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McCormick AR, Phillips JS, Botsch JC, Ólafsson JS, Ives AR. Resource use differences of two coexisting chironomid species at localized scales. Oecologia 2024; 205:473-485. [PMID: 38951222 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-024-05584-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2024] [Accepted: 06/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024]
Abstract
Competing species may show positive correlations in abundance through time and space if they rely on a shared resource. Such positive correlations might obscure resource partitioning that facilitates competitor coexistence. Here, we examine the potential for resource partitioning between two ecologically similar midge species (Diptera: Chironomidae) in Lake Mývatn, Iceland. Tanytarsus gracilentus and Chironomus islandicus show large, roughly synchronized population fluctuations, implying potential reliance on a shared fluctuating resource and thereby posing the question of how these species coexist at high larval abundances. We first considered spatial partitioning of larvae. Abundances of both species were positively correlated in space; thus, spatial partitioning across different sites in the lake did not appear to be strong. We then inferred differences in dietary resources with stable carbon isotopes. T. gracilentus larvae had significantly higher δ13C values than C. islandicus, suggesting interspecific differences in resource use. Differences in resource selectivity, tube-building behavior, and feeding styles may facilitate resource partitioning between these species. Relative to surface sediments, T. gracilentus had higher δ13C values, suggesting that they selectively graze on 13C-enriched resources such as productive algae from the surface of their tubes. In contrast, C. islandicus had lower δ13C values than surface sediments, suggesting reliance on 13C-depleted resources that may include detrital organic matter and associated microbes that larvae selectively consume from the sediment surface or within their burrow walls. Overall, our study illustrates that coexisting and ecologically similar species may show positive correlations in space and time while using different resources at fine spatial scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda R McCormick
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
- Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
| | - Joseph S Phillips
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Biology, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Jamieson C Botsch
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Jón S Ólafsson
- Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, Hafnarfjörður, Iceland
| | - Anthony R Ives
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
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2
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Berezina NA, Terentjev PM, Zubova EM, Tsurikov SM, Maximov AA, Sharov AN. Seasonal Diet Changes and Trophic Links of Cold-Water Fish ( Coregonus albula) within a Northern Lake Ecosystem. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:394. [PMID: 38338037 PMCID: PMC10854978 DOI: 10.3390/ani14030394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The seasonal feeding patterns of the cold-adapted fish, Coregonus albula, are poorly studied in high-latitude lakes but could provide insight for predicting the effects of global warming. We examined vendace's diet composition, traced the carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios from producers to consumers in the food web, and estimated vendace's trophic position in a subarctic lake (the White Sea basin). Results showed the vendace to be a typical euryphagous fish, but clear seasonal differences were found in the relative importance of plankton and benthos in the diet. The vendace consumed primarily benthic amphipods in the summer, planktonic cladocerans in the autumn, and copepods in the winter-spring (under ice); larvae of aquatic insects were the second-most important food items throughout the year. Because of the substantial proportion of fish embryos in its diet, the vendace had a trophic position similar to that of a predatory fish (perch). The Bayesian food source-mixing model revealed that the majority of vendace energy derives from planktonic copepods. The dominant Cyclops had the lowest carbon isotope values, suggesting a carbon-depleted diet typical for methanotrophic bacteria, as its probable food source was in a lake under ice. Understanding the feeding patterns of vendace provides information to better predict the potential biotic effects of environmental change on lake ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadezhda A. Berezina
- Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Piotr M. Terentjev
- Subdivision of the Federal Research Center “Kola Science Center”, Institute of North Industrial Ecology Problems, 184209 Apatity, Russia; (P.M.T.)
| | - Elena M. Zubova
- Subdivision of the Federal Research Center “Kola Science Center”, Institute of North Industrial Ecology Problems, 184209 Apatity, Russia; (P.M.T.)
| | - Sergey M. Tsurikov
- A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russia;
| | - Alexey A. Maximov
- Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Andrey N. Sharov
- Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Waters, Russian Academy of Sciences, 152742 Borok, Russia;
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3
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Åhlén D, Peacock M, Brodin Y, Hambäck PA. Wetland productivity determines trade-off between biodiversity support and greenhouse gas production. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10619. [PMID: 37869431 PMCID: PMC10587742 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Establishing wetlands for nutrient capture and biodiversity support may introduce trade-offs between environmentally beneficial functions and detrimental greenhouse gas emissions. Investigating the interaction of nutrient capture, primary production, greenhouse gas production and biodiversity support is imperative to understanding the overall function of wetlands and determining possible beneficial synergistic effects and trade-offs. Here, we present temporally replicated data from 17 wetlands in hemi-boreal Sweden. We explored the relationship between nutrient load, primary producing algae, production of methane and nitrous oxide, and emergence rates of chironomids to determine what factors affected each and how they related to each other. Chironomid emergence rates correlated positively with methane production and negatively with nitrous oxide production, where water temperature was the main driving factor. Increasing nutrient loads reduced methanogenesis through elevated nitrogen concentrations, while simultaneously enhancing nitrous oxide production. Nutrient loads only indirectly increased chironomid emergence rates through increased chlorophyll-a concentration, via increased phosphorus concentrations, with certain taxa and food preference functional groups benefitting from increased chlorophyll-a concentrations. However, water temperature seemed to be the main driving factor for chironomid emergence rates, community composition and diversity, as well as for greenhouse gas production. These findings increase our understanding of the governing relationships between biodiversity support and greenhouse gas production, and should inform future management when constructing wetlands.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Åhlén
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant SciencesStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
| | - Mike Peacock
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and AssessmentSwedish University of Agricultural SciencesUppsalaSweden
- Department of Geography and Planning, School of Environmental SciencesUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
| | - Yngve Brodin
- Department of ZoologyThe Swedish Museum of Natural HistoryStockholmSweden
| | - Peter A. Hambäck
