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Zhang J, Kainz MJ, Wang X, Tan X, Zhang Q. Eutrophication and loss of riparian shading influence food quality and trophic relation in stream food webs. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 249:120926. [PMID: 38043353 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120926] [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: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Eutrophication induced by excessive inputs of nutrient is one of the main stressors in aquatic ecosystems. Deforestation in riparian zones alter riparian shading, which together with eutrophication is expected to exert a complex control over stream food webs. We manipulated two levels of riparian shading (open canopy vs. shading canopy) and nutrient supply (ambient vs. nutrient addition) in three headwater streams to investigate the individual and combined effects of eutrophication and loss of riparian shading on carbon sources and nutritional quality of biofilms, and the subsequent trophic effects on macroinvertebrate grazers. Nutrient enrichment increased the autochthonous carbon (i.e., algae especially diatoms) indicated by fatty acid (FA) biomarkers within biofilms and grazers. The nutritional quality indicated by eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) content of biofilms was increased with nutrient enrichment and more so with the combined effect of an increase in riparian shading, consequently leading to an increase in the nutritional quality, density, and biomass of grazers. In particular, the trophic linkages between biofilms and grazers were mainly influenced by EPA concentration in the biofilms, and strengthened with the combined effects of riparian shading and additional nutrients. Our study emphasizes the nutritional significance of EPA for consumers at higher trophic levels and proposes its potential as an indicator for monitoring the health of aquatic ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; Danjiangkou Wetland Ecosystem Field Scientific Observation and Research Station, The Chinese Academy of Sciences & Hubei Province, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Martin J Kainz
- WasserCluster Lunz - Inter-University Centre for Aquatic Ecosystem Research, Lunz am See A-3293, Austria; Department of BioMedical Research, Danube University Krems, Krems A-3500, Austria
| | - Xingzhong Wang
- College of Life Science, Huzhou University, Huzhou 313000, China
| | - Xiang Tan
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; Danjiangkou Wetland Ecosystem Field Scientific Observation and Research Station, The Chinese Academy of Sciences & Hubei Province, Wuhan 430074, China.
| | - Quanfa Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; Danjiangkou Wetland Ecosystem Field Scientific Observation and Research Station, The Chinese Academy of Sciences & Hubei Province, Wuhan 430074, China
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2
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DeLong JP, Coblentz KE, Uiterwaal SF, Akwani C, Salsbery ME. Temperature and predators as interactive drivers of community properties. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10665. [PMID: 37920766 PMCID: PMC10618570 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The effects of warming on ecological communities emerge from a range of potentially asymmetric impacts on individual physiology and development. Understanding these responses, however, is limited by our ability to connect mechanisms or emergent patterns across the many processes that drive variation in demography. Further complicating this understanding is the gain or loss of predators to many communities, which may interact with changes in temperature to drive community change. Here we conducted a factorial warming and predation experiment to test generalized predictions about responses to warming. We used microcosms with a range of protists, rotifers, and a gastrotrich, with and without the predator Actinosphaerium, to assess changes in diversity, body size, function, and composition in response to warming. We find that community respiration and predator:prey biovolume ratios peak at intermediate temperatures, while species richness declined with temperature. We also found that overall biomass increased with species richness, driven by the effect of temperature on richness. There was little evidence of an interaction between predation and temperature change, likely because the predator was mostly limited to the intermediate temperatures. Overall, our results suggest that general predictions about community change are still challenging to make but may benefit by considering multiple dimensions of community patterns in an integrated way.
