Resource Limitation of Larval Treehole Mosquitoes Subsisting on Beech Detritus

Carpenter, Stephen R.

doi:10.2307/1937068

Cited by 118 publications

(91 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Because primary production in tree holes is essentially absent (Carpenter 1983), allochthonous inputs of detritus serve as the energy source for tree hole food webs. Detritus inputs into tree holes are dominated by senescent leaves (Kitching 2001), nutrient-bearing stem flow (water flowing along tree trunks after precipitation, Carpenter 1983), and terrestrial invertebrate carcasses (Yee 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tree holes are colonized by a diverse community of aquatic macroinvertebrates, many of which are specialists on this habitat (Kitching 2000). There have been numerous tests of the effects of leaf litter inputs (e.g., Léonard and Juliano 1995;Walker et al 1997;Srivastava and Lawton 1998) and stem flow (e.g., Kitching 1971;Carpenter 1983;Walker et al 1991) on populations and communities in tree holes, but only one study has examined the role of dead invertebrates as an energy source for aquatic inhabitants in this system (Yee and Juliano 2006). No study has investigated how different types of detritus affect properties of communities (e.g., species richness) within tree holes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Abundance matters: a field experiment testing the more individuals hypothesis for richness–productivity relationships

Yee

Juliano

2007

Oecologia

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The more individuals hypothesis (MIH) postulates that productivity increases species richness by increasing mean equilibrium population size, thereby reducing the probability of local extinction. We tested the MIH for invertebrates colonizing microcosms that simulated tree holes by manipulating productivity through additions of leaf or animal detritus and subsequently determining the relationships among richness, total abundance, abundance per species, and measures of productivity. We quantified productivity as the rate of microorganism protein synthesis, microorganism metabolic rate, nutrient ion concentration, and type and amount of detritus. Microcosms with animal detritus attracted more species, more individuals per species, and more total individuals than did microcosms with similar amounts of leaf detritus. Relationships between richness or abundance and productivity varied with date. Richness in June increased as a linear function of productivity, whereas the power function predicted by the MIH fit best in July. Abundance in June and July was best described by a power function of productivity, but the linear function predicted by the MIH fit best in September. Abundance per species was best described by a power function of productivity in June and July. Path analysis showed that the indirect effect of productivity through abundance on richness that is predicted by MIH was important in all months, and that direct links between productivity and richness were unnecessary. Our results support many of the predictions of the MIH, but they also suggest that the effects of abundance on richness may be more complex than expected.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Abundance matters: a field experiment testing the more individuals hypothesis for richness–productivity relationships

Yee

Juliano

2007

Oecologia

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“…Organic detritus, particularly leaves, is thought to be the major organic carbon source for communities of container mosquito larvae (Merritt et al 1992, Kaufman et al 2002 as most forms of primary productivity are absent (Carpenter 1983). Growth and survival of container mosquitoes are affected by detritus type and dissolved nutrients (e.g., Walker et al 1997, Léonard and Juliano 1995, Paradise and Dunson 1997, Yee and Juliano 2006.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Larval mosquito communities in discarded vehicle tires in a forested and unforested site: detritus type, amount, and water nutrient differences

Kling¹,

Juliano²,

Yee³

2007

J VECT ECOL

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Discarded tires are an important habitat for larvae of multiple species of disease-transmitting mosquitoes. Although tire locations likely influence composition and abundance of vectors, there are few data linking vector populations to the characteristics of the aquatic tire environment. We sampled water-filled tires at three times at a forested and an unforested site to evaluate how differences in detritus inputs or nutrients in these two macrohabitats may be associated with composition of mosquito-dominated invertebrate communities. The forested site had significantly greater inputs of leaves, twigs, seeds, and fine detritus at the first sampling, but subsequent sampling indicated no differences in inputs of any detritus type. Total phosphorous levels were significantly greater in the forested site, but there was no difference in total nitrogen or total ion concentrations during any sampling. Chlorophyll a levels were not different between sites, even though light levels were greater and canopy cover was less at the unforested site. Culex restuans dominated at the unforested site, and Ochlerotatus triseriatus, Anopheles barberi, and Orthopodomyia signifera were found primarily in the forest. Tires at the forested site had significantly more species but not more individuals than at the unforested site. Leaf amount was a good predictor of densities of Oc. triseriatus and overall abundance of mosquitoes in the forest, whereas the amount of seeds was a good predictor of overall invertebrate richness and of Oc. triseriatus numbers in the unforested site. Differences in mosquito assemblage composition between forested and unforested locations may be explained by greater inputs of plant-based detritus and some nutrients, but other factors, such as macrohabitat or host preferences of adult mosquitoes, also may be important.

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“…However, the species, age, and condition of leaves can influence the energy available to micro-organism decomposers and higher consumers (Carpenter 1983;Walker et al 1997), making leaf detritus mass alone potentially unreliable as the indicator of system productivity. In addition, tree holes with and without leaves appear to yield similar production of mosquitoes (the dominant consumers, Walker and Merritt 1998), suggesting further that detritus biomass by itself is inadequate as a measure of system productivity.…”

Section: Measuring Productivitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Allochthonous inputs including senescent plant parts (e.g., leaves, Kitching 2001), terrestrial invertebrate carcasses (Daugherty et al 2000, Yee 2006, and stem Xow (Carpenter 1983), and all inputs serve as energy sources for tree holes, as primary production is effectively absent (Carpenter 1983). Detrital inputs are a good surrogate for productivity in tree holes, having positive effects on richness and abundance of invertebrates (Jenkins et al 1992;Srivastava and Lawton 1998;, and on microorganism energy utilization rates (Yee andJuliano 2006, 2007;Yee 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Richness–productivity relationships between trophic levels in a detritus-based system: significance of abundance and trophic linkage

Yee

Kneitel

et al. 2007

Oecologia

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Most theoretical and empirical studies of productivity-species richness relationships fail to consider linkages among trophic levels. We quantified productivity-richness relationships in detritus-based, water-filled tree-hole communities for two trophic levels: invertebrate consumers and the protozoans on which they feed. By analogy to theory for biomass partitioning among trophic levels, we predicted that consumer control would result in richness of protozoans in the lower trophic level being unaffected by increases in productivity, whereas richness of invertebrate consumers would increase with productivity. Our data were consistent with this prediction: consumer richness increased linearly, but protozoan richness was unrelated to changes in productivity. The productivity-richness relationships for all taxa combined were not necessarily consistent with relationships within each trophic level. We used path analysis to investigate the mechanisms that may produce the observed responses of trophic levels to changes in productivity. We tested the importance of the direct effect of productivity on richness and the indirect effect of productivity mediated by effects on total abundance. For protozoans, only direct effects of productivity on richness were important, but both direct and indirect effects of productivity on richness were important for invertebrates. Protozoan richness was strongly affected by top-down impacts of abundance of invertebrates. These results are consistent with theory on biomass partitioning among trophic levels and suggest a strong link between richness and abundance within and between trophic levels. Understanding how trophic level interactions determine productivity-richness relationships will likely be necessary in order for us to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the determinants of diversity.

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Resource Limitation of Larval Treehole Mosquitoes Subsisting on Beech Detritus

Cited by 118 publications

References 18 publications

Abundance matters: a field experiment testing the more individuals hypothesis for richness–productivity relationships

Abundance matters: a field experiment testing the more individuals hypothesis for richness–productivity relationships

Larval mosquito communities in discarded vehicle tires in a forested and unforested site: detritus type, amount, and water nutrient differences

Richness–productivity relationships between trophic levels in a detritus-based system: significance of abundance and trophic linkage

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