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant SciencesStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
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4
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Onishi Y, Yamanaka T, Koba K. Major contribution of sulfide-derived sulfur to the benthic food web in a large freshwater lake. GEOBIOLOGY 2023; 21:671-685. [PMID: 37434444 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2023] [Revised: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023]
Abstract
In freshwater systems, contributions of chemosynthetic products by sulfur-oxidizing bacteria in sediments as nutritional resources in benthic food webs remain unclear, even though chemosynthetic products might be an important nutritional resource for benthic food webs in deep-sea hydrothermal vents and shallow marine systems. To study geochemical aspects of this trophic pathway, we sampled sediment cores and benthic animals at two sites (90 and 50 m water depths) in the largest freshwater (mesotrophic) lake in Japan: Lake Biwa. Stable carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur isotopes of the sediments and animals were measured to elucidate the sulfur nutritional resources for the benthic food web precisely by calculating the contributions of the incorporation of sulfide-derived sulfur to the biomass and of the biogeochemical sulfur cycle supporting the sulfur nutritional resource. The recovered sediment cores showed increases in 34 S-depleted sulfide at 5 cm sediment depth and showed low sulfide concentration with high δ34 S in deeper layers, suggesting an association of microbial activities with sulfate reduction and sulfide oxidation in the sediments. The sulfur-oxidizing bacteria may contribute to benthic animal biomass. Calculations based on the biomass, sulfur content, and contribution to sulfide-derived sulfur of each animal comprising the benthic food web revealed that 58%-67% of the total biomass sulfur in the benthic food web of Lake Biwa is occupied by sulfide-derived sulfur. Such a large contribution implies that the chemosynthetic products of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria are important nutritional resources supporting benthic food webs in the lake ecosystems, at least in terms of sulfur. The results present a new trophic pathway for sulfur that has been overlooked in lake ecosystems with low-sulfate concentrations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuji Onishi
- Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, Otsu, Shiga, Japan
| | - Toshiro Yamanaka
- School of Marine Resources and Environment, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Keisuke Koba
- Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, Otsu, Shiga, Japan
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5
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Plesh SP, Lovvorn JR, Miller MWC. Organic matter sources and flows in tundra wetland food webs. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0286368. [PMID: 37235582 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Arctic lowland tundra is often dominated by wetlands. As numbers and types of these wetlands change with climate warming, their invertebrate biomass and assemblages may also be affected. Increased influx of nutrients and dissolved organic matter (DOM) from thawing peat may alter the relative availability of organic matter (OM) sources, differentially affecting taxa with disparate dependence on those sources. In five shallow wetland types (<40 to 110 cm deep) and in littoral zones of deeper lakes (>150 cm), we used stable isotopes (δ13C, δ15N) to compare contributions of four OM sources (periphytic microalgae, cyanobacteria, macrophytes, peat) to the diets of nine macroinvertebrate taxa. Living macrophytes were not distinguishable isotopically from peat that likely contributed most DOM. Within invertebrate taxa, relative OM contributions were similar among all wetland types except deeper lakes. Physidae snails consumed substantial amounts of OM from cyanobacteria. However, for all other taxa examined, microalgae were the dominant or a major OM source (39-82%, mean 59%) in all wetland types except deeper lakes (20‒62%, mean 31%). Macrophytes and macrophyte-derived peat, likely consumed mostly indirectly as DOM-supported bacteria, ranged from 18‒61% (mean 41%) of ultimate OM sources in all wetland types except deeper lakes (38-80%, mean 69%). Invertebrate consumption of microalgal C may often have involved bacterial intermediates, or a mix of algae with bacteria consuming peat-derived OM. High production of periphyton with very low δ13C values were favored by continuous daylight illuminating shallow depths, high N and P levels, and high CO2 concentrations from bacterial respiration of peat-derived DOM. Although relative OM sources were similar across wetland types except deeper lakes, total invertebrate biomass was much higher in shallow wetlands with emergent vegetation. Impacts of warming on the availability of invertebrate prey to waterbirds will likely depend not on shifts in OM sources, but more on changes in overall number or area of shallow emergent wetlands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven P Plesh
- School of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, United States of America
| | - James R Lovvorn
- School of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Micah W C Miller
- School of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, United States of America
- United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Fairbanks Fish and Wildlife Field Office, Fairbanks, Alaska, United States of America
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6
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Ritter C, Gonçalves V, Pla-Rabes S, de Boer EJ, Bao R, Sáez A, Hernández A, Sixto M, Richter N, Benavente M, Prego R, Giralt S, Raposeiro PM. The vanishing and the establishment of a new ecosystem on an oceanic island - Anthropogenic impacts with no return ticket. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 830:154828. [PMID: 35346708 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
A multiproxy approach was applied to a sediment core retrieved from the deep crater Lake Funda, located in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean on Flores Island, Azores archipelago (Portugal). The purpose of this study was to determine how this ecosystem responded to natural and anthropogenic forces over the last millennium. We distinguished three main phases in lake evolution using multiproxy reconstructions and documentary sources. (A) Climate and lake catchment processes, as well as internal ones, were the main drivers of ecosystem variability before 1335 CE, when human disturbances were absent in the Lake Funda catchment. (B) The second phase is marked by unprecedented changes in all studied proxies between 1335 and 1560 CE, including abrupt changes in the composition and diversity of diatom and chironomid assemblages. Synergistic effects from high climate variability and the onset of human disturbances in the catchment (e.g., introduction of livestock) during the Medieval Climate Anomaly-Little Ice Age transition, led to an increase in lake trophic state from mesotrophic to eutrophic conditions. (C) In the last phase (1560 CE to the present), the eutrophic conditions in Lake Funda were maintained through a positive feedback loop between lake productivity and in-lake phosphorous recycling. Variability within the lake ecosystem was mainly associated with climate variability and internal lake dynamics (e.g., phosphorus remobilization). Our results show that a paleoecological approach is crucial to understanding lake ecological states in the present-day in order to develop locally adapted management and restoration strategies. A long-term perspective enables us to understand the harmful consequences of ongoing climate change and human disturbances on lake ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catarina Ritter
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Pólo dos Açores, Rua da Mãe de Deus, 9500-321 Ponta Delgada, Portugal.
