Stoneflies in the genus Lednia (Plecoptera: Nemouridae): sentinels of climate change impacts on mountain stream biodiversity

Green, Matthew D.; Tronstad, Lusha M.; Giersch, J. Joseph; Shah, Alisha A.; Fallon, Candace E.; Blevins, Emilie; Kai, Taylor R.; Muhlfeld, Clint C.; Finn, Debra S.; Hotaling, Scott

doi:10.1007/s10531-021-02344-y

Cited by 11 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 92 publications

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“…In one glacier-fed stream, our analyses indicated that L. tetonica may exhibit predatory behavior. This finding aligns with a recent study of its congener-L. tumana-which can exhibit cannibalism in captivity (Shah et al 2022).…”

Section: Implications For Vulnerable Taxa In the Teton Rangesupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Additionally, the Teton Range hosts glaciers, snowfields, and many rock glaciers (Goff 2019). The range also harbors several species of management concern, including two stoneflies: Zapada glacier and Lednia tetonica (Hotaling et al 2019; Green et al 2022). Zapada glacier and a close relative of L. tetonica that inhabits similar habitat in Glacier National Park, Lednia tumana , were both recently listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act (U.S.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Trophic flexibility and hydrology structure alpine stream food webs: Implications for a fading cryosphere

Jorgenson

Hotaling

Tronstad

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Understanding biotic interactions and how they vary across habitats is important for assessing the vulnerability of communities to climate change. Receding glaciers in high mountain areas can lead to the hydrologic homogenization of streams and reduce habitat heterogeneity, which are predicted to drive declines in regional diversity and imperil endemic species. However, little is known about food web structure in alpine stream habitats, particularly among streams fed by different hydrologic sources (e.g., glaciers or snowfields). We used gut content and stable isotope analyses to characterize food web structure of alpine macroinvertebrate communities in streams fed by glaciers, subterranean ice, and seasonal snowpack in the Teton Range, Wyoming, USA. Specifically, we sought to: (1) assess community resource use among streams fed by different hydrologic sources; (2) explore how variability in resource use relates to feeding strategies; and (3) identify which environmental variables influenced resource use within communities. Average taxa diet differed among all hydrologic sources, and food webs in subterranean ice-fed streams were largely supported by the gold alga Hydrurus. This finding bolsters a hypothesis that streams fed by subterranean ice may provide key habitat for cold-water species under climate change by maintaining a longer growing season for this high-quality food resource. While a range of environmental variables associated with hydrologic source (e.g., stream temperature) were related to diet composition, hydrologic source categories explained the most variation in diet composition models. Less variable diets within versus among streams suggests high trophic flexibility, which was further supported by high levels of omnivory. This inherent trophic flexibility may bolster alpine stream communities against future changes in resource availability as the mountain cryosphere fades. Ultimately, our results expand understanding of the habitat requirements for imperiled alpine taxa while empowering predictions of their vulnerability under climate change.

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Section: Implications For Vulnerable Taxa In the Teton Rangesupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trophic flexibility and hydrology structure alpine stream food webs: Implications for a fading cryosphere

Jorgenson

Hotaling

Tronstad

et al. 2023

Preprint

Self Cite

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“…obs .) and, like other small stoneflies (Macneale, Peckarsky, & Likens, 2005), they probably disperse both actively, and passively with strong winds, to nearby streams (Green et al, 2022). This dispersal activity is inferred from their population genetic structure, with Lednia populations exhibiting gene flow across neighboring basins (Hotaling et al 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Stoneflies in the genus Lednia (Family: Nemouridae) are endemic to alpine habitats of western North America (Green et al, 2022). Lednia tumana occur in alpine streams of Glacier National Park, USA, and the surrounding mountains including many glacier-fed streams.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Lednia tumana occur in alpine streams of Glacier National Park, USA, and the surrounding mountains including many glacier-fed streams. Given their close association with ice and snow, Lednia species are presumed to be highly vulnerable to climate warming (Green et al, 2022), but this prediction is based on correlations between abundances and stream temperatures (Giersch et al, 2017; Green et al, 2022) and lacks a mechanistic explanation. Still, in 2019, L. tumana was listed under the U.S.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Warming undermines emergence success in a threatened alpine stonefly: a multi-trait perspective on vulnerability to climate change

Shah

Hotaling

Lapsansky

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Species vulnerability to global warming is often assessed using short-term metrics such as the critical thermal maximum (CTmax), which represents an organism's ability to survive extreme heat. However, an understanding of the long-term effects of sub-lethal warming is an essential link to fitness in the wild, and these effects are not adequately captured by metrics like CTmax. The meltwater stonefly, Lednia tumana, is endemic to high-elevation streams of Glacier National Park, MT, USA, and has long been considered acutely vulnerable to climate change-associated stream warming. In 2019, it was listed as Threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. This presumed vulnerability to warming was challenged by a recent study showing that nymphs can withstand short-term exposure to temperatures as high as ~27 °C. But how this short-term tolerance relates to chronic, long-term warming has remained unclear. By measuring fitness-related traits at several ecologically relevant temperatures over several weeks, we show that L. tumana cannot complete its life-cycle at temperatures well below the CTmax values measured for its nymphs. Although warmer temperatures maximized growth rates, they appear to have a detrimental impact on other key traits (survival, emergence success, and wing development), thus extending our understanding of L. tumana's vulnerability to climate change. Our results call into question the use of CTmax as a measure of thermal sensitivity, while highlighting the power and complexity of multi-trait approaches to assessing climate vulnerability.

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Climate change and the biodiversity of alpine ponds: Challenges and perspectives

Lamouille‐Hébert,

Arthaud,

Datry

2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Inland waters are among the most threatened biodiversity hotspots. Ponds located in alpine areas are experiencing more rapid and dramatic water temperature increases than any other biome. Despite their prevalence, alpine ponds and their biodiversity responses to climate change have been poorly explored, reflecting their small size and difficult access. To understand the effects of climate change on alpine pond biodiversity, we performed a comprehensive literature review for papers published since 1955. Through analysis of their geographic distribution, environmental features, and biodiversity values, we identified which environmental factors related to climate change would have direct or indirect effects on alpine pond biodiversity. We then synthesized this information to produce a conceptual model of the effects of climate change on alpine pond biodiversity. Increased water temperature, reduced hydroperiod, and loss of connectivity between alpine ponds were the main drivers of biodiversity geographic distribution, leading to predictable changes in spatial patterns of biodiversity. We identified three major research gaps that, if addressed, can guide conservation and restoration strategies for alpine ponds biodiversity in an uncertain future.

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Stoneflies in the genus Lednia (Plecoptera: Nemouridae): sentinels of climate change impacts on mountain stream biodiversity

Cited by 11 publications

References 92 publications

Trophic flexibility and hydrology structure alpine stream food webs: Implications for a fading cryosphere

Trophic flexibility and hydrology structure alpine stream food webs: Implications for a fading cryosphere

Warming undermines emergence success in a threatened alpine stonefly: a multi-trait perspective on vulnerability to climate change

Climate change and the biodiversity of alpine ponds: Challenges and perspectives

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