Patterns of Food Chain Length in Lakes: A Stable Isotope Study

Zanden, M. Jake Vander; Shuter,; Lester,; Rasmussen, Kim Ø.

doi:10.2307/2463588

Cited by 62 publications

(137 citation statements)

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“…Our general conjecture is that constraints (for example, physiological and morphological) often mediate prey susceptibility to predators, and that this susceptibility then varies across environmental conditions fundamentally altering an ecosystem's response to change. Recent research argues that food chain length and the coupling of habitats by mobile predators are influenced by ecosystem size 19,20,22 . Here, we present prey accessibility as a trait-mediated mechanism link to these phenomena to each other and to ecosystem biomass structure.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Combined, empirical data suggest that food webs are longer 20,22 and coupled more narrowly 30,39 , with lower predator biomass, in lakes where littoral resources are effectively far from the predator, and are shorter and more broadly coupled, where littoral resources are more accessible (Fig. 4).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ecologists have long noticed that food chain lengths vary among ecosystems 6 and have sought to understand the primary determinants of these changes 7,[20][21][22][23][24][25] . Empirical studies consistently find that at a regional level food chain length shortens with reduced ecosystem size 7,19,20,22,25,26 , yet the mechanisms for this relationship remain largely uncertain 9 . Diversity may have a role in this empirical outcome, as larger systems can be more diverse, and thus more likely to contain higher-order consumer species and longer food chains 7 .…”

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confidence: 99%

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Food web expansion and contraction in response to changing environmental conditions

et al. 2012

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macroscopic ecosystem properties, such as major material pathways and community biomass structure, underlie the ecosystem services on which humans rely. While ecologists have long sought to identify the determinants of the trophic height of food webs (food chain length), it is somewhat surprising how little research effort is invested in understanding changes among other food web properties across environmental conditions. Here we theoretically and empirically show how a suite of fundamental macroscopic food web structures respond, in concert, to changes in habitat accessibility using post-glacial lakes as model ecosystems. We argue that as resource accessibility increases in coupled food webs, food chain length contracts (that is, reduced predator trophic position), habitat coupling expands (that is, increasingly coupled macrohabitats) and biomass pyramid structure becomes more top heavy. our results further support an emerging theoretical view of flexible food webs that provides a foundation for generally understanding ecosystem responses to changing environmental conditions.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Food web expansion and contraction in response to changing environmental conditions

et al. 2012

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“…Limited experimental and field evidence supports this (Jenkins, Kitching & Pimm, 1992 ;Persson et al, 1992 ;Kaunzinger & Morin, 1998). Food chain length may, however, be limited by factors other than energy availability, including historical influences, disturbance and area and it is probably only limited by energy at the very low energy levels that occur at polar regions, extremely high altitudes and in the most unproductive areas of deserts and oceans (Briand & Cohen, 1987;Spencer & Warren, 1996 ;Vander-Zanden et al, 1999;Post, Pace & Hairston, 2000 ;Kitching, 2001 ;Jepsen & Winemiller, 2002 ;Post, 2002).…”

Section: (C ) Evaluationmentioning

confidence: 92%

Species–energy relationships at the macroecological scale: a review of the mechanisms