| | - Vítor Gonçalves
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Pólo dos Açores, Rua da Mãe de Deus, 9500-321 Ponta Delgada, Portugal; Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade dos Açores, Rua da Mãe de Deus, 9500-321 Ponta Delgada, Portugal
| | - Sergi Pla-Rabes
- CREAF, Campus de Bellaterra (UAB), Edifici C, 08193 Cerdayola del Valles, Spain; Department of Geography, Environmental Management and Energy Studies, University of Johannesburg, Corner Ditton and University Avenue, Auckland Park, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Erik J de Boer
- UB-Geomodels Research Institute. Department de Dinàmica de la Terra i de l'Oceà, Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès s/n, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Roberto Bao
- Universidade da Coruña, GRICA Group, Centro de Investigacións Científicas Avanzadas (CICA), Rúa as Carballeiras, 15071, A Coruña, Spain
| | - Alberto Sáez
- UB-Geomodels Research Institute. Department de Dinàmica de la Terra i de l'Oceà, Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès s/n, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Armand Hernández
- Universidade da Coruña, GRICA Group, Centro de Investigacións Científicas Avanzadas (CICA), Rúa as Carballeiras, 15071, A Coruña, Spain
| | - Marta Sixto
- Centro Oceanográfico de Vigo, Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO-CISC), Subida a Radio Faro 50-52, 36390 Vigo, Spain; Campus do Mar, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar, Universidad de Vigo, 36311 Vigo, Spain
| | - Nora Richter
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, P.O. Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg, the Netherlands; Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Mario Benavente
- Geosciences Barcelona (Geo3BCN-CSIC), Lluís Solé i Sabarís s/n, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ricardo Prego
- Department of Oceanography, Marine Research Institute (CSIC), Eduardo Cabello, 6. 36208 Vigo, Spain
| | - Santiago Giralt
- Geosciences Barcelona (Geo3BCN-CSIC), Lluís Solé i Sabarís s/n, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pedro M Raposeiro
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Pólo dos Açores, Rua da Mãe de Deus, 9500-321 Ponta Delgada, Portugal; Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade dos Açores, Rua da Mãe de Deus, 9500-321 Ponta Delgada, Portugal
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7
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Ponton DE, Lavoie RA, Leclerc M, Bilodeau F, Planas D, Amyot M. Understanding Food Web Mercury Accumulation Through Trophic Transfer and Carbon Processing along a River Affected by Recent Run-of-river Dams. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:2949-2959. [PMID: 33534545 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c07015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Unlike large dams which favor methylation of Hg in flooded soils over long periods, run-of-river dams are designed to flood a limited area of soils and are therefore not expected to significantly affect mercury (Hg) cycling or carbon processing. We studied the Hg and carbon cycles within food webs from several sectors along the Saint-Maurice River, Quebec, Canada, that differ in how they are influenced by two run-of-river dams and other watershed disturbances. We observed peak Hg concentrations in fish five-year postimpoundment, but these levels were reduced three years after this peak. Methylmercury concentrations in low trophic level fish and invertebrates were related to their carbon source (δ13C) rather than their trophic positions (δ15N). Biomagnification, measured by trophic magnification slopes, was driven mainly by methylmercury concentrations in low-trophic level organisms and environmental factors related to organic matter degradation and Hg-methylation. River sectors, δ13C and δ15N, predicted up to 80% of the variability in food web methylmercury concentrations. The installation of run-of-river dams and the related pondages, in association with other watershed disturbances, altered carbon processing, promoted Hg-methylation and its accumulation at the base of the food web, and led to a temporary increase in Hg levels in fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominic E Ponton
- Groupe de Recherche Interuniversitaire en Limnologie (GRIL), Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec H2V 0B3, Canada
| | - Raphaël A Lavoie
- Groupe de Recherche Interuniversitaire en Limnologie (GRIL), Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec H2V 0B3, Canada
- Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 801-1550 Avenue d'Estimauville, Québec, Québec G1J 0C3, Canada
| | - Maxime Leclerc
- Groupe de Recherche Interuniversitaire en Limnologie (GRIL), Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec H2V 0B3, Canada
| | - François Bilodeau
- Direction Environnement, Hydro-Québec, 800 Boul. De Maisonneuve Est, Montréal, Québec H2Z 1A4, Canada
| | - Dolors Planas
- GRIL, Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec H2X 3Y7, Canada
| | - Marc Amyot
- Groupe de Recherche Interuniversitaire en Limnologie (GRIL), Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec H2V 0B3, Canada
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8
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Zimmer KD, Grow RC, Tipp AR, Herwig BR, Staples DF, Cotner JB, Jacobson PC. Stable isotope patterns in lake food webs reflect productivity gradients. Ecosphere 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Kyle D. Zimmer
- Biology Department University of St. Thomas 2115 Summit Avenue St. Paul Minnesota55105USA
| | - Ryan C. Grow
- Biology Department University of St. Thomas 2115 Summit Avenue St. Paul Minnesota55105USA
| | - Angela R. Tipp
- Biology Department University of St. Thomas 2115 Summit Avenue St. Paul Minnesota55105USA
| | - Brian R. Herwig
- Fisheries Research Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 2114 Bemidji Avenue North Bemidji Minnesota56601USA
| | - David F. Staples
- Fisheries, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 500 Lafayette Rd St Paul Minnesota55155USA
| | - James B. Cotner
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior University of Minnesota 1479 Gortner St. Paul Minnesota55108USA
| | - Peter C. Jacobson
- Fisheries, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 500 Lafayette Rd St Paul Minnesota55155USA
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9
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Braaten HFV, Lindholm M, de Wit HA. Five decades of declining methylmercury concentrations in boreal foodwebs suggest pivotal role for sulphate deposition. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 714:136774. [PMID: 31982764 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2019] [Revised: 01/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Widespread declines in mercury (Hg) in fish in pristine lakes in Fennoscandia since the 1970s are unexplained. Interactions between climate, atmospheric deposition, and elemental cycling of carbon (C), sulphur (S) and Hg are complex and affect Hg bioaccumulation. A parallel significant decline in methyl-Hg (MeHg) concentrations in aquatic macroinvertebrates (Chironomidae) was found between 1976-78 and 2004-15 in an intensely studied, pristine boreal lake (Langtjern, boreal Fennoscandia). Monitoring at Langtjern demonstrated a four-fold decrease in aqueous sulphate concentrations (SO4, 50-year record), significant lake browning (30-year records), increasing sediment Hg concentrations (50-year record), warming (45-year record) and increased runoff (40-year record). Contrasting Hg trends in biota (downward) and sediment (upward) indicated a disconnect between lake Hg loading and foodweb Hg bioaccumulation. We suggest that reduced SO4-deposition has 1) constrained substrate availability for SO4-reducing methylating bacteria (causing reduced foodweb MeHg exposure despite increased Hg loading to the lake), and 2), increased the binding affinity between aqueous organic matter and Hg species (leading to reduced MeHg bioavailability). The downward MeHg trend at the base of the foodweb at Langtjern is mirrored at higher trophic levels by strong declines in perch (Perca fluviatilis) and pike (Esox lucius) Hg concentrations in boreal Fennoscandia. A plausible explanation is that declining SO4-deposition, rather than climate change or reduced atmospheric Hg, is currently driving reduced MeHg contamination in northern freshwater foodwebs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Markus Lindholm
- Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Norway; Rudolf Steiner University College, Oslo, Norway
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10