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Affiliation(s)
- John P. DeLong
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Nebraska – LincolnLincolnNebraskaUSA
| | - Kyle E. Coblentz
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Nebraska – LincolnLincolnNebraskaUSA
| | - Stella F. Uiterwaal
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Nebraska – LincolnLincolnNebraskaUSA
- Present address:
Living Earth CollaborativeWashington University in St. LouisSt. LouisMissouriUSA
| | - Chika Akwani
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Nebraska – LincolnLincolnNebraskaUSA
| | - Miranda E. Salsbery
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Nebraska – LincolnLincolnNebraskaUSA
- Present address:
Rochester Institute of Technology K‐12 University CenterRochesterNew YorkUSA
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3
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Martinsen KT, Sand-Jensen K. Predicting water quality from geospatial lake, catchment, and buffer zone characteristics in temperate lowland lakes. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 851:158090. [PMID: 35987226 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158090] [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: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Lakes provide essential ecosystem services and strongly influence landscape nutrient and carbon cycling. Therefore, monitoring water quality is essential for the management of element transport, biodiversity, and public goods in lakes. We investigated the ability of machine learning models to predict eight important water quality variables (alkalinity, pH, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll a, Secchi depth, color, and pCO2) using monitoring data from 924 to 1054 lakes. The geospatial predictor variables comprise a wide range of potential drivers at the lake, buffer zone, and catchment level. We compared the performance of nine predictive models of varying complexity for each of the eight water quality variables. The best models (Random Forest and Support Vector Machine in six and two cases, respectively) generally performed well on the test set (R2 = 0.28-0.60). Models were then used to predict water quality for all 180,377 mapped Danish lakes. Additionally, we trained models to predict each water quality variable by using the predictions we had generated for the remaining seven variables. This improved model performance (R2 = 0.45-0.78). Overall, the uncovered relationships were in line with the findings of previous studies, e.g., total nitrogen was positively related to catchment agriculture and chlorophyll a, Secchi depth, and alkalinity were influenced by soil type and landscape history. Remarkably, buffer zone geomorphology (curvature, ruggedness, and elevation) had a strong influence on nutrients, chlorophyll a, and Secchi depth, e.g., curvature was positively related to nutrients and chlorophyll a and negatively to Secchi depth. Lake area was a strong predictor of multiple variables, especially its relationship with pH (positive), pCO2 (negative), and color (negative). Our analysis shows that the combination of machine learning methods and geospatial data can be used to predict lake water quality and improve national upscaling of predictions related to nutrient and carbon cycling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth Thorø Martinsen
- Freshwater Biological Laboratory, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 4, 3rd floor, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Kaj Sand-Jensen
- Freshwater Biological Laboratory, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 4, 3rd floor, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
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4
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Hixson JL, Ward AS. Hardware Selection and Performance of Low-Cost Fluorometers. SENSORS 2022; 22:s22062319. [PMID: 35336488 PMCID: PMC8954410 DOI: 10.3390/s22062319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Access to and extensive use of fluorometric analyses is limited, despite its extensive utility in environmental transport and fate. Wide-spread application of fluorescent tracers has been limited by the prohibitive costs of research-grade equipment and logistical constraints of sampling, due to the need for high spatial resolutions and access to remote locations over long timescales. Recently, low-cost alternatives to research-grade equipment have been found to produce comparable data at a small fraction of the price for commercial equipment. Here, we prototyped and benchmarked performance of a variety of fluorometer components against commercial units, including performance as a function of tracer concentration, turbidity, and temperature, all of which are known to impact fluorometer performance. While component performance was found to be comparable to the commercial units tested, the best configuration tested obtained a functional resolution of 0.1 ppb, a working concentration range of 0.1 to >300 ppb, and a cost of USD 59.13.
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5
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Bracken MES, Miller LP, Mastroni SE, Lira SM, Sorte CJB. Accounting for variation in temperature and oxygen availability when quantifying marine ecosystem metabolism. Sci Rep 2022; 12:825. [PMID: 35039551 PMCID: PMC8763951 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-04685-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
It is critical to understand how human modifications of Earth's ecosystems are influencing ecosystem functioning, including net and gross community production (NCP and GCP, respectively) and community respiration (CR). These responses are often estimated by measuring oxygen production in the light (NCP) and consumption in the dark (CR), which can then be combined to estimate GCP. However, the method used to create "dark" conditions-either experimental darkening during the day or taking measurements at night-could result in different estimates of respiration and production, potentially affecting our ability to make integrative predictions. We tested this possibility by measuring oxygen concentrations under daytime ambient light conditions, in darkened tide pools during the day, and during nighttime low tides. We made measurements every 1-3 months over one year in southeastern Alaska. Daytime respiration rates were substantially higher than those measured at night, associated with higher temperature and oxygen levels during the day and leading to major differences in estimates of GCP calculated using daytime versus nighttime measurements. Our results highlight the potential importance of measuring respiration rates during both day and night to account for effects of temperature and oxygen-especially in shallow-water, constrained systems-with implications for understanding the impacts of global change on ecosystem metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew E S Bracken
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California - Irvine, 321 Steinhaus Hall, Irvine, CA, 92697-2525, USA.
