻¹); about two orders of magnitude greater than that measured in the main channel.
4. Stable carbon isotope analysis confirmed that the band of algae was the major source of energy for aquatic consumers, ultimately supporting large populations of crustaceans and fish. Variation in the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope signatures of consumers suggested that zooplankton was the other likely major source.
5. Existing ecosystem models of large rivers often emphasise the importance of longitudinal or lateral inputs of terrestrial organic matter as a source of organic carbon for aquatic consumers. Our data suggest that, despite the presence of large amounts of terrestrial carbon, there was no evidence of it being a significant contributor to the aquatic food web in this floodplain river system.     

Influences of fish on food web structure and function in mountain lakes

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Chaotic dynamics of a food web in a chemostat

We analyze a mathematical model of a simple food web consisting of one predator and two prey populations in a chemostat. Monod's model is employed for the dependence of the specific growth rates of the two prey populations on the concentration of the rate-limiting substrate and a generalization of Monod's model for the dependence of the specific growth rate of the predator on the concentrations of the prey populations. We use numerical bifurcation techniques to determine the effect of the operating conditions of the chemostat on the dynamics of the system and construct its operating diagram. Chaotic behavior resulting from successive period doublings is observed. Multistability phenomena of coexistence of steady and periodic states at the same operating conditions are also found.