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Doi H, Kikuchi E, Takagi S, Shikano S. Spatio-temporal stable isotope variation of a benthic primary consumer in a simple food web in a strongly acidic lake. PeerJ 2019; 7:e7890. [PMID: 31616605 PMCID: PMC6791340 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2018] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Analysis of aquatic food webs is typically undertaken using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope composition of consumer and producer species. However, the trophic consequences of spatio-temporal variation in the isotope composition of consumers have not been well evaluated. Lake Katanuma, Japan, is highly acidic and has only one dominant species of benthic alga and one planktonic microalga, making it a prime system for studying trophic relationships between primary consumers and producers. In this simple lake food web, we conducted a field survey to evaluate spatial and temporal variation in the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope composition of a chironomid larvae in association with a single benthic and planktonic alga. We found a significant correlation between carbon stable isotope ratios of the chironomid larvae and the benthic diatom species in the lake. Thus, chironomid larvae may represent a reliable isotopic baseline for estimating isotope values in benthic diatoms. However, although the correlation held in shallow water, at four m depths, there was no significant relationship between the isotope ratios of chironomids and benthic diatoms, probably because deep-water larvae spend part of their life cycle migrating from the lake shore to deeper water. The differing isotope ratios of deeper chironomid tissues likely reflect the feeding history of individuals during this migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hideyuki Doi
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Graduate School of Simulation Studies, University of Hyogo, Kobe, Japan
| | - Eisuke Kikuchi
- Center for Northeast Asian Studies, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Research Institute for Teacher Training and Development, Miyagi University of Education, Sendai, Japan
| | - Shigeto Takagi
- Center for Northeast Asian Studies, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Shuichi Shikano
- Center for Northeast Asian Studies, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
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11
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Schilder J, van Hardenbroek M, Bodelier P, Kirilova EP, Leuenberger M, Lotter AF, Heiri O. Trophic state changes can affect the importance of methane-derived carbon in aquatic food webs. Proc Biol Sci 2018. [PMID: 28637853 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Methane-derived carbon, incorporated by methane-oxidizing bacteria, has been identified as a significant source of carbon in food webs of many lakes. By measuring the stable carbon isotopic composition (δ13C values) of particulate organic matter, Chironomidae and Daphnia spp. and their resting eggs (ephippia), we show that methane-derived carbon presently plays a relevant role in the food web of hypertrophic Lake De Waay, The Netherlands. Sediment geochemistry, diatom analyses and δ13C measurements of chironomid and Daphnia remains in the lake sediments indicate that oligotrophication and re-eutrophication of the lake during the twentieth century had a strong impact on in-lake oxygen availability. This, in turn, influenced the relevance of methane-derived carbon in the diet of aquatic invertebrates. Our results show that, contrary to expectations, methane-derived relative to photosynthetically produced organic carbon became more relevant for at least some invertebrates during periods with higher nutrient availability for algal growth, indicating a proportionally higher use of methane-derived carbon in the lake's food web during peak eutrophication phases. Contributions of methane-derived carbon to the diet of the investigated invertebrates are estimated to have ranged from 0-11% during the phase with the lowest nutrient availability to 13-20% during the peak eutrophication phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jos Schilder
- Institute of Plant Sciences and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013 Bern, Switzerland .,Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, PO Box 35, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Maarten van Hardenbroek
- Institute of Plant Sciences and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013 Bern, Switzerland.,School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, Newcastle University, Newcastle NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Paul Bodelier
- Department of Microbial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), PO Box 50, 6700 AB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Emiliya P Kirilova
- Palaeoecology, Department of Physical Geography, Laboratory of Palaeobotany and Palynology, Utrecht University, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Markus Leuenberger
- Climate and Environmental Physics Division, Physics Institute and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - André F Lotter
- Institute of Plant Sciences and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013 Bern, Switzerland.,Palaeoecology, Department of Physical Geography, Laboratory of Palaeobotany and Palynology, Utrecht University, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Oliver Heiri
- Institute of Plant Sciences and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013 Bern, Switzerland
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Mehring AS, Cook PLM, Evrard V, Grant SB, Levin LA. Pollution-tolerant invertebrates enhance greenhouse gas flux in urban wetlands. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2017; 27:1852-1861. [PMID: 28482116 DOI: 10.1002/eap.1572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2016] [Revised: 04/06/2017] [Accepted: 04/19/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
One of the goals of urban ecology is to link community structure to ecosystem function in urban habitats. Pollution-tolerant wetland invertebrates have been shown to enhance greenhouse gas (GHG) flux in controlled laboratory experiments, suggesting that they may influence urban wetland roles as sources or sinks of GHG. However, it is unclear if their effects can be detected in highly variable conditions in a field setting. Here we use an extensive data set on carbon dioxide (CO2 ), methane (CH4 ), and nitrous oxide (N2 O) flux in sediment cores (n = 103) collected from 10 urban wetlands in Melbourne, Australia during summer and winter in order to test for invertebrate enhancement of GHG flux. We detected significant multiplicative enhancement effects of temperature, sediment carbon content, and invertebrate density on CH4 and CO2 flux. Each doubling in density of oligochaete worms or large benthic invertebrates (oligochaete worms and midge larvae) corresponded to ~42% and ~15% increases in average CH4 and CO2 flux, respectively. However, despite exceptionally high densities, invertebrates did not appear to enhance N2 O flux. This was likely due to fairly high organic carbon content in sediments (range 2.1-12.6%), and relatively low nitrate availability (median 1.96 μmol/L NO3- -N), which highlights the context-dependent nature of community structural effects on ecosystem function. The invertebrates enhancing GHG flux in this study are ubiquitous, and frequently dominate faunal communities in impaired aquatic ecosystems. Therefore, invertebrate effects on CO2 and CH4 flux may be common in wetlands impacted by urbanization, and urban wetlands may make greater contributions to the total GHG budgets of cities if the negative impacts of urbanization on wetlands are left unchecked.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S Mehring
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, 92093, USA
| | - Perran L M Cook
- Water Studies Center, School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Victor Evrard
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Schönbeinstrasse 6, CH-4056, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Stanley B Grant
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Henry Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, 92697, USA
| | - Lisa A Levin
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, 92093, USA
- Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California, 92093, USA