| | - Luke P Miller
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
| | - Sarah E Mastroni
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California - Irvine, 321 Steinhaus Hall, Irvine, CA, 92697-2525, USA
- Coastal Science and Policy Program, University of California - Santa Cruz, 115 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060, USA
| | - Stephany M Lira
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California - Irvine, 321 Steinhaus Hall, Irvine, CA, 92697-2525, USA
| | - Cascade J B Sorte
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California - Irvine, 321 Steinhaus Hall, Irvine, CA, 92697-2525, USA
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6
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Honious SAS, Hale RL, Guilinger JJ, Crosby BT, Baxter CV. Turbidity Structures the Controls of Ecosystem Metabolism and Associated Metabolic Process Domains Along a 75-km Segment of a Semiarid Stream. Ecosystems 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-021-00661-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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7
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Jankowski KJ, Schindler DE. Watershed geomorphology modifies the sensitivity of aquatic ecosystem metabolism to temperature. Sci Rep 2019; 9:17619. [PMID: 31772340 PMCID: PMC6879538 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-53703-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Accepted: 10/31/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The regulation of aquatic carbon cycles by temperature is a significant uncertainty in our understanding of how watersheds will respond to climate change. Aquatic ecosystems transport substantial quantities of carbon to the atmosphere and ocean, yet we have limited understanding of how temperature modifies aquatic ecosystem metabolic processes and contributions to carbon cycles at watershed to global scales. We propose that geomorphology controls the distribution and quality of organic material that forms the metabolic base of aquatic ecosystems, thereby controlling the response of aquatic ecosystem metabolism to temperature across landscapes. Across 23 streams and four years during summer baseflow, we estimated variation in the temperature sensitivity of ecosystem respiration (R) among streams draining watersheds with different geomorphic characteristics across a boreal river basin. We found that geomorphic features imposed strong controls on temperature sensitivity; R in streams draining flat watersheds was up to six times more temperature sensitive than streams draining steeper watersheds. Further, our results show that this association between watershed geomorphology and temperature sensitivity of R was linked to the carbon quality of substrates that changed systematically across the geomorphic gradient. This suggests that geomorphology will control how carbon is transported, stored, and incorporated into river food webs as the climate warms.
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Affiliation(s)
- K J Jankowski
- School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
- US Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, La Crosse, WI, USA.
| | - D E Schindler
- School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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8
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Abstract
Carbon emissions from human and animals has been neglected by previous studies in estimating the carbon cycle of ecosystem. This study first estimates the spatial-temporal patterns of carbon emissions density from human and livestock respiration among countries around the world from 1960–2014. Then we simulate the soil heterotrophic respiration (Rh) to analyze the contribution of human and livestock respiration to total heterotrophic respiration of global ecosystem. Our results show that the respiration of human and livestock respectively contribute more than 1% of the total carbon output from heterotrophic respiration in most countries and affect more than 5% in almost half of the countries. Moreover, the effect of livestock respiration is slightly greater than that of human beings. Therefore, the estimation of heterotrophic respiration should not only consider Rh in these countries, human and livestock respiration are equally important in the research on regional carbon budget.
