Density reductions by predatory trout increase adult size and fecundity of surviving caddisfly larvae in a detritus-based stream food web

1. In some situations, individuals surviving in environments where predation is intense can grow faster because the benefits of release from intraspecific competition outweigh costs associated with anti-predator responses. Whether these 'thinning' effects of predation occur in detritus-based food webs where resource renewal occurs independently of consumption by consumers was studied. We investigated how effects of predatory brown trout ( Salmo trutta ) on the larvae of the detritivorous stream caddisfly, Zelandopsyche ingens , influenced the size and fecundity of the caddisfly adults.
2. Trout substantially reduced the abundance of Z. ingens larvae, but adult male and female Z. ingens were significantly larger in trout streams compared to fishless streams. Females in trout streams had 33% more eggs than fishless stream females, and egg sizes were not significantly different. In mesocosms, Z. ingens larvae in low density treatments reflecting trout stream abundances grew significantly faster than larvae in high density treatments that were characteristic of fishless stream abundances. Non-lethal trout presence did not influence case building behaviour, feeding rates or growth or Z. ingens larvae, indicating non-lethal effects of predators were negligible.
3. Increased adult size and fecundity associated with trout stream individuals were probably a result of predator thinning of larval density indirectly releasing surviving Z. ingens from intraspecific competition. Thus, predator thinning did influence interactions between larvae in this detritus-based food web as larval growth was strongly density-dependent. However, extrapolating the total number of eggs potentially produced indicates the increased fecundity of females in trout streams would not compensate for losses of larvae to trout predation.     

Effects of a predatory fish on a tropical detritus-based food web

In contrast to that for grazing systems, relatively little information exists for trophic cascades in detritus-based stream food webs, which are predominant in forested headwater streams. Predator–prey interactions are thought to be weak in these systems, but studies are very scarce, their results are equivocal, and they do not separate the effect of direct consumption from a behavioural response of shredders. We examined the effect of predatory fish on leaf litter breakdown in headwater tropical Australian streams at three levels: (1) the behavioural response of shredder species to predator presence as indicated by chemical cues; (2) the rates of leaf breakdown resulting from shredder activity; and (3) the relationship between shredder species richness and leaf breakdown rates. Our results suggest that predatory fish can have a trait-mediated effect on detritus-based food webs in streams, by reducing consumer activity. We identified reductions in short-term overall activity in response to the presence of predatory fish cues, comparable to those found for grazers. We also observed a visible, albeit statistically non-significant, reduction in consumption rates. Shredder species richness did not affect leaf breakdown rates, and fish presence did not modify this relationship or the differences in breakdown rates among species, suggesting that the overall reduction in leaf breakdown caused by fish presence is due to a reduction in activity in every species. Thus, our laboratory studies have shown that there can be a behavioural basis for trait-mediated trophic cascades linked to fish presence in detrital food webs in streams. However, the strength of fish effects depends on environmental circumstances, and field studies of litter breakdown in streams with and without predatory fish are required if we are to elucidate the ecological significance of our observations.     

The role of trout in stream food webs: integrating evidence from field surveys and experiments