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Welti N, Striebel M, Ulseth AJ, Cross WF, DeVilbiss S, Glibert PM, Guo L, Hirst AG, Hood J, Kominoski JS, MacNeill KL, Mehring AS, Welter JR, Hillebrand H. Bridging Food Webs, Ecosystem Metabolism, and Biogeochemistry Using Ecological Stoichiometry Theory. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:1298. [PMID: 28747904 PMCID: PMC5507128 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.01298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2016] [Accepted: 06/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Although aquatic ecologists and biogeochemists are well aware of the crucial importance of ecosystem functions, i.e., how biota drive biogeochemical processes and vice-versa, linking these fields in conceptual models is still uncommon. Attempts to explain the variability in elemental cycling consequently miss an important biological component and thereby impede a comprehensive understanding of the underlying processes governing energy and matter flow and transformation. The fate of multiple chemical elements in ecosystems is strongly linked by biotic demand and uptake; thus, considering elemental stoichiometry is important for both biogeochemical and ecological research. Nonetheless, assessments of ecological stoichiometry (ES) often focus on the elemental content of biota rather than taking a more holistic view by examining both elemental pools and fluxes (e.g., organismal stoichiometry and ecosystem process rates). ES theory holds the promise to be a unifying concept to link across hierarchical scales of patterns and processes in ecology, but this has not been fully achieved. Therefore, we propose connecting the expertise of aquatic ecologists and biogeochemists with ES theory as a common currency to connect food webs, ecosystem metabolism, and biogeochemistry, as they are inherently concatenated by the transfer of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous through biotic and abiotic nutrient transformation and fluxes. Several new studies exist that demonstrate the connections between food web ecology, biogeochemistry, and ecosystem metabolism. In addition to a general introduction into the topic, this paper presents examples of how these fields can be combined with a focus on ES. In this review, a series of concepts have guided the discussion: (1) changing biogeochemistry affects trophic interactions and ecosystem processes by altering the elemental ratios of key species and assemblages; (2) changing trophic dynamics influences the transformation and fluxes of matter across environmental boundaries; (3) changing ecosystem metabolism will alter the chemical diversity of the non-living environment. Finally, we propose that using ES to link nutrient cycling, trophic dynamics, and ecosystem metabolism would allow for a more holistic understanding of ecosystem functions in a changing environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Welti
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern FinlandKuopio, Finland
- Agriculture and Food, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, AdelaideSA, Australia
| | - Maren Striebel
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment, University of OldenburgOldenburg, Germany
| | - Amber J. Ulseth
- Stream Biofilm and Ecosystem Research, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de LausanneLausanne, Switzerland
| | - Wyatt F. Cross
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, BozemanMT, United States
| | - Stephen DeVilbiss
- School of Freshwater Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, MilwaukeeWI, United States
| | - Patricia M. Glibert
- University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, CambridgeMD, United States
| | - Laodong Guo
- School of Freshwater Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, MilwaukeeWI, United States
| | - Andrew G. Hirst
- The Hirst Lab, Organismal Biology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of LondonLondon, United Kingdom
- Centre for Ocean Life, National Institute for Aquatic Resources, Technical University of DenmarkCopenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jim Hood
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, Aquatic Ecology Laboratory, The Ohio State University, ColumbusOH, United States
| | - John S. Kominoski
- The Kominoski Lab, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, MiamiFL, United States
| | - Keeley L. MacNeill
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, IthacaNY, United States
| | - Andrew S. Mehring
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La JollaCA, United States
| | - Jill R. Welter
- Department of Biology, St. Catherine University, MinneapolisMN, United States
| | - Helmut Hillebrand
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment, University of OldenburgOldenburg, Germany
- Helmholtz-Institute for Functional Marine BiodiversityOldenburg, Germany
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15
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Lemmens P, Teffera FE, Wynants M, Govaert L, Deckers J, Bauer H, Woldeyes F, Brendonck L, Bouillon S, De Meester L. Intra‐ and interspecific niche variation as reconstructed from stable isotopes in two ecologically different Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes. Funct Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pieter Lemmens
- Aquatic Ecology, Evolution & Conservation KU Leuven Charles Deberiotstraat 32 3000 Leuven Belgium
| | - Fassil E. Teffera
- Aquatic Ecology, Evolution & Conservation KU Leuven Charles Deberiotstraat 32 3000 Leuven Belgium
- Biology Department Arba Minch University P.O. Box 21 Arba Minch Ethiopia
| | - Maarten Wynants
- Aquatic Ecology, Evolution & Conservation KU Leuven Charles Deberiotstraat 32 3000 Leuven Belgium
| | - Lynn Govaert
- Aquatic Ecology, Evolution & Conservation KU Leuven Charles Deberiotstraat 32 3000 Leuven Belgium
| | - Jozef Deckers
- Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences KU Leuven Celestijnenlaan 200E 3001 Leuven Belgium
| | - Hans Bauer
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit Recanati‐Kaplan Centre University of Oxford TubneyOX13 5QL UK
| | - Feleke Woldeyes
- Biology Department Arba Minch University P.O. Box 21 Arba Minch Ethiopia
| | - Luc Brendonck
- Aquatic Ecology, Evolution & Conservation KU Leuven Charles Deberiotstraat 32 3000 Leuven Belgium
| | - Steven Bouillon
- Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences KU Leuven Celestijnenlaan 200E 3001 Leuven Belgium
| | - Luc De Meester
- Aquatic Ecology, Evolution & Conservation KU Leuven Charles Deberiotstraat 32 3000 Leuven Belgium
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Brown LE, Ramchunder SJ, Beadle JM, Holden J. Macroinvertebrate community assembly in pools created during peatland restoration. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2016; 569-570:361-372. [PMID: 27348701 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.06.169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2016] [Revised: 06/10/2016] [Accepted: 06/20/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Many degraded ecosystems are subject to restoration attempts, providing new opportunities to unravel the processes of ecological community assembly. Restoration of previously drained northern peatlands, primarily to promote peat and carbon accumulation, has created hundreds of thousands of new open water pools. We assessed the potential benefits of this wetland restoration for aquatic biodiversity, and how communities reassemble, by comparing pool ecosystems in regions of the UK Pennines on intact (never drained) versus restored (blocked drainage-ditches) peatland. We also evaluated the conceptual idea that comparing reference ecosystems in terms of their compositional similarity to null assemblages (and thus the relative importance of stochastic versus deterministic assembly) can guide evaluations of restoration success better than analyses of community composition or diversity. Community composition data highlighted some differences in the macroinvertebrate composition of restored pools compared to undisturbed peatland pools, which could be used to suggest that alternative end-points to restoration were influenced by stochastic processes. However, widely used diversity metrics indicated no differences between undisturbed and restored pools. Novel evaluations of restoration using null models confirmed the similarity of deterministic assembly processes from the national species pool across all pools. Stochastic elements were important drivers of between-pool differences at the regional-scale but the scale of these effects was also similar across most of the pools studied. The amalgamation of assembly theory into ecosystem restoration monitoring allows us to conclude with more certainty that restoration has been successful from an ecological perspective in these systems. Evaluation of these UK findings compared to those from peatlands across Europe and North America further suggests that restoring peatland pools delivers significant benefits for aquatic fauna by providing extensive new habitat that is largely equivalent to natural pools. More generally, we suggest that assembly theory could provide new benchmarks for planning and evaluating ecological restoration success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee E Brown
- water@leeds, School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.
