Grazer-diatom size relationships in an epiphytic community

Abstract

We investigated the animal‐food size relationships of an invertebrate grazer community that feeds on the epiphytic diatoms of mosses in a Québec stream. The relationship between invertebrate head width and maximum size of ingested diatoms was significant (r2 = 0.57, n = 82, p <0.00001). This relationship did not differ significantly among widely different taxa of insects, crustaceans, and worms. The comparison of our results with relationships developed in the laboratory for zooplankton and benthos indicated that artificial particles or simplified algal assemblages underestimate the size range of algae ingested by grazers. The examination of the size distribution of the ingested diatoms and of those available in the environment showed that grazers fed preferentially on different diatom size classes in accordance with their head width. Concepts of resource partitioning, optimal foraging, and size efficiency proposed for other habitat types are relevant to stream invertebrate communities. This recognition should facilitate the study of algal‐grazer interactions in streams.

A hierarchical theory of macroecology

“…invertebrate grazers preferentially ingest diatoms with sizes commensurate with their head width (Tall et al . ). This implies that rich diatom communities, with more equitable biomass distribution across the body size spectrum (i.e.…”

“…Diatoms are major producers in streams and their body size organisation influences herbivore composition, e.g. invertebrate grazers preferentially ingest diatoms with sizes commensurate with their head width (Tall et al 2006). This implies that rich diatom communities, with more equitable biomass distribution across the body size spectrum (i.e.…”

The role of abiotic and biotic environmental factors in shaping epiphyton on common reed in shallow, hydrologically transformed, temperate lakes

“…Our studies showed that the abundance of crustaceans being able to graze on algae was very low, and no significant relationship between them and epiphytic algae was found. Reports on grazing on epiphytic algae by zooplankton are very scarce (Tall et al, 2006), which suggests lower significance of planktonic crustaceans than other invertebrates on grazing algae (France et al, 1991). In general, in temperate lakes, invertebrate grazer communities are mostly dominated by chironomid larvae, with their total biomass increasing with epiphyton biomass (Liboriussen and Jeppesen, 2006;Tarkowska-Kukuryk, 2013).…”

“…Furthermore, a meta-analysis of 85 experimental studies showed that grazing by invertebrates on algae were found to be greater than nutrient effects (Hillebrand, 2002). In general, the reports on the role of zooplankton and fish in shaping epiphyton communities are scarce and mostly experimental (Tall et al, 2006;Abe et al, 2007;Blanco et al, 2008;Guariento et al, 2010). Some anthropogenic disturbances, like man-made water level fluctuations (WLFs), eutrophication or water pollution are also important factors that influence epiphyton (Barbour et al, 1999;Kernan et al, 2010;Pfeiffer et al, 2015).…”

Multivariate complexity analysis of 3D surface form and function of centric diatoms at the Eocene–Oligocene transition

“…For some copepods, silica coating on their chitinous teeth is a coevolved trait with diatoms Michels et al, 2012). Few studies exist on predation resistance at the scale of diatoms, and invertebrate grazers are inferred to be species specific in terms of head size relative to diatom size (Tall et al, 2006a(Tall et al, , 2006b.…”