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9
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Hood JM, Benstead JP, Cross WF, Huryn AD, Johnson PW, Gíslason GM, Junker JR, Nelson D, Ólafsson JS, Tran C. Increased resource use efficiency amplifies positive response of aquatic primary production to experimental warming. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2018; 24:1069-1084. [PMID: 28922515 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2017] [Revised: 08/21/2017] [Accepted: 09/03/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Climate warming is affecting the structure and function of river ecosystems, including their role in transforming and transporting carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P). Predicting how river ecosystems respond to warming has been hindered by a dearth of information about how otherwise well-studied physiological responses to temperature scale from organismal to ecosystem levels. We conducted an ecosystem-level temperature manipulation to quantify how coupling of stream ecosystem metabolism and nutrient uptake responded to a realistic warming scenario. A ~3.3°C increase in mean water temperature altered coupling of C, N, and P fluxes in ways inconsistent with single-species laboratory experiments. Net primary production tripled during the year of experimental warming, while whole-stream N and P uptake rates did not change, resulting in 289% and 281% increases in autotrophic dissolved inorganic N and P use efficiency (UE), respectively. Increased ecosystem production was a product of unexpectedly large increases in mass-specific net primary production and autotroph biomass, supported by (i) combined increases in resource availability (via N mineralization and N2 fixation) and (ii) elevated resource use efficiency, the latter associated with changes in community structure. These large changes in C and nutrient cycling could not have been predicted from the physiological effects of temperature alone. Our experiment provides clear ecosystem-level evidence that warming can shift the balance between C and nutrient cycling in rivers, demonstrating that warming will alter the important role of in-stream processes in C, N, and P transformations. Moreover, our results reveal a key role for nutrient supply and use efficiency in mediating responses of primary producers to climate warming.
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Affiliation(s)
- James M Hood
- Aquatic Ecology Laboratory, Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Jonathan P Benstead
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
| | - Wyatt F Cross
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Alexander D Huryn
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
| | - Philip W Johnson
- Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
| | - Gísli M Gíslason
- Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland
| | - James R Junker
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Daniel Nelson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
| | - Jón S Ólafsson
- Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, Reykjavík, Iceland
| | - Chau Tran
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
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10
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DeFilippo LB, Schindler DE, Carter JL, Walsworth TE, Cline TJ, Larson WA, Buehrens T. Associations of stream geomorphic conditions and prevalence of alternative reproductive tactics among sockeye salmon populations. J Evol Biol 2018; 31:239-253. [PMID: 29194863 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Revised: 10/24/2017] [Accepted: 11/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
In many species, males may exhibit alternative life histories to circumvent the costs of intrasexual competition and female courtship. While the evolution and underlying genetic and physiological mechanisms behind alternative reproductive tactics are well studied, there has been less consideration of the ecological factors that regulate their prevalence. Here, we examine six decades of age composition records from thirty-six populations of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) to quantify associations between spawning habitat characteristics and the prevalence of precocious sneakers known as 'jacks'. Jack prevalence was independent of neutral genetic structure among stream populations, but varied among habitat types and as a function of continuous geomorphic characteristics. Jacks were more common in streams relative to beaches and rivers, and their prevalence was negatively associated with stream width, depth, elevation, slope and area, but positively related to bank cover. Behavioural observations showed that jacks made greater use of banks, wood and shallows than guard males, indicating that their reproductive success depends on the availability of such refuges. Our results emphasize the role of the physical habitat in shaping reproductive tactic frequencies among populations, likely through local adaptation in response to variable fitness expectations under different geomorphic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- L B DeFilippo
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - D E Schindler
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - J L Carter
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - T E Walsworth
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - T J Cline
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - W A Larson