| | | | - Jeannie M Beadle
- water@leeds, School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Joseph Holden
- water@leeds, School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
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Rinta P, van Hardenbroek M, Jones RI, Kankaala P, Rey F, Szidat S, Wooller MJ, Heiri O. Land Use Affects Carbon Sources to the Pelagic Food Web in a Small Boreal Lake. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0159900. [PMID: 27487044 PMCID: PMC4972442 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0159900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2015] [Accepted: 07/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Small humic forest lakes often have high contributions of methane-derived carbon in their food webs but little is known about the temporal stability of this carbon pathway and how it responds to environmental changes on longer time scales. We reconstructed past variations in the contribution of methanogenic carbon in the pelagic food web of a small boreal lake in Finland by analyzing the stable carbon isotopic composition (δ13C values) of chitinous fossils of planktivorous invertebrates in sediments from the lake. The δ13C values of zooplankton remains show several marked shifts (approx. 10 ‰), consistent with changes in the proportional contribution of carbon from methane-oxidizing bacteria in zooplankton diets. The results indicate that the lake only recently (1950s) obtained its present state with a high contribution of methanogenic carbon to the pelagic food web. A comparison with historical and palaeobotanical evidence indicates that this most recent shift coincided with agricultural land-use changes and forestation of the lake catchment and implies that earlier shifts may also have been related to changes in forest and land use. Our study demonstrates the sensitivity of the carbon cycle in small forest lakes to external forcing and that the effects of past changes in local land use on lacustrine carbon cycling have to be taken into account when defining environmental and ecological reference conditions in boreal headwater lakes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Päivi Rinta
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Maarten van Hardenbroek
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Roger I. Jones
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Paula Kankaala
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Fabian Rey
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Sönke Szidat
- Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Matthew J. Wooller
- School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska, United States of America
- Water and Environmental Research Center, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska, United States of America
| | - Oliver Heiri
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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18
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Syväranta J, Scharnweber K, Brauns M, Hilt S, Mehner T. Assessing the Utility of Hydrogen, Carbon and Nitrogen Stable Isotopes in Estimating Consumer Allochthony in Two Shallow Eutrophic Lakes. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0155562. [PMID: 27167517 PMCID: PMC4863965 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0155562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2015] [Accepted: 04/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Hydrogen stable isotopes (δ2H) have recently been used to complement δ13C and δ15N in food web studies due to their potentially greater power to separate sources of organic matter in aquatic food webs. However, uncertainties remain regarding the use of δ2H, since little is known about the potential variation in the amount of exchangeable hydrogen (Hex) among common sample materials or the patterns of δ2H when entire food webs are considered. We assessed differences in Hex among the typical sample materials in freshwater studies and used δ2H, δ13C and δ15N to compare their effectiveness in tracing allochthonous matter in food webs of two small temperate lakes. Our results showed higher average amounts of Hex in animal tissues (27% in fish and macroinvertebrates, 19% in zooplankton) compared to most plant material (15% in terrestrial plants and 8% in seston/periphyton), with the exception of aquatic vascular plants (23%, referred to as macrophytes). The amount of Hex correlated strongly with sample lipid content (inferred from C:N ratios) in fish and zooplankton samples. Overall, the three isotopes provided good separation of sources (seston, periphyton, macrophytes and allochthonous organic matter), particularly the δ2H followed by δ13C. Aquatic macrophytes revealed unexpectedly high δ2H values, having more elevated δ2H values than terrestrial organic matter with direct implications for estimating consumer allochthony. Organic matter from macrophytes significantly contributed to the food webs in both lakes highlighting the need to include macrophytes as a potential source when using stable isotopes to estimate trophic structures and contributions from allochthonous sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jari Syväranta
- Department of Fish Biology and Ecology, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Biology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany
- Lake Ecology Section, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Silkeborg, Denmark
- * E-mail:
| | - Kristin Scharnweber
- Department of Fish Biology and Ecology, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Biology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany
- Evolutionary Biology Centre, Department of Ecology and Genetics; Limnology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Mario Brauns
- Department of Fish Biology and Ecology, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Biology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany
- Department of River Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research -UFZ, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Sabine Hilt
- Department of Ecosystem Research, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Biology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas Mehner
- Department of Fish Biology and Ecology, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Biology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany
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Grey J. The Incredible Lightness of Being Methane-Fuelled: Stable Isotopes Reveal Alternative Energy Pathways in Aquatic Ecosystems and Beyond. Front Ecol Evol 2016. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2016.00008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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He R, Wooller MJ, Pohlman JW, Tiedje JM, Leigh MB. Methane-derived carbon flow through microbial communities in arctic lake sediments. Environ Microbiol 2015; 17:3233-50. [PMID: 25581131 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.12773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2012] [Accepted: 12/31/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Aerobic methane (CH4 ) oxidation mitigates CH4 release and is a significant pathway for carbon and energy flow into aquatic food webs. Arctic lakes are responsible for an increasing proportion of global CH4 emissions, but CH4 assimilation into the aquatic food web in arctic lakes is poorly understood. Using stable isotope probing (SIP) based on phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA-SIP) and DNA (DNA-SIP), we tracked carbon flow quantitatively from CH4 into sediment microorganisms from an arctic lake with an active CH4 seepage. When 0.025 mmol CH4 g(-1) wet sediment was oxidized, approximately 15.8-32.8% of the CH4 -derived carbon had been incorporated into microorganisms. This CH4 -derived carbon equated to up to 5.7% of total primary production estimates for Alaskan arctic lakes. Type I methanotrophs, including Methylomonas, Methylobacter and unclassified Methylococcaceae, were most active at CH4 oxidation in this arctic lake. With increasing distance from the active CH4 seepage, a greater diversity of bacteria incorporated CH4 -derived carbon. Actinomycetes were the most quantitatively important microorganisms involved in secondary feeding on CH4 -derived carbon. These results showed that CH4 flows through methanotrophs into the broader microbial community and that type I methanotrophs, methylotrophs and actinomycetes are important organisms involved in using CH4 -derived carbon in arctic freshwater ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruo He
