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

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Compson, Zacchaeus G. Hungate, Bruce A. Koch, George W. Hart, Steve C. Maestas, Jesse M. Adams, Kenneth J. Whitham, Thomas G. Marks, Jane C.
Copyright Year	2014
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.
Starting Page	186
Ending Page	201
Page Count	16
File Format	PDF
ISSN	14329840
Journal	Ecosystems
Volume Number	18
Issue Number	2
e-ISSN	14350629
Language	English
Publisher	Springer US
Publisher Date	2014-11-20
Publisher Place	Boston
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	stable isotope tracers functional food webs trophic structure nutrient cycling decomposition cottonwood aquatic insect community Ecology Plant Sciences Zoology Environmental Management Geoecology/Natural Processes Hydrology/Water Resources
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Ecology Environmental Chemistry Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

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