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Elemental stoichiometry of basal resources and benthic macroinvertebrates along a land use gradient in a Great Basin watershed

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Abstract

The effects of land use on the elemental stoichiometry of aquatic organisms have rarely been studied in semi-arid watersheds. In eight semi-arid sub-watersheds differing in land use, we determined which predictor variable(s) best explains the elemental variability in two basal food resources and benthic macroinvertebrates (BMI). The elemental composition of periphyton and seston was best explained by percentage of urban and agricultural areas, forested land and associated differences in SRP, DOC, and stream water N:P ratios. In contrast, consumer elemental stoichiometry was related to taxonomic identity and feeding mode. Elemental imbalances were higher for collector-gatherer than for scraper and collector-filterer. However, high spatial and temporal variability in the elemental composition of basal food resources obscured clear spatial patterns of imbalances between nutrient-poor upstream and nutrient-rich downstream sites. Results from this study suggest that land use can affect BMI due to alteration in stoichiometry of their food resources. However, taxonomy and allometry must be taken into account to better understand spatial and temporal changes in the elemental composition of BMI. Our results indicate the importance of considering multiple effects to accurately assess land use effects on producer and consumer stoichiometry, particularly the in highly variable Great Basin watersheds.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by a Grant under Public Laws 109-103, Section 208 (a) through the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Cooperative Agreement 06FC204044). Thanks to Chris Rosamond from the Desert Research Institute, Reno, Nevada for his assistance in the field. The authors are grateful to Cathy Kochert who performed the carbon and nitrogen content analyses at the Goldwater Environmental Laboratory, Arizona State University. We thank Mary Miller from Water Quality Laboratory at the Desert Research Institute, Reno, Nevada for performing the water chemistry analyses. Finally, we sincerely thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments on this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Hydrologic Science, Desert Research Institute, 755 E. Flamingo Rd., Las Vegas, NV, 89119, USA

    Knut Mehler & Kumud Acharya

  2. Division of Hydrologic Science, Desert Research Institute, 2215 Raggio Parkway, Reno, NV, 89512, USA

    Donald Sada

  3. Department of Geoscience, University of Nevada Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV, 89154, USA

    Knut Mehler & Zhongbo Yu

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  1. Knut Mehler
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Correspondence to Knut Mehler.

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Mehler, K., Acharya, K., Sada, D. et al. Elemental stoichiometry of basal resources and benthic macroinvertebrates along a land use gradient in a Great Basin watershed. Hydrobiologia 716, 115–129 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-013-1549-y

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