1. We evaluated the effects of brown trout on boreal stream food webs using field surveys and enclosure/exclosure experiments. Experimental results were related to prey preference of uncaged trout in the same stream, as well as to a survey of macroinvertebrate densities in streams with vs. without trout. Finally, we assessed the generality of our findings by examining salmonid predation on three groups of macroinvertebrate prey (chironomid midges, epibenthic grazers, invertebrate predators) in a meta-analysis. 2. In a preliminary experiment, invertebrate predators showed a strong negative response to trout, whereas chironomids benefited from trout presence. In the main experiment, trout impact increased with prey size. Trout had the strongest effect on invertebrate predators and cased caddis larvae, whereas Baetis mayfly and chironomid larvae were unaffected. Trout impact on the largest prey seemed mainly consumptive, because prey emigration rates were low and independent of fish presence. Despite strong effects on macroinvertebrates, trout did not induce a trophic cascade on periphyton. Uncaged trout showed a strong preference for the largest prey items (predatory invertebrates and aerial prey), whereas Baetis mayflies and chironomids were avoided by trout. 3. Densities of invertebrate predators were significantly higher in troutless streams. Baetis mayflies also were less abundant in trout streams, whereas densities of chironomids were positively, although non-significantly, related to trout presence. Meta-analysis showed a strong negative impact of trout on invertebrate predators, a negative but variable impact on mobile grazers (mainly mayfly larvae) and a slightly positive impact on chironomid larvae. 4. Being size-selective predators, salmonid fishes have a strong impact on the largest prey types available, and this effect spans several domains of scale. Discrepancies between our experimental findings and those from the field survey and meta-analysis show, however, that for most lotic prey, small-scale experiments do not reflect fish impact reliably at stream-wide scales. 5. Our findings suggest that small-scale experiments will be useful only if the experimental results are evaluated carefully against natural history information about the experimental system and interacting species across a wide array of spatial scales.     

Trophic cascading effects of predatory fish on leaf litter processing in a Japanese stream

A manipulative field experiment to test for trophic cascading effects of predatory fish on detritus processing by benthic invertebrates was performed in stream channels running through a wetland forest in northern Japan. To control for fish effects on benthic invertebrates, two simple treatments (fish-present and fish-absent) were established for 4 weeks, with two common predatory fish, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and freshwater sculpin (Cottus nozawae), being introduced into and excluded from stream cages. At the end of experiment, the biomass of the dominant detritivore, an amphipod (Jesogammarus jezoensis), was significantly less in the fish-present treatment (0.56 g m^–2 in dry mass on average) than that in the fish-absent treatment (1.32 g m^–2), there being no significant treatment effect evident for the second-dominant detritivore, coleopteran larvae (Optioservus kubotai). The loss of oak leaves (Quercus crispla) from litter bags in the fish-present treatment (0.31 g week^–1 in dry mass on average) was significantly less than in the fish-absent treatment (0.54 g week^–1). Predator-induced lower biomass and likely lowered foraging activities of the J. jezoensis were responsible for the suppression of litter processing efficiency. In contrast, the standing crop of fine particulate organic matter did not differ significantly between the treatments. The experimental results revealed that the predatory fish had an indirect but significant effect on leaf litter processing in the stream.     

Urbanisation alters fatty acids in stream food webs

相似文献   

Global change‐driven effects on dissolved organic matter composition: Implications for food webs of northern lakes

Northern ecosystems are experiencing some of the most dramatic impacts of global change on Earth. Rising temperatures, hydrological intensification, changes in atmospheric acid deposition and associated acidification recovery, and changes in vegetative cover are resulting in fundamental changes in terrestrial–aquatic biogeochemical linkages. The effects of global change are readily observed in alterations in the supply of dissolved organic matter (DOM)—the messenger between terrestrial and lake ecosystems—with potentially profound effects on the structure and function of lakes. Northern terrestrial ecosystems contain substantial stores of organic matter and filter or funnel DOM, affecting the timing and magnitude of DOM delivery to surface waters. This terrestrial DOM is processed in streams, rivers, and lakes, ultimately shifting its composition, stoichiometry, and bioavailability. Here, we explore the potential consequences of these global change‐driven effects for lake food webs at northern latitudes. Notably, we provide evidence that increased allochthonous DOM supply to lakes is overwhelming increased autochthonous DOM supply that potentially results from earlier ice‐out and a longer growing season. Furthermore, we assess the potential implications of this shift for the nutritional quality of autotrophs in terms of their stoichiometry, fatty acid composition, toxin production, and methylmercury concentration, and therefore, contaminant transfer through the food web. We conclude that global change in northern regions leads not only to reduced primary productivity but also to nutritionally poorer lake food webs, with discernible consequences for the trophic web to fish and humans.     