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,U. S. Geological Survey, Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Stevens Point, WI, USA
| | - T Buehrens
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Olympia, WA, USA
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11
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Manning DWP, Rosemond AD, Gulis V, Benstead JP, Kominoski JS. Nutrients and temperature additively increase stream microbial respiration. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2018; 24:e233-e247. [PMID: 28902445 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2017] [Accepted: 08/22/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Rising temperatures and nutrient enrichment are co-occurring global-change drivers that stimulate microbial respiration of detrital carbon, but nutrient effects on the temperature dependence of respiration in aquatic ecosystems remain uncertain. We measured respiration rates associated with leaf litter, wood, and fine benthic organic matter (FBOM) across seasonal temperature gradients before (PRE) and after (ENR1, ENR2) experimental nutrient (nitrogen [N] and phosphorus [P]) additions to five forest streams. Nitrogen and phosphorus were added at different N:P ratios using increasing concentrations of N (~80-650 μg/L) and corresponding decreasing concentrations of P (~90-11 μg/L). We assessed the temperature dependence, and microbial (i.e., fungal) drivers of detrital mass-specific respiration rates using the metabolic theory of ecology, before vs. after nutrient enrichment, and across N and P concentrations. Detrital mass-specific respiration rates increased with temperature, exhibiting comparable activation energies (E, electronvolts [eV]) for all substrates (FBOM E = 0.43 [95% CI = 0.18-0.69] eV, leaf litter E = 0.30 [95% CI = 0.072-0.54] eV, wood E = 0.41 [95% CI = 0.18-0.64] eV) close to predicted MTE values. There was evidence that temperature-driven increased respiration occurred via increased fungal biomass (wood) or increased fungal biomass-specific respiration (leaf litter). Respiration rates increased under nutrient-enriched conditions on leaves (1.32×) and wood (1.38×), but not FBOM. Respiration rates responded weakly to gradients in N or P concentrations, except for positive effects of P on wood respiration. The temperature dependence of respiration was comparable among years and across N or P concentration for all substrates. Responses of leaf litter and wood respiration to temperature and the combined effects of N and P were similar in magnitude. Our data suggest that the temperature dependence of stream microbial respiration is unchanged by nutrient enrichment, and that increased temperature and N + P availability have additive and comparable effects on microbial respiration rates.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amy D Rosemond
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Vladislav Gulis
- Department of Biology, Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC, USA
| | - Jonathan P Benstead
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
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12
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Follstad Shah JJ, Kominoski JS, Ardón M, Dodds WK, Gessner MO, Griffiths NA, Hawkins CP, Johnson SL, Lecerf A, LeRoy CJ, Manning DWP, Rosemond AD, Sinsabaugh RL, Swan CM, Webster JR, Zeglin LH. Global synthesis of the temperature sensitivity of leaf litter breakdown in streams and rivers. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2017; 23:3064-3075. [PMID: 28039909 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2016] [Accepted: 11/26/2016] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Streams and rivers are important conduits of terrestrially derived carbon (C) to atmospheric and marine reservoirs. Leaf litter breakdown rates are expected to increase as water temperatures rise in response to climate change. The magnitude of increase in breakdown rates is uncertain, given differences in litter quality and microbial and detritivore community responses to temperature, factors that can influence the apparent temperature sensitivity of breakdown and the relative proportion of C lost to the atmosphere vs. stored or transported downstream. Here, we synthesized 1025 records of litter breakdown in streams and rivers to quantify its temperature sensitivity, as measured by the activation energy (Ea , in eV). Temperature sensitivity of litter breakdown varied among twelve plant genera for which Ea could be calculated. Higher values of Ea were correlated with lower-quality litter, but these correlations were influenced by a single, N-fixing genus (Alnus). Ea values converged when genera were classified into three breakdown rate categories, potentially due to continual water availability in streams and rivers modulating the influence of leaf chemistry on breakdown. Across all data representing 85 plant genera, the Ea was 0.34 ± 0.04 eV, or approximately half the value (0.65 eV) predicted by metabolic theory. Our results indicate that average breakdown rates may increase by 5-21% with a 1-4 °C rise in water temperature, rather than a 10-45% increase expected, according to metabolic theory. Differential warming of tropical and temperate biomes could result in a similar proportional increase in breakdown rates, despite variation in Ea values for these regions (0.75 ± 0.13 eV and 0.27 ± 0.05 eV, respectively). The relative proportions of gaseous C loss and organic matter transport downstream should not change with rising temperature given that Ea values for breakdown mediated by microbes alone and microbes plus detritivores were similar at the global scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer J Follstad Shah
