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Stream Resource Gradients Drive Consumption Rates of Supplemental Prey in the Adjacent Riparian Zone

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Abstract

Decades of research have revealed the crucial roles of cross-system energy flows (spatial subsidies) in mediating trophic interactions in recipient systems. Food web theory predicts that the responses of subsidized consumers are a key to understanding the net impacts of spatial subsidies on in situ prey/resources of recipient systems. However, less is known about the factors triggering the cascading biotic interactions across coupled ecosystems. Here, we quantify how riverine productivity (donor system) mediates terrestrial food web interactions through spatial subsidies to simplified gravel bar communities. Our comparative study in Japan indicated that higher algal biomass in aquatic systems led to increased supplies of emerging aquatic insects, which were associated with greater densities of terrestrial consumers (Carabid beetles) and enhanced consumption rates of supplemental in situ prey on gravel bars. Our results highlight the potential of donor productivity to drive cascading biotic interactions across coupled ecosystems. Because cross-system energy flows should originate, at least in part, from primary producers of donor systems, our fundamental finding may form the basis of future studies exploring the driving factors of cross-system trophic interactions.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to B. Nessa, H. Imai, T. Akasaka, A. Agui and student volunteers for their field/laboratory assistance. This study is partly supported by the research fund for the Ishikari and Tokachi Rivers provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism of Japan.

Data accessibility

Data and JAGS code are available as online electronic supplementary material.

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Author notes

  1. AT, JN, and NW designed and conducted field surveys. AT performed statistical analysis. All authors participated in conception, discussion of the results, and manuscript preparation.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, 140 Gortner Lab, 1479 Gortner Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA

    Akira Terui

  2. Department of Forest Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Kita 9, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-8589, Japan

    Akira Terui & Futoshi Nakamura

  3. Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, N10W5, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-0810, Japan

    Junjiro N. Negishi & Nozomi Watanabe

Authors
  1. Akira Terui
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  2. Junjiro N. Negishi
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  3. Nozomi Watanabe
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  4. Futoshi Nakamura
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Akira Terui.

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Terui, A., Negishi, J.N., Watanabe, N. et al. Stream Resource Gradients Drive Consumption Rates of Supplemental Prey in the Adjacent Riparian Zone. Ecosystems 21, 772–781 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-017-0183-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-017-0183-3

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