Organic matter sources and size structuring in stream invertebrate food webs across a tropical to temperate gradient

相似文献   

Shifts in the trophic base of intermittent stream food webs

Understanding spatial and temporal variation in the trophic base of stream food webs is critical for predicting population and community stability, and ecosystem function. We used stable isotope ratios (¹³C/¹²C, and ¹⁵N/¹⁴N) to characterize the trophic base of two streams in the Ozark Mountains of northwest Arkansas, U.S.A. We predicted that autochthonous resources would be more important during the spring and summer and allochthonous resources would be more important in the winter due to increased detritus inputs from the riparian zone during autumn leaf drop. We predicted that stream communities would demonstrate increased reliance on autochthonous resources at sites with larger watersheds and greater canopy openness. The study was conducted at three low-order sites in the Mulberry River Drainage (watershed area range: 81–232 km²) seasonally in 2006 and 2007. We used circular statistics to examine community-wide shifts in isotope space among fish and invertebrate consumers in relation to basal resources, including detritus and periphyton. Mixing models were used to quantify the relative contribution of autochthonous and allochthonous energy sources to individual invertebrate consumers. Significant isotopic shifts occurred but results varied by season and site indicating substantial variation in the trophic base of stream food webs. In terms of temporal variation, consumers shifted toward periphyton in the summer during periods of low discharge, but results varied during the interval between summer and winter. Our results did not demonstrate increased reliance on periphyton with increasing watershed area or canopy openness, and detritus was important at all the sites. In our study, riffle–pool geomorphology likely disrupted the expected spatial pattern and stream drying likely impacted the availability and distribution of basal resources.     

Isotopic metrics as a tool for assessing the effects of mine pollution on stream food webs

Most tools used to assess pollution impacts are based on structural, or less frequently, functional aspects of biotic communities. However, the application of measures that take a food web approach to understand the effects of stress on stream ecosystems offers a new perspective and promising insights. We assessed quantitative isotopic metrics, which describe characteristics of food web structure, as indicators of acid mine drainage (AMD) in 12 streams along a stress gradient and compared these metrics with traditional structural and functional metrics. The gradient ranged from highly stressed (pH < 3) streams with elevated concentrations of dissolved metals (Fe and Al) to moderately acidic streams (pH 3.6–4.9) with substrata coated in metal hydroxide precipitates and circumneutral reference streams. Key differences in food web structure were detected by the isotopic metrics. Specifically, fewer trophic levels and reduced trophic diversity characterized food webs in all mining impacted streams but the differences were not significant along the gradient. In contrast, most structural and functional metrics were significant predictors of AMD as stress increased. Therefore, our results suggest that isotopic metrics offer little advantage over traditional metrics in terms of detecting impacts for biomonitoring purposes. However, they do provide additional insights into how whole food webs are disrupted, and are likely to be more useful for guiding stream management and rehabilitation strategies.     

Tracking the autochthonous carbon transfer in stream biofilm food webs

Food webs in the rhithral zone rely mainly on allochthonous carbon from the riparian vegetation. However, autochthonous carbon might be more important in open canopy streams. In streams, most of the microbial activity occurs in biofilms, associated with the streambed. We followed the autochthonous carbon transfer toward bacteria and grazing protozoa within a stream biofilm food web. Biofilms that developed in a second-order stream (Thuringia, Germany) were incubated in flow channels under climate-controlled conditions. Six-week-old biofilms received either 13C- or 12C-labeled CO?, and uptake into phospholipid fatty acids was followed. The dissolved inorganic carbon of the flow channel water became immediately labeled. In biofilms grown under 8-h light/16-h dark conditions, more than 50% of the labeled carbon was incorporated in biofilm algae, mainly filamentous cyanobacteria, pennate diatoms, and nonfilamentous green algae. A mean of 29% of the labeled carbon reached protozoan grazer. The testate amoeba Pseudodifflugia horrida was highly abundant in biofilms and seemed to be the most important grazer on biofilm bacteria and algae. Hence, stream biofilms dominated by cyanobacteria and algae seem to play an important role in the uptake of CO? and transfer of autochthonous carbon through the microbial food web.     