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.,Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA
| | - Matthew J Wooller
- Alaska Stable Isotope Facility, Water and Environmental Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA.,School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Institute of Marine Science, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA
| | - John W Pohlman
- Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA
| | - James M Tiedje
- Center for Microbial Ecology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Mary Beth Leigh
- Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA
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Frossard V, Verneaux V, Millet L, Magny M, Perga ME. Changes in carbon sources fueling benthic secondary production over depth and time: coupling Chironomidae stable carbon isotopes to larval abundance. Oecologia 2015; 178:603-14. [PMID: 25630956 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-015-3225-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2013] [Accepted: 01/12/2015] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Stable C isotope ratio (δ(13)C) values of chironomid remains (head capsules; HC) were used to infer changes in benthic C sources over the last 150 years for two French sub-Alpine lakes. The HCs were retrieved from a series of sediment cores from different depths. The HC δ(13)C values started to decrease with the onset of eutrophication. The HC δ(13)C temporal patterns varied among depths, which revealed spatial differences in the contribution of methanotrophic bacteria to the benthic secondary production. The estimates of the methane (CH4)-derived C contribution to chironomid biomass ranged from a few percent prior to the 1930s to up to 30 % in recent times. The chironomid fluxes increased concomitantly with changes in HC δ(13)C values before a drastic decrease due to the development of hypoxic conditions. The hypoxia reinforced the implication for CH4-derived C transfer to chironomid production. In Lake Annecy, the HC δ(13)C values were negatively correlated to total organic C (TOC) content in the sediment (Corg), whereas no relationship was found in Lake Bourget. In Lake Bourget, chironomid abundances reached their maximum with TOC contents between 1 and 1.5 % Corg, which could constitute a threshold for change in chironomid abundance and consequently for the integration of CH4-derived C into the lake food webs. Our results indicated that the CH4-derived C contribution to the benthic food webs occurred at different depths in these two large, deep lakes (deep waters and sublittoral zone), and that the trophic transfer of this C was promoted in sublittoral zones where O2 gradients were dynamic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor Frossard
- Université Savoie Mont Blanc, UMR42 CARRTEL, 73376, Le-Bourget-du-lac, France,
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Methane-derived carbon in the benthic food web in stream impoundments. PLoS One 2014; 9:e111392. [PMID: 25360609 PMCID: PMC4216073 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0111392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2014] [Accepted: 09/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Methane gas (CH4) has been identified as an important alternative source of carbon and energy in some freshwater food webs. CH4 is oxidized by methane oxidizing bacteria (MOB), and subsequently utilized by chironomid larvae, which may exhibit low δ13C values. This has been shown for chironomid larvae collected from lakes, streams and backwater pools. However, the relationship between CH4 concentrations and δ13C values of chironomid larvae for in-stream impoundments is unknown. CH4 concentrations were measured in eleven in-stream impoundments located in the Queich River catchment area, South-western Germany. Furthermore, the δ13C values of two subfamilies of chironomid larvae (i.e. Chironomini and Tanypodinae) were determined and correlated with CH4 concentrations. Chironomini larvae had lower mean δ13C values (−29.2 to −25.5 ‰), than Tanypodinae larvae (−26.9 to −25.3 ‰). No significant relationships were established between CH4 concentrations and δ13C values of chironomids (p>0.05). Mean δ13C values of chironomid larvae (mean: −26.8‰, range: −29.2‰ to −25.3‰) were similar to those of sedimentary organic matter (SOM) (mean: −28.4‰, range: −29.3‰ to −27.1‰) and tree leaf litter (mean: −29.8 ‰, range: −30.5‰ to −29.1‰). We suggest that CH4 concentration has limited influence on the benthic food web in stream impoundments.
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23
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Ecological determinants of methylmercury bioaccumulation in benthic invertebrates of polar desert lakes. Polar Biol 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-014-1561-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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24
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Lau DCP, Sundh I, Vrede T, Pickova J, Goedkoop W. Autochthonous resources are the main driver of consumer production in dystrophic boreal lakes. Ecology 2014; 95:1506-19. [DOI: 10.1890/13-1141.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Application of stable isotope analysis to study temporal changes in foraging ecology in a highly endangered amphibian. PLoS One 2013; 8:e53041. [PMID: 23341920 PMCID: PMC3546114 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0053041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2011] [Accepted: 11/23/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding dietary trends for endangered species may be essential to assessing the effects of ecological disturbances such as habitat modification, species introductions or global climate change. Documenting temporal variation in prey selection may also be crucial for understanding population dynamics. However, the rarity, secretive behaviours and obscure microhabitats of some endangered species can make direct foraging observations difficult or impossible. Furthermore, the lethality or invasiveness of some traditional methods of dietary analysis (e.g. gut contents analysis, gastric lavage) makes them inappropriate for such species. Stable isotope analysis facilitates non-lethal, indirect analysis of animal diet that has unrealized potential in the conservation of endangered organisms, particularly amphibians. METHODOLOGY/FINDINGS I determined proportional contributions of aquatic macroinvertebrate prey to the diet of an endangered aquatic salamander Eurycea sosorum over a two-year period using stable isotope analysis of (13/12)C and (15/14)N and the Bayesian stable isotope mixing model SIAR. I calculated Strauss' dietary electivity indices by comparing these proportions with changing relative abundance of potential prey species through time. Stable isotope analyses revealed that a previously unknown prey item (soft-bodied planarian flatworms in the genus Dugesia) made up the majority of E. sosorum diet. Results also demonstrate that E. sosorum is an opportunistic forager capable of diet switching to include a greater proportion of alternative prey when Dugesia populations decline. There is also evidence of intra-population dietary variation. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Effective application of stable isotope analysis can help circumvent two key limitations commonly experienced by researchers of endangered species: the inability to directly observe these species in nature and the invasiveness or lethality of traditional methods of dietary analysis. This study illustrates the feasibility of stable isotope analysis in identifying preferred prey species that can be used to guide conservation management of both wild and captive food sources for endangered species.