- Environmental and Sustainability Studies/Department of Geography, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
- Department of Watershed Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
| | - John S Kominoski
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
| | - Marcelo Ardón
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
| | - Walter K Dodds
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA
| | - Mark O Gessner
- Department of Experimental Limnology, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), 16775, Stechlin, Germany
- Department of Ecology, Berlin Institute of Technology (TU Berlin), Ernst-Reuter-Platz 1, 10587, Berlin, Germany
| | - Natalie A Griffiths
- Climate Change Science Institute and Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Charles P Hawkins
- Department of Watershed Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
| | - Sherri L Johnson
- Pacific Northwest Research Station, US Forest Service, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
| | - Antoine Lecerf
- Université de Toulouse, UPS, INP, CNRS, EcoLab (Laboratoire d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement), 31062, Toulouse, France
| | - Carri J LeRoy
- Environmental Studies Program, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA, 98505, USA
| | - David W P Manning
- School of Environment and Natural Resources, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Amy D Rosemond
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Robert L Sinsabaugh
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA
| | - Christopher M Swan
- Department of Geography and Environmental Systems, University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, 21250, USA
| | - Jackson R Webster
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Lydia H Zeglin
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA
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13
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Stackpoole SM, Butman DE, Clow DW, Verdin KL, Gaglioti BV, Genet H, Striegl RG. Inland waters and their role in the carbon cycle of Alaska. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2017; 27:1403-1420. [PMID: 28376236 DOI: 10.1002/eap.1552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2016] [Revised: 03/20/2017] [Accepted: 03/24/2017] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
The magnitude of Alaska (AK) inland waters carbon (C) fluxes is likely to change in the future due to amplified climate warming impacts on the hydrology and biogeochemical processes in high latitude regions. Although current estimates of major aquatic C fluxes represent an essential baseline against which future change can be compared, a comprehensive assessment for AK has not yet been completed. To address this gap, we combined available data sets and applied consistent methodologies to estimate river lateral C export to the coast, river and lake carbon dioxide (CO2 ) and methane (CH4 ) emissions, and C burial in lakes for the six major hydrologic regions in the state. Estimated total aquatic C flux for AK was 41 Tg C/yr. Major components of this total flux, in Tg C/yr, were 18 for river lateral export, 17 for river CO2 emissions, and 8 for lake CO2 emissions. Lake C burial offset these fluxes by 2 Tg C/yr. River and lake CH4 emissions were 0.03 and 0.10 Tg C/yr, respectively. The Southeast and South central regions had the highest temperature, precipitation, terrestrial net primary productivity (NPP), and C yields (fluxes normalized to land area) were 77 and 42 g C·m-2 ·yr-1 , respectively. Lake CO2 emissions represented over half of the total aquatic flux from the Southwest (37 g C·m-2 ·yr-1 ). The North Slope, Northwest, and Yukon regions had lesser yields (11, 15, and 17 g C·m2 ·yr-1 ), but these estimates may be the most vulnerable to future climate change, because of the heightened sensitivity of arctic and boreal ecosystems to intensified warming. Total aquatic C yield for AK was 27 g C·m-2 ·yr-1 , which represented 16% of the estimated terrestrial NPP. Freshwater ecosystems represent a significant conduit for C loss, and a more comprehensive view of land-water-atmosphere interactions is necessary to predict future climate change impacts on the Alaskan ecosystem C balance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Stackpoole
- U.S. Geological Survey, National Research Program, Denver Federal Center, MS413, Denver, Colorado, 80225, USA
| | - David E Butman
- National Research Program, U.S. Geological Survey, 3215 Marine Street, Boulder, Colorado, 80303, USA
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences and Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Washington - Seattle, Box 325100, Seattle, Washington, 98195, USA
| | - David W Clow
- U.S. Geological Survey, Colorado Water Science Center, Denver Federal Center, MS415, Denver, Colorado, 80225, USA
| | - Kristine L Verdin
- U.S. Geological Survey, Colorado Water Science Center, Denver Federal Center, MS415, Denver, Colorado, 80225, USA
| | - Benjamin V Gaglioti
- U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, 4210 University Drive, Anchorage, Alaska, 99508, USA
- Tree Ring Lab, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, 61 Route 9W - PO Box 1000, Palisades, New York, 10964, USA
| | - Hélène Genet
- Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska - Fairbanks, 902 Koyukuk Drive, Fairbanks, Alaska, 99775, USA
| | - Robert G Striegl
- National Research Program, U.S. Geological Survey, 3215 Marine Street, Boulder, Colorado, 80303, USA