Scale dependent effects of predatory fish on stream benthos

In open predation experiments the effects of predators on prey densities can be influenced by predator consumption and by prey movements in to and out of experimental arenas. A published model predicts that the predator effects observed in such experiments are scale dependent over the scale range where there is a transition from movement control (of prey densities) to consumption control. The scale dependence follows from the assumption that per capita rate of emigration out of an experimental arena decreases with increasing arena size.
To test this model the effects of a small benthic fish ( Cottus gobio ) on densities of stream invertebrates was investigated in instream channels of different length (0.5, 2 and 8 m). The effect of fish predation was scale dependent for four prey taxa. For three of these taxa predator effects increased with experimental scale, which is in agreement with model predictions. However, this proved to be a case of "making the right prediction for the wrong reason" as the basic assumption of scale dependent emigration rate was not upheld. By analyzing the behaviour of the model, parameterized with emigration and consumption rates observed in the experimental channels, it was found that observed scale effects occurred because prey emigration in response to the predator treatment was modified by the experimental scale. Further analysis of the parameterized model suggested that the densities of most prey taxa were controlled by prey movements and not by consumption by the sculpins.     

The importance of terrestrial subsidies in stream food webs varies along a stream size gradient

Cross system subsidies of energy and materials can be a substantial fraction of food web fluxes in ecosystems, especially when autochthonous production is strongly limited by light or nutrients. We explored whether assimilation of terrestrial energy varied in specific consumer taxa collected from streams of different sizes and resource availabilities. Since headwater streams are often unproductive, we expected that inputs from surrounding terrestrial systems (i.e. leaf litter, terrestrial invertebrates) would be a more important food source for consumers than in mid‐size rivers that have more open canopies and higher amounts of primary production available for consumers. We collected basal resources, invertebrates, and fish along a gradient in stream size in the Adirondack Mountains (NY, USA) and in Trinidad and Tobago and analyzed all samples for hydrogen isotopes as a means of differentiating biomass derived from allochthonous versus autochthonous sources. We found significant differences in allochthonous energy use within individual consumer taxa, showing that some taxa range from being entirely allochthonous to entirely autochthonous depending on where they were collected on the stream size gradient (grazers and collector–gatherer functional feeding groups), while other taxa are relatively fixed in the source of energy they assimilate (shredder and predator functional feeding groups). Consistent with expectations, allochthonous energy use was positively correlated with canopy cover in both regions for most feeding groups, with individuals from small, shaded streams having a more pronounced allochthonous signal than individuals collected from larger streams with less canopy cover. However, consumers in the shredder/detritivore feeding group did not vary among sites in their allochthonous energy use, and had a mostly allochthonous signal regardless of canopy cover and algal biomass. Our results demonstrate that the importance of energy from terrestrial subsidies can vary markedly but are similar in both temperate and tropical streams, suggesting a widely consistent pattern.     

Cascading effects of predatory fish exclusion on the detritus-based food web of a lake littoral zone (Lake Vico, central Italy)