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Trimmer M, Grey J, Heppell CM, Hildrew AG, Lansdown K, Stahl H, Yvon-Durocher G. River bed carbon and nitrogen cycling: state of play and some new directions. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2012; 434:143-158. [PMID: 22682557 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2011.10.074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2011] [Revised: 09/30/2011] [Accepted: 10/21/2011] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The significance of freshwaters as key players in the global budget of both carbon dioxide and methane has recently been highlighted. In particular, rivers clearly do not act simply as inert conduits merely piping carbon from catchment to coast, but, on the whole, their metabolic activity transforms a considerable fraction of the carbon that they convey. In addition, nitrogen is cycled, sometimes in tight unison with carbon, with appreciable amounts being 'denitrified' between catchment and coast. However, shortfalls in our knowledge about the significance of exchange and interaction between rivers and their catchments, particularly the significance of interactions mediated through hyporheic sediments, are still apparent. From humble beginnings of quantifying the consumption of oxygen by small samples of gravel, to an integrated measurement of reach scale transformations of carbon and nitrogen, our understanding of the cycling of these two macro elements in rivers has improved markedly in the past few decades. However, recent discoveries of novel metabolic pathways in both the nitrogen and carbon cycle across a spectrum of aquatic ecosystems, highlights the need for new directions and a truly multidisciplinary approach to quantifying the flux of carbon and nitrogen through rivers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Trimmer
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
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Methane carbon supports aquatic food webs to the fish level. PLoS One 2012; 7:e42723. [PMID: 22880091 PMCID: PMC3413669 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0042723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2012] [Accepted: 07/10/2012] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Large amounts of the greenhouse gas methane (CH4) are produced by anaerobic mineralization of organic matter in lakes. In spite of extensive freshwater CH4 emissions, most of the CH4 is typically oxidized by methane oxidizing bacteria (MOB) before it can reach the lake surface and be emitted to the atmosphere. In turn, it has been shown that the CH4-derived biomass of MOB can provide the energy and carbon for zooplankton and macroinvertebrates. In this study, we demonstrate the presence of specific fatty acids synthesized by MOB in fish tissues having low carbon stable isotope ratios. Fish species, zooplankton, macroinvertebrates and the water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes were collected from a shallow lake in Brazil and analyzed for fatty acids (FA) and carbon stable isotope ratios (δ13C). The fatty acids 16∶1ω8c, 16∶1ω8t, 16∶1ω6c, 16∶1ω5t, 18∶1ω8c and 18∶1ω8t were used as signature for MOB. The δ13C ratios varied from −27.7‰ to −42.0‰ and the contribution of MOB FA ranged from 0.05% to 0.84% of total FA. Organisms with higher total content of MOB FAs presented lower δ13C values (i.e. they were more depleted in 13C), while organisms with lower content of MOB signature FAs showed higher δ13C values. An UPGMA cluster analysis was carried out to distinguish grouping of organisms in relation to their MOB FA contents. This combination of stable isotope and fatty acid tracers provides new evidence that assimilation of methane-derived carbon can be an important carbon source for the whole aquatic food web, up to the fish level.
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Maxfield PJ, Dildar N, Hornibrook ERC, Stott AW, Evershed RP. Stable isotope switching (SIS): a new stable isotope probing (SIP) approach to determine carbon flow in the soil food web and dynamics in organic matter pools. RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY : RCM 2012; 26:997-1004. [PMID: 22396038 DOI: 10.1002/rcm.6172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- P. J. Maxfield
- Organic Geochemistry Unit; Bristol Biogeochemistry Research Centre; School of Chemistry; University of Bristol; Cantock's Close Bristol BS8 1TS UK
| | - N. Dildar
- Organic Geochemistry Unit; Bristol Biogeochemistry Research Centre; School of Chemistry; University of Bristol; Cantock's Close Bristol BS8 1TS UK
| | - E. R. C. Hornibrook
- School of Earth Sciences; Bristol Biogeochemistry Research Centre and The Cabot Institute; University of Bristol; Wills Memorial Building, Queen's Road Bristol BS8 1RJ UK
| | - A. W. Stott
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology; CEH-Lancaster, Lancaster Environment Centre; Library Avenue Bailrigg Lancaster LA1 4AP UK
| | - R. P. Evershed
- Organic Geochemistry Unit; Bristol Biogeochemistry Research Centre; School of Chemistry; University of Bristol; Cantock's Close Bristol BS8 1TS UK
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Premke K, Karlsson J, Steger K, Gudasz C, von Wachenfeldt E, Tranvik LJ. Stable isotope analysis of benthic fauna and their food sources in boreal lakes. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.1899/10-002.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Katrin Premke
- Limnology, Department of Ecology and Evolution, EBC, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18 D, 75 236 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jan Karlsson
- Climate Impacts Research Centre (CIRC), Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, Sweden
| | - Kristin Steger
- Limnology, Department of Ecology and Evolution, EBC, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18 D, 75 236 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Cristian Gudasz
- Limnology, Department of Ecology and Evolution, EBC, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18 D, 75 236 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Eddie von Wachenfeldt
- Limnology, Department of Ecology and Evolution, EBC, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18 D, 75 236 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Lars J. Tranvik
- Limnology, Department of Ecology and Evolution, EBC, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18 D, 75 236 Uppsala, Sweden
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Linking aboveground and belowground food webs through carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses. Ecol Res 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s11284-010-0719-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Ravinet M, Syväranta J, Jones RI, Grey J. A trophic pathway from biogenic methane supports fish biomass in a temperate lake ecosystem. OIKOS 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2009.17859.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Conrad R. The global methane cycle: recent advances in understanding the microbial processes involved. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2009; 1:285-292. [PMID: 23765881 DOI: 10.1111/j.1758-2229.2009.00038.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 409] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The global budget of atmospheric CH4 , which is on the order of 500-600 Tg CH4 per year, is mainly the result of environmental microbial processes, such as archaeal methanogenesis in wetlands, rice fields, ruminant and termite digestive systems and of microbial methane oxidation under anoxic and oxic conditions. This review highlights recent progress in the research of anaerobic CH4 oxidation, of CH4 production in the plant rhizosphere, of CH4 serving as substrate for the aquatic trophic food chain and the discovery of novel aerobic methanotrophs. It also emphasizes progress and deficiencies in our knowledge of microbial utilization of low atmospheric CH4 concentrations in soil, CH4 production in the plant canopy, intestinal methanogenesis and CH4 production in pelagic water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralf Conrad
- Max-Planck-Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Str.8, 35043 Marburg, Germany
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De Brabandere L, Catalano MJ, Frazer TK, Allen MS. Stable isotope evidence of ontogenetic changes in the diet of gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2009; 74:105-119. [PMID: 20735527 DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8649.2008.02114.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Stable sulphur isotopic composition (delta(34)S) of gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum was used to investigate the seasonal and ontogenetic variation in the diet of young and adult fish. This study evaluated fish from a hypereutrophic lake that had recently undergone a 40% reduction of large (>300 mm total length, L(T)) D. cepedianum biomass as part of a biomanipulation experiment, which aimed at reducing internal nutrient loading. Dorosoma cepedianum delta(34)S values showed evidence of ontogenetic changes with young fish (<200 mm L(T)) depending more on benthic food sources than adults (>200 mm L(T)). The delta(34)S composition of the adult fish suggested an increasing importance of zooplankton in the diet, although benthic food sources remained part of the diet of all D. cepedianum collected in this study. The results indicated that benthic feeding is used by D. cepedianum of all sizes, suggesting that biomanipulation efforts may need to target all sizes of fish to realize benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- L De Brabandere
- Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, University of Florida, 7922 NW 71st Street, Gainesville, FL 32653, USA.
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