2005

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Correlations between the amount of energy received by an assemblage and the number of species that it contains are very general, and at the macro-scale such species-energy relationships typically follow a monotonically increasing curve. Whilst the ecological literature contains frequent reports of such relationships, debate on their causal mechanisms is limited and typically focuses on the role of energy availability in controlling the number of individuals in an assemblage. Assemblages from high-energy areas may contain more individuals enabling species to maintain larger, more viable populations, whose lower extinction risk elevates species richness. Other mechanisms have, however, also been suggested. Here we identify and clarify nine principal mechanisms that may generate positive species-energy relationships at the macro-scale. We critically assess their assumptions and applicability over a range of spatial scales, derive predictions for each and assess the evidence that supports or refutes them. Our synthesis demonstrates that all mechanisms share at least one of their predictions with an alternative mechanism. Some previous studies of species-energy relationships appear not to have recognised the extent of shared predictions, and this may detract from their contribution to the debate on causal mechanisms. The combination of predictions and assumptions made by each mechanism is, however, unique, suggesting that, in principle, conclusive tests are possible. Sufficient testing of all mechanisms has yet to be conducted, and no single mechanism currently has unequivocal support. Each may contribute to species-energy relationships in some circumstances, but some mechanisms are unlikely to act simultaneously. Moreover, a limited number appear particularly likely to contribute frequently to species-energy relationships at the macro-scale. The increased population size, niche position and diversification rate mechanisms are particularly noteworthy in this context.

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“…Application of such generalised ∆ 15 N values has been accepted almost universally in determining trophic position in terrestrial and aquatic environments. Epstein 1978, 1981;Fry and Sherr, 1984;Fry, 1991;Van der Zanden et al, 1999). However, the relationships between nitrogen isotopic discrimination and other factors such as dietary protein supply and quality remain poorly understood (Robbins et al, 2005;Martinez del Rio et al, 2009).…”

Section: Diet-consumer Isotopic Discrimination Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Naturally-occurring stable isotopes as direct measures of larval feeding efficiency, nutrient incorporation and turnover

Vay

Gamboa‐Delgado

2011

Aquaculture

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Stable isotopes are non-hazardous markers that have been widely-used in assessing energy flow within aquatic ecosystems. Hatchery systems are also highly amenable to this approach, as they represent controlled mesocosms with a limited number of food sources and short planktonic food chains with rapid and measurable bioaccumulation of the heavier stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen at each trophic step. Differences in the natural isotopic composition of dietary components may be used to provide direct integrated measures of ingestion, nutrient incorporation and growth through development under normal feeding and environmental conditions, in either the laboratory or the hatchery. Simple isotopic mixing models allow estimation of relative utilisation of inert diets and live feeds, and individual components of compound feeds. Such experiments have investigated the effectiveness of cofeeding regimes, optimal timing of live food transitions (eg from rotifers to Artemia), presentation of inert diets, optimal size/age for weaning and incorporation of specific dietary components. Furthermore, time-series measurement of changes in tissue isotopic signature (δ 15 N, δ 13 C) enables modelling of growth dilution and tissue turnover components of isotopic change driven by nutritional sources. These measures need to take into account the difference in isotope values that is typically observed between the diet and consumer (isotopic discrimination factor, ∆). In marine larvae and early post-larvae, ∆ 13 C and ∆ 15 N have been found to range widely, from 0.4-4.1‰ and 0.1-5.3‰ respectively. The observation of such a high level of variation within species and life stages indicates a strong effect of diet quality on isotopic discrimination. Elucidating mechanisms underlying such observations, and much greater resolution in larval nutritional studies, can be achieved by application of rapidlydeveloping techniques for compound specific stable isotope analysis in tracing the transfer of dietary sources of carbon and nitrogen into tissue components. Fast growing aquatic larvae represent excellent model organisms exhibiting rapid transitions in isotopic composition in 3 response to diet, rapidly changing feeding behaviour and transitions in trophic level with ready ingestion of modifiable experimental diets in short and controlled food chains. Thus results of studies of the effects of diet composition, developmental stage, growth rates or environmental conditions on stable isotope incorporation will be of broad relevance not only in terms of larval nutrition but can also more broadly inform the design and interpretation of ecological studies.

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Patterns of Food Chain Length in Lakes: A Stable Isotope Study

Cited by 62 publications

References 0 publications

Food web expansion and contraction in response to changing environmental conditions

Food web expansion and contraction in response to changing environmental conditions

Species–energy relationships at the macroecological scale: a review of the mechanisms

Naturally-occurring stable isotopes as direct measures of larval feeding efficiency, nutrient incorporation and turnover

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