An exclosure experiment was carried out in the reed-dominated littoral zone of a volcanic lake (Lake Vico, central Italy) to test whether the impact of predatory fish on benthic invertebrates cascades on fungal colonisation and breakdown of leaf detritus. The abundance, biomass, and Shannon diversity index of the invertebrate assemblage colonising Phragmites australis leaf packs placed inside: (1) full-exclosure cages, (2) cages allowing access only to small-sized fish predators, and (3) cageless controls, were monitored over a 45-day period together with the mass loss and associated fungal biomass of leaf packs. The species composition of the fungal assemblage was further assessed at the end of the manipulation. In general, invertebrate predators did not show any significant response to fish exclusion, either on a trophic guild or on a single taxon level. In contrast, the exclusion of large predatory fish induced a diverse spectrum of changes in the abundance and population size-structure of dominant detritivore taxa, ultimately increasing the biomass and Shannon diversity index of the whole detritivorous guild. These changes corresponded with significant variations in leaf detritus decay rates as well as in the biomass and assemblage structure of associated fungal colonisers. Our experimental findings provide evidence that in Lake Vico effects of fish predators on invertebrate detritivores influence the fungal conditioning and breakdown of the detrital substrate. We conclude that in lacustrine littoral zones predator-driven constraints may structure lower trophic levels of detritus-based food webs and affect the decomposition of leaf detritus originated from the riparian vegetation.     

Stable isotopes as tracers of organic matter input and transfer in benthic food webs: A review

Some of the ways that the application of stable isotopic tracers have contributed to the extremely hard task of understanding the energy and food web relations in benthic communities are illustrated in this review. Several methods are presented and their relative advantages are discussed, namely the use of endmembers, nitrogen isotopes, carbon isotopes, and sulfur isotopes. Special attention is given to the application of multiple tracers and transects sampling, natural and man-made perturbation experiments, and ¹⁵N additions as N cycle tracers.     

Tracing energy flow in stream food webs using stable isotopes of hydrogen

1. Use of the natural ratios of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes as tracers of trophic interactions has some clear advantages over alternative methods for food web analyses, yet is limited to situations where organic materials of interest have adequate isotopic separation between potential sources. This constrains the use of natural abundance stable isotope approaches to a subset of ecosystems with biogeochemical conditions favourable to source separation. 2. Recent studies suggest that stable hydrogen isotopes (δD) could provide a robust tracer to distinguish contributions of aquatic and terrestrial production in food webs, but variation in δD of consumers and their organic food sources are poorly known. To explore the utility of the stable hydrogen isotope approach, we examined variation in δD in stream food webs in a forested catchment where variation in δ¹³C has been described previously. 3. Although algal δD varied by taxa and, to a small degree, between sites, we found consistent and clear separation (by an average of 67‰) from terrestrial carbon sources. Environmental conditions known to affect algal δ¹³C, such as water velocity and stream productivity did not greatly influence algal δD, and there was no evidence of seasonal variation. In contrast, algal δ¹³C was strongly affected by environmental factors both within and across sites, was seasonally variable at all sites, and partially overlapped with terrestrial δ¹³C in all streams with catchment areas larger than 10 km². 4. While knowledge of isotopic exchange with water and trophic fractionation of δD for aquatic consumers is limited, consistent source separation in streams suggests that δD may provide a complementary food web tracer to δ¹³C in aquatic food webs. Lack of significant seasonal or spatial variation in δD is a distinct advantage over δ¹³C for applications in many aquatic ecosystems.     

Effect of rainbow trout introductions on food webs in lakes of the arid Patagonia

Hydrobiologia - Rainbow trout have been stocked in naturally fishless lakes in the reproductive area of the endangered Hooded Grebe, an endemic aquatic bird of Southern Patagonia. The effects of...     

Dissolved organic matter of a low-coloured stream

SUMMARY. The dissolved organic matter (DOM) of White Clay Creek (Pennsylvania, U.S.A.), a low-coloured stream, was characterized by gel permeation chromatography, humic acid determination, compound classification analysis and gas chromatography.
Large polymers (approximate mol.wt above 5000) were virtually absent. The majority of the DOM consisted of fulvic acid-like material, of probable mol.wt less than 3000. Highly coloured material represented only a small portion of the total. Substances classifiable as phenols, carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids or proteins made up only a small fraction of the DOM. Sixteen low mol. wt compounds (carboxylic acids, amino acids, carbohydrates and an amide) were tentatively identified.
DOM concentration had a mean value of 6.4 mgC/l and showed annual fluctuations, with maxima in autumn and in late winter.