Low Levels of Allochthony in Consumers Across Three High-Elevation Lake Types

Vlah, Michael J.; Holtgrieve, Gordon W.; Sadro, Steven

doi:10.1007/s10021-017-0206-0

Cited by 6 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Δ 14 C‐zooplankton was un‐related to watershed vegetation cover, but was more depleted in deeper lakes (Table ), suggesting greater allochthonous support of zooplankton in small lakes. This result is consistent with observations of greater t‐OM assimilation by zooplankton in small versus large montane lakes (Vlah et al., 2017), and may reflect the higher ratio of littoral to pelagic habitat in small lakes.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…While a more exhaustive sampling effort may have revealed a linear or threshold pattern of terrestrial C loading to lakes with elevation (as in Sadro et al., 2011), our limited sampling (12 lakes) instead highlighted the importance of local watershed attributes for controlling the concentration and composition of DOM. Our study spanned a larger elevation gradient (∼2,000 m) than comparable lake surveys in other mountain ranges (Rose et al., 2015 ∼900 m; Vlah et al., 2017 ∼170 m), yet our findings were similar in that DOM concentration and composition were determined by local variation in terrestrial vegetation cover rather than by explicit elevational position.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 62%

“…A major limitation, both of this study and other food web studies in mountain lakes (Rose et al, 2015;Vlah et al, 2017), is that sampling across environmental gradients and potential resource pools is prioritized over temporally resolute sampling or sampling among different within-lake habitats. While understandable due to the effort required to sample in mountainous terrain and the high degree of spatial variation that must be adequately characterized, the magnitude and composition (e.g., isotopic signature) of lake C pools is probably seasonally and spatially variable, but the magnitude of that variation is still uncertain relative to among-lake differences.…”

Section: Interpreting Snapshot Isotopic Data In the Context Of Spatial And Temporal Variationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In mountainous terrain, it is typically assumed that the flow of terrestrial carbon through lake food webs scales with the magnitude of terrestrial fluxes and should therefore decrease with elevation as tree and soil cover decline (Piovia‐Scott et al., 2016; Vlah et al., 2017). Other studies have detected an allochthony‐elevation gradient in mountain lakes for dissolved organic matter (DOM) and particulate organic matter (POM) at elevations above the montane‐subalpine transition zone (Rose et al., 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A second assumption is that terrestrial support of secondary consumers scales with lake features that affect the balance between pelagic and benthic resources, or between lake and catchment influence (Tanentzap, Kielstra, et al, 2017). Vlah et al (2017) demonstrated that the size of high elevation lakes relates to the degree of terrestrial subsidies to aquatic consumers: only small, forested lakes, and ponds showed significant terrestrial support of aquatic consumers, while larger lakes both above and below tree-line showed minimal terrestrial contribution to food webs. However, these lakes occurred within a relatively narrow elevational band (1,200-1,500 m), and an explicit comparison of the importance of elevation-driven gradients versus watershed or lake-specific factors for resource flows in mountain lakes is currently lacking.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Watershed and Lake Attributes Dictate Landscape Patterns of Resource Flows in Mountain Lakes

Smits

Currinder

Framsted

et al. 2021

Water Resources Research

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The flow of energy within and across ecosystems has important implications for food web structure and ecosystem function (Caraco & Cole, 2004). In aquatic ecosystems, terrestrial inputs (i.e., allochthonous material) fuel substantial microbial biomass (Forsström et al., 2013), support secondary production (Berggren et al., 2010), and suppress aquatic primary production (i.e., autochthonous production; Carpenter et al., 1998;Jackson & Hecky, 1980). Terrestrial material (e.g., allochthony) can subsidize production at higher trophic levels in some lakes, but the extent to which this occurs and the mechanisms supporting it continue to be debated (

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 62%

Section: Interpreting Snapshot Isotopic Data In the Context Of Spatial And Temporal Variationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Watershed and Lake Attributes Dictate Landscape Patterns of Resource Flows in Mountain Lakes

Smits

Currinder

Framsted

et al. 2021

Water Resources Research

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Hurricane disturbance drives trophic changes in neotropical mountain stream food webs

Gutiérrez‐Fonseca,

Pringle,

Ramírez

et al. 2023

Ecology

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Food webs are complex ecological networks that reveal species interactions and energy flow in ecosystems. Prevailing ecological knowledge on forested streams suggests that their food webs are based on allochthonous carbon, driven by a constant supply of organic matter from adjacent vegetation and limited primary production due to low light conditions. Extreme climatic disturbances can disrupt these natural ecosystem dynamics by altering resource availability, which leads to changes in food web structure and functioning. Here, we quantify the response of stream food webs to two major hurricanes (Irma and María, Category 5 and 4, respectively) that struck Puerto Rico in September 2017. Within two tropical forested streams (first and second order), we collected ecosystem and food web data 6 months prior to the hurricanes and 2, 9, and 18 months afterward. We assessed the structural (e.g., canopy) and hydrological (e.g., discharge) characteristics of the ecosystem and monitored changes in basal resources (i.e., algae, biofilm, and leaf litter), consumers (e.g., aquatic invertebrates, riparian consumers), and applied Layman's community‐wide metrics using the isotopic composition of 13C and 15N. Continuous stream discharge measurements indicated that the hurricanes did not cause an extreme hydrological event. However, the sixfold increase in canopy openness and associated changes in litter input appeared to trigger an increase in primary production. These food webs were primarily based on terrestrially derived carbon before the hurricanes, but most taxa (including Atya and Xiphocaris shrimp, the consumers with highest biomass) shifted their food source to autochthonous carbon within 2 months of the hurricanes. We also found evidence that the hurricanes dramatically altered the structure of the food web, resulting in shorter (i.e., smaller food‐chain length), narrower (i.e., lower diversity of carbon sources) food webs, as well as increased trophic species packing. This study demonstrates how hurricane disturbance can alter stream food webs, changing the trophic base from allochthonous to autochthonous resources via changes in the physical environment (i.e., canopy defoliation). As hurricanes become more frequent and severe due to climate change, our findings greatly contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms that maintain forested stream trophic interactions amidst global change.

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Extensive Carbon Contribution of Inundated Terrestrial Plants to Zooplankton Biomass in a Eutrophic Lake

et al. 2022

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Low Levels of Allochthony in Consumers Across Three High-Elevation Lake Types

Cited by 6 publications

References 52 publications

Watershed and Lake Attributes Dictate Landscape Patterns of Resource Flows in Mountain Lakes

Watershed and Lake Attributes Dictate Landscape Patterns of Resource Flows in Mountain Lakes

Hurricane disturbance drives trophic changes in neotropical mountain stream food webs

Extensive Carbon Contribution of Inundated Terrestrial Plants to Zooplankton Biomass in a Eutrophic Lake

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