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Closely Related Tree Species Differentially Influence the Transfer of Carbon and Nitrogen from Leaf Litter Up the Aquatic Food Web

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Abstract

Decomposing leaf litter in streams provides habitat and nutrition for aquatic insects. Despite large differences in the nutritional qualities of litter among different plant species, their effects on aquatic insects are often difficult to detect. We evaluated how leaf litter of two dominant riparian species (Populus fremontii and P. angustifolia) influenced carbon and nitrogen assimilation by aquatic insect communities, quantifying assimilation rates using stable isotope tracers (13C, 15N). We tested the hypothesis that element fluxes from litter of different plant species better define aquatic insect community structure than insect relative abundances, which often fail. We found that (1) functional communities (defined by fluxes of carbon and nitrogen from leaf litter to insects) were different between leaf litter species, whereas more traditional insect communities (defined by relativized taxa abundances) were not different between leaf litter species, (2) insects assimilated N, but not C, at a higher rate from P. angustifolia litter compared to P. fremontii, even though P. angustifolia decomposes more slowly, and (3) the C:N ratio of material assimilated by aquatic insects was lower for P. angustifolia compared to P. fremontii, indicating higher nutritional quality, despite similar initial litter C:N ratios. These findings provide new evidence for the effects of terrestrial plant species on aquatic ecosystems via their direct influence on the transfer of elements up the food web. We demonstrate how isotopically labeled leaf litter can be used to assess the functioning of insect communities, uncovering patterns undetected by traditional approaches and improving our understanding of the association between food web structure and element cycling.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Greg Florian, Bradford Blake, and Philip Patterson for technical assistance with developing labeling chambers and greenhouse operations. The manuscript improved through insightful feedback from members of the Merriam-Powell Seminar for Research Design, the Cottonwood Ecology Group, and, in particular, Paul Dijkstra. The Merriam-Powell Center for Environmental Research provided laboratory space and statistical resources. NSF provided funding through the FIBR (DEB-0425908), IGERT (DGE-0549505), and Ecosystem Studies (DEB-1120343) research programs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Merriam-Powell Center for Environmental Research, Northern Arizona University, PO Box 6077, Flagstaff, Arizona, 86011-6077, USA

    Zacchaeus G. Compson, Bruce A. Hungate, George W. Koch, Jesse M. Maestas, Kenneth J. Adams, Thomas G. Whitham & Jane C. Marks

  2. Center for Ecosystem Science and Society, Northern Arizona University, PO Box 5620, Flagstaff, Arizona, 86011-5620, USA

    Zacchaeus G. Compson, Bruce A. Hungate, George W. Koch & Jane C. Marks

  3. Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, PO Box 5640, Flagstaff, Arizona, 86011-5640, USA

    Zacchaeus G. Compson, Bruce A. Hungate, George W. Koch, Jesse M. Maestas, Kenneth J. Adams, Thomas G. Whitham & Jane C. Marks

  4. School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, California, USA

    Steve C. Hart

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  1. Zacchaeus G. Compson
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  2. Bruce A. Hungate
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Correspondence to Jane C. Marks.

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ZGC, BAH, JCM, GWK, and SCH contributed to designing the study. TGW established and maintained the common garden. ZGC and KJA designed and constructed labeling chambers, and ZGC, KJA, and JMM grew and harvested labeled leaves. BAH, GWK, and SCH assisted ZGC with developing labeling techniques. ZGC and BAH developed flux equations and ZGC, BAH, and JMM performed related analyses. ZGC wrote the first draft of the manuscript, and JCM, BAH, TGW, GWK, and SCH contributed substantially to revisions.

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Compson, Z.G., Hungate, B.A., Koch, G.W. et al. Closely Related Tree Species Differentially Influence the Transfer of Carbon and Nitrogen from Leaf Litter Up the Aquatic Food Web. Ecosystems 18, 186–201 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-014-9821-1

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