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Effects of predation risk on invertebrate leaf-litter shredders in headwater streams in three Brazilian biomes

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Abstract

We evaluated the effect of predation risk for larvae of Phylloicus (Trichoptera: Calamoceratidae) on leaf-litter consumption and case-building in experimental microcosms performing three Brazilian biomes: Amazon Forest, Atlantic Rainforest, and Brazilian Savanna (Cerrado). We hypothesized the following: (1) predation risk by fish would decrease the feeding rate but increase the sheltering activities of Phylloicus larvae, mainly in a high-stimulus treatment (visual and chemical cues from predators’ presence); and (2) when offered a resource with the same palatability, leaf consumption by Phylloicus larvae from Amazon Forest and Atlantic Rainforest will be higher than in those from the Savanna, independent of the predation risk. We found that larvae of Phylloicus species from the three biomes use the leaf disks in different proportions for case-building and consumption: Amazon Forest (case-building = 44% and consumption = 50%), Atlantic Rain Forest (60% and 36%), and Brazilian Savanna (32% and 26%). The larvae case-building and leaf consumption by Phylloicus were higher under predation than in the control treatment using data uncorrected by the biomass of the individual. On the other hand, case-building was not different among all treatments, and leaf consumption was lower under predation than in the control treatment when corrected by biomass. Our results indicate that predation risk can affect the behavior of Phylloicus due to a stress response to predator presence. Therefore, it might mean top-down effects on shredders during leaf-litter processing in Neotropical headwater streams. Besides, insectivorous fish could be the key group for functioning in these ecosystems.

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Acknowledgements

A Post-doctoral fellowship was awarded to WRF by Brazil’s Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq, Process 150105/2017-7). We are grateful for funding from Pesquisa & Desenvolvimento/Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica/Companhia Energética de Minas Gerais-P&D ANEEL/CEMIG GT-487 and GT-599, and support from the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG). MC is a CNPq productivity fellow (Nº. 304060/2020-8). We thank our colleagues in the Laboratório de Ecologia de Bentos for their support in the field. The Program Ecologia, Conservação e Manejo de Vida Silvestre of Federal University of Minas Gerais (ECMVS/UFMG), Instituto Estadual de Floresta (IEF) kindly granted the license for the collection of organisms (Nº 050/2015). We thank the team of Parque Estadual da Serra do Rola Moça—Minas Gerais for their support (Marcus Vinícius, Carolina Alvarenga, Flávia Castro, and Felipe Braga). We thank Sistema de Autorização e Informação em Biodiversidade (SISBIO) for the permanent license for the collection of zoological material (Nº 10635). Professor Adolfo Calor, of the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), helped identify the species Phylloicus angustior, and our colleague Carlos Bernardo M. Alves helped identifying the species Astyanax rivularis. Eliane Solar graciously aided in the sampling and in carrying out the experiments in the laboratory of the National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA/AM). RTM received a fellowship from Programa Nacional de Pós-Doutorado (PNPD/CAPES) and the Programa de Apoio à Fixação de Doutores no Amazonas—FIXAM/AM (FAPEAM). NH received a research fellowship from CNPq (308970/2019-5). The FAPEAM funded field sampling and laboratory experimentation in the Amazon- POSGRAD program and by INCT ADAPTA II, which is funded by CNPq – Brazilian National Research Council (465540/2014-7), FAPEAM – Amazonas State Research Foundation (062.1187/2017), and CAPES–Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel. RSR is grateful to CNPq and the Chico Mendes Institute for Conservation of Biodiversity (ICMBio; project numbers 421288/2017-5 and 405290/ 2018-7). JFGJR supported by CNPq through research fellowships (310641/2017-9), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Distrito Federal through Edital universal (Nº 193.000.870/2015) and Edital 05/2016-Águas (Nº 193.000716/2016) and FINATEC-DPP/UnB-01/2017. We thank the Laboratório de Limnologia/AquaRiparia (Universidade de Brasília—UNB) for supporting data collection and laboratory analyses. We thank Philip M. Fearnside for his support with the English version.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Genética, Ecologia e Evolução, Laboratório de Ecologia de Bentos, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Presidente Antônio Carlos 6627, CP 486, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, CEP 31270-901, Brazil

    Wander Ribeiro Ferreira & Marcos Callisto

  2. Departamento de Biologia Animal, Laboratório de Sistemática Molecular/Beagle, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Avenida P.H. Holfs, S/N, Campus Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, CEP 36570-900, Brazil

    Wander Ribeiro Ferreira

  3. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais, Universidade Comunitária Regional de Chapecó, Avenida Senador Atílio Fontana, 591-E – Egapi, Chapecó, SC, CEP 89809-000, Brazil

    Renan de Souza Rezende

  4. Coordenação de Biodiversidade – CoBio, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Av. André Araújo, 2936, Manaus, Amazonas, CEP 69067-375, Brazil

    Renato Tavares Martins & Neusa Hamada

  5. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Ecologia, Laboratório de Limnologia-AquaRiparia, Universidade de Brasília, S/N, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, Asa Norte, Brasília, DF, CEP 70910-900, Brazil

    José Francisco Gonçalves Jr

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  1. Wander Ribeiro Ferreira
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Correspondence to Wander Ribeiro Ferreira.

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Ferreira, W.R., Souza Rezende, R.d., Martins, R.T. et al. Effects of predation risk on invertebrate leaf-litter shredders in headwater streams in three Brazilian biomes. Aquat Sci 85, 28 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-022-00927-7

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