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Schindler DE, Jankowski K, A'mar ZT, Holtgrieve GW. Two‐stage metabolism inferred from diel oxygen dynamics in aquatic ecosystems. Ecosphere 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E. Schindler
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences University of Washington Seattle Washington 98195 USA
| | - KathiJo Jankowski
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences University of Washington Seattle Washington 98195 USA
| | - Z. Teresa A'mar
- Office of Science and Technology NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, C/O Alaska Fisheries Science Center, F/AKC27600 Sand Point Way NE Seattle Washington 98115 USA
| | - Gordon W. Holtgrieve
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences University of Washington Seattle Washington 98195 USA
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15
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Steel EA, Beechie TJ, Torgersen CE, Fullerton AH. Envisioning, Quantifying, and Managing Thermal Regimes on River Networks. Bioscience 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/biosci/bix047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
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16
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Rolls RJ, Hayden B, Kahilainen KK. Conceptualising the interactive effects of climate change and biological invasions on subarctic freshwater fish. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:4109-4128. [PMID: 28649324 PMCID: PMC5478060 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2017] [Revised: 03/10/2017] [Accepted: 03/16/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Climate change and species invasions represent key threats to global biodiversity. Subarctic freshwaters are sentinels for understanding both stressors because the effects of climate change are disproportionately strong at high latitudes and invasion of temperate species is prevalent. Here, we summarize the environmental effects of climate change and illustrate the ecological responses of freshwater fishes to these effects, spanning individual, population, community and ecosystem levels. Climate change is modifying hydrological cycles across atmospheric, terrestrial and aquatic components of subarctic ecosystems, causing increases in ambient water temperature and nutrient availability. These changes affect the individual behavior, habitat use, growth and metabolism, alter population spawning and recruitment dynamics, leading to changes in species abundance and distribution, modify food web structure, trophic interactions and energy flow within communities and change the sources, quantity and quality of energy and nutrients in ecosystems. Increases in temperature and its variability in aquatic environments underpin many ecological responses; however, altered hydrological regimes, increasing nutrient inputs and shortened ice cover are also important drivers of climate change effects and likely contribute to context-dependent responses. Species invasions are a complex aspect of the ecology of climate change because the phenomena of invasion are both an effect and a driver of the ecological consequences of climate change. Using subarctic freshwaters as an example, we illustrate how climate change can alter three distinct aspects of species invasions: (1) the vulnerability of ecosystems to be invaded, (2) the potential for species to spread and invade new habitats, and (3) the subsequent ecological effects of invaders. We identify three fundamental knowledge gaps focused on the need to determine (1) how environmental and landscape characteristics influence the ecological impact of climate change, (2) the separate and combined effects of climate and non-native invading species and (3) the underlying ecological processes or mechanisms responsible for changes in patterns of biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J. Rolls
- Institute for Applied EcologyUniversity of CanberraCanberraACTAustralia
| | - Brian Hayden
- Kilpisjärvi Biological StationUniversity of HelsinkiKilpisjärviFinland
- Department of Environmental SciencesUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
- Biology DepartmentCanadian Rivers InstituteUniversity of New BrunswickFrederictonNBCanada
| | - Kimmo K. Kahilainen
- Kilpisjärvi Biological StationUniversity of HelsinkiKilpisjärviFinland
- Department of Environmental SciencesUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
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17
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Kraemer BM, Chandra S, Dell AI, Dix M, Kuusisto E, Livingstone DM, Schladow SG, Silow E, Sitoki LM, Tamatamah R, McIntyre PB. Global patterns in lake ecosystem responses to warming based on the temperature dependence of metabolism. