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

  • Ecosystem ecology - Original Paper
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Abstract

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 15N 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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Acknowledgments

We appreciate field assistance from S. Dye, C. Anderson, C. Tant, and N. Taylor and advice on the experiment from J.B. Wallace, M. Bradford, P. Mulholland, F. Coyle, and A. Fisk. T. Maddox at the University of Georgia (UGA) Analytical Chemistry Lab assisted in isotopic analyses. R. Hall gave guidance on the experimental design and in developing the mixing model. Staff at the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory provided logistical support. K. Catley at Western Carolina University verified spider identifications. Comments from S. Dye, A. Mehring, C. Tant, D. Batzer, C. Baxter, S. Collins, L. Marczak, L. Barmuta, and an anonymous reviewer improved the manuscript. Contributions from our collaborators and funding from National Science Foundation (NSF) (DEB-9806610, DEB-0318063, DEB-9629268, and DEB-0212315) made the nutrient enrichment part of this study possible. J. Davis was funded by a NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, UGA Presidential Fellowship, and North American Benthological Society Presidential Award. During final preparation of the manuscript, J. Davis was supported by NSF Idaho EPSCoR (EPS-0814387).

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Author notes

  1. John M. Davis

    Present address: Stream Ecology Center, Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID, 83209, USA

  2. Gaston E. Small

    Present address: Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    John M. Davis, Amy D. Rosemond & Gaston E. Small

Authors
  1. John M. Davis
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  2. Amy D. Rosemond
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Correspondence to John M. Davis.

Additional information

Communicated by Leon Barmuta.

J.M. Davis conceived the experiment, designed and conducted data collection, and analyzed the data. A.D. Rosemond contributed to experimental design. G.E. Small developed the dynamic mixing model. All authors contributed to the writing of the manuscript.

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Davis, J.M., Rosemond, A.D. & Small, G.E. Increasing donor ecosystem productivity decreases terrestrial consumer reliance on a stream resource subsidy. Oecologia 167, 821–834 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-011-2026-9

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