Nutrient enrichment differentially affects body sizes of primary consumers and predators in a detritus‐based stream

Davis, J. Michael; Rosemond, Amy D.; Eggert, Susan L.; Cross, Wyatt F.; Wallace, J. Bruce

doi:10.4319/lo.2010.55.6.2305

Cited by 22 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…For example, shifts in body size distributions may have increased the predator resistance of aquatic emergence and reduced prey availability for spiders in the treatment stream. The average body size of emerging adults was larger in the treatment stream, which agrees with previous results from our study streams showing that enrichment increased the maximum body size of a dominant stream consumer and dominance of large-bodied benthic larvae (Davis et al 2010b). Spiders can eat large-bodied prey (Kato et al 2003(Kato et al , 2004, but spider diets are frequently dominated by small-bodied prey such as Chironomidae and other small Diptera (Tanaka 1991;Williams et al 1995;Henschel et al 2001).…”

Section: Taxon-specific Traits Alter the Effects Of Resource Subsidiesupporting

confidence: 90%

Increasing donor ecosystem productivity decreases terrestrial consumer reliance on a stream resource subsidy

2011

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Because nutrient enrichment can increase ecosystem productivity, it may enhance resource flows to adjacent ecosystems as organisms cross ecosystem boundaries and subsidize predators in recipient ecosystems. Here, we quantified the biomass and abundance of aquatic emergence and terrestrial spiders in a reference and treatment stream that had been continuously enriched with nitrogen and phosphorus for 5 years. Because we previously showed that enrichment increased secondary production of stream consumers, we predicted that aquatic emergence flux would be higher in the treatment stream, subsequently increasing the biomass and abundance of terrestrial spiders. Those increases were predicted to be greatest for spiders specializing on aquatic emergence subsidies (e.g., Tetragnathidae). By adding a (15)N stable isotope tracer to both streams, we also quantified nitrogen flow from the stream into the riparian community. Emergence biomass, but not abundance, was higher in the treatment stream. The average body size of emerging adult insects and the relative dominance of Trichoptera adults were also greater in the treatment stream. However, spider biomass did not differ between streams. Spiders also exhibited substantially lower reliance on aquatic emergence nitrogen in the treatment stream. This reduced reliance likely resulted from shifts in the body size distributions and community composition of insect emergence that may have altered predator consumption efficiency in the treatment stream. Despite nutrient enrichment approximately doubling stream productivity and associated cross-ecosystem resource flows, the response of terrestrial predators depended more on the resource subsidy's characteristics that affected the predator's ability to capitalize on such increases.

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Section: Taxon-specific Traits Alter the Effects Of Resource Subsidiesupporting

confidence: 90%

Increasing donor ecosystem productivity decreases terrestrial consumer reliance on a stream resource subsidy

2011

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“…Otherwise, these organisms may have appeared vulnerable to greater C imbalances with increases in detrital nutrient content. These results suggest a potential mechanism to explain observed increases in both abundance and biomass of some CPOM consumers, such as the shredder Pycnopsyche, but a lack of response of other consumers under enriched conditions that resulted in increased detrital nutrient content (Davis et al 2010). Elemental imbalances, although reduced for shredders, still persisted between consumers and their food resources in the enriched stream.…”

Section: Implications Of Altered Detrital Nutrient Content For Consumersmentioning

confidence: 68%

Stream nutrient enrichment has a greater effect on coarse than on fine benthic organic matter

2013

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Abstract. Nutrient enrichment affects bacteria and fungi associated with detritus, but little is known about how biota associated with different size fractions of organic matter respond to nutrients. Bacteria dominate on fine (,1 mm) and fungi dominate on coarse (.1 mm) fractions, which are used by different groups of detritivores. We measured the effect of experimental nutrient enrichment on fungal and bacterial biomass, microbial respiration, and detrital nutrient content on benthic fine particulate organic matter (FPOM) and coarse particulate organic matter (CPOM). We collected FPOM and CPOM from 1 reference and 1 enriched stream. CPOM substrates consisted of 2 litter types with differing initial C:nutrient ratios (Acer rubrum L. and Rhododendron maximum L.). Fungal and bacterial biomass, respiration, and detrital nutrient content changed with nutrient enrichment, and effects were greater on CPOM than on FPOM. Fungal biomass dominated on CPOM (,99% total microbial biomass), whereas bacterial biomass dominated on FPOM (,95% total microbial biomass). These contributions were unchanged by nutrient enrichment. Bacterial and fungal biomass increased more on CPOM than FPOM. Respiration increased more on CPOM (up to 300% increase) than FPOM (,50% increase), indicating important C-loss pathways from these resources. Microbial biomass and detrital nutrient content were positively related. Greater changes in nutrient content were observed on CPOM than on FPOM, and changes in detrital C:P were greater than changes in detrital C:N. Threshold elemental ratios analyses indicated that enrichment may reduce P limitation for shredders and exacerbate C limitation for collector-gatherers. Changes in CPOMdominated pathways are critical in predicting shifts in detrital resource quality and C flow that may result from nutrient enrichment of detritus-based systems.

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“…Some authors studied the influence of food availability or food quality on the growth and size of chironomid larvae but found the water temperature to be the limiting factor (Bouchard & Ferrington, 2009;Hannesdottir et al, 2012). However, there are studies underlining the importance of nutrient availability or food quality on the benthic larval size and growth (Oliver, 1971;Mackey, 1977;Menzie, 1981;Davis et al, 2010). Tronstad et al (2010) report on growth rates of chironomid larvae in natural streams and their dependency on the available nutrients.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unexpected patterns of chironomid larval size in an extreme environment: a highly glaciated, alpine stream

Schütz

Füreder

2018

Hydrobiologia

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In this article, we report on the development and growth of alpine chironomid species in a highly glaciated headwater, using biometrical analyses. Glacially influenced alpine streams are characterized by year-round harsh environmental conditions. Only a few, highly adapted benthic insects, mainly chironomid larvae (genus Diamesa) live in these extreme conditions. Although several studies have shown patterns in ecosystem structure and function in alpine streams, cause-effect relationships of abiotic components on aquatic insects' life strategies are still unknown. Sampling was performed at Schlatenbach, a river draining the Schlatenkees (Hohe Tauern NP, Austria), at three sites and on six occasions from August to October 2015. Semi-quantitatively sampled Diamesa cinerella (Meigen 1835) and Diamesa steinboecki (Goetghebuer 1933) larvae were biometrically analysed, and they showed differences in larval size and biovolume with higher values close to the glacier.Considering the decreasing water temperatures but increasing benthic organic matter towards the glacier, food availability seems to play a crucial role for larval size in highly glaciated alpine headwaters. This is the first study to show that harsh conditions in these environments (low temperatures, high turbidity and flow dynamics) may exclude many taxa, but favour other, highly adapted species, when their essential needs (food quality and quantity) are guaranteed.

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Nutrient enrichment differentially affects body sizes of primary consumers and predators in a detritus‐based stream

Cited by 22 publications

References 60 publications

Increasing donor ecosystem productivity decreases terrestrial consumer reliance on a stream resource subsidy

Increasing donor ecosystem productivity decreases terrestrial consumer reliance on a stream resource subsidy

Stream nutrient enrichment has a greater effect on coarse than on fine benthic organic matter

Unexpected patterns of chironomid larval size in an extreme environment: a highly glaciated, alpine stream

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