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2017; 23:1881-1890. [PMID: 27591144 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2016] [Accepted: 08/02/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Climate warming is expected to have large effects on ecosystems in part due to the temperature dependence of metabolism. The responses of metabolic rates to climate warming may be greatest in the tropics and at low elevations because mean temperatures are warmer there and metabolic rates respond exponentially to temperature (with exponents >1). However, if warming rates are sufficiently fast in higher latitude/elevation lakes, metabolic rate responses to warming may still be greater there even though metabolic rates respond exponentially to temperature. Thus, a wide range of global patterns in the magnitude of metabolic rate responses to warming could emerge depending on global patterns of temperature and warming rates. Here we use the Boltzmann-Arrhenius equation, published estimates of activation energy, and time series of temperature from 271 lakes to estimate long-term (1970-2010) changes in 64 metabolic processes in lakes. The estimated responses of metabolic processes to warming were usually greatest in tropical/low-elevation lakes even though surface temperatures in higher latitude/elevation lakes are warming faster. However, when the thermal sensitivity of a metabolic process is especially weak, higher latitude/elevation lakes had larger responses to warming in parallel with warming rates. Our results show that the sensitivity of a given response to temperature (as described by its activation energy) provides a simple heuristic for predicting whether tropical/low-elevation lakes will have larger or smaller metabolic responses to warming than higher latitude/elevation lakes. Overall, we conclude that the direct metabolic consequences of lake warming are likely to be felt most strongly at low latitudes and low elevations where metabolism-linked ecosystem services may be most affected.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sudeep Chandra
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada-Reno, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Anthony I Dell
- National Great Rivers Research and Education Center, Alton, IL, USA
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Margaret Dix
- Centro de Estudios Atitlán, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Altiplano Campus, Sololá, Guatemala
| | - Esko Kuusisto
- Freshwater Centre, Finnish Environment Institute, Mechelininkatu, Helsinki, Finland
| | - David M Livingstone
- Department of Water Resources and Drinking Water, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - S Geoffrey Schladow
- Tahoe Environmental Research Center, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Eugene Silow
- Institute of Biology, Irkutsk State University, Irkutsk, Russia
| | | | - Rashid Tamatamah
- Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Peter B McIntyre
- Center for Limnology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
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18
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19
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Smits AP, Schindler DE, Brett MT. Geomorphology controls the trophic base of stream food webs in a boreal watershed. Ecology 2015; 96:1775-82. [DOI: 10.1890/14-2247.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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20
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Cross WF, Hood JM, Benstead JP, Huryn AD, Nelson D. Interactions between temperature and nutrients across levels of ecological organization. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2015; 21:1025-40. [PMID: 25400273 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 132] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2014] [Accepted: 10/06/2014] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Temperature and nutrient availability play key roles in controlling the pathways and rates at which energy and materials move through ecosystems. These factors have also changed dramatically on Earth over the past century as human activities have intensified. Although significant effort has been devoted to understanding the role of temperature and nutrients in isolation, less is known about how these two factors interact to influence ecological processes. Recent advances in ecological stoichiometry and metabolic ecology provide a useful framework for making progress in this area, but conceptual synthesis and review are needed to help catalyze additional research. Here, we examine known and potential interactions between temperature and nutrients from a variety of physiological, community, and ecosystem perspectives. We first review patterns at the level of the individual, focusing on four traits--growth, respiration, body size, and elemental content--that should theoretically govern how temperature and nutrients interact to influence higher levels of biological organization. We next explore the interactive effects of temperature and nutrients on populations, communities, and food webs by synthesizing information related to community size spectra, biomass distributions, and elemental composition. We use metabolic theory to make predictions about how population-level secondary production should respond to interactions between temperature and resource supply, setting up qualitative predictions about the flows of energy and materials through metazoan food webs. Last, we examine how temperature-nutrient interactions influence processes at the whole-ecosystem level, focusing on apparent vs. intrinsic activation energies of ecosystem processes, how to represent temperature-nutrient interactions in ecosystem models, and patterns with respect to nutrient uptake and organic matter decomposition. We conclude that a better understanding of interactions between temperature and nutrients will be critical for developing realistic predictions about ecological responses to multiple, simultaneous drivers of global change, including climate warming and elevated nutrient supply.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wyatt F Cross
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA
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