Identifying consumer-resource population dynamics using paleoecological data

Resource use differences of two coexisting chironomid species at localized scales

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.

Reconstructing midge consumer-resource dynamics using carbon stable isotope signatures of archived specimens

Population cycles can be caused by consumer-resource interactions. Confirming the role of consumer-resource interactions, however, can be challenging due to an absence of data for the resource candidate. For example, interactions between midge larvae and benthic algae likely govern the high-amplitude population fluctuations of Tanytarsus gracilentus in Lake Mývatn, Iceland, but there are no records of benthic resources concurrent with adult midge population counts. Here, we investigate consumer population dynamics using the carbon stable isotope signatures of archived T. gracilentus specimens collected from 1977 to 2015, under the assumption that midge δ¹³ C values reflect those of resources they consumed as larvae. We used the time series for population abundance and δ¹³ C to estimate interactions between midges and resources while accounting for measurement error and possible preservation effects on isotope values. Results were consistent with consumer-resource interactions: high δ¹³ C values preceded peaks in the midge population, and δ¹³ C values tended to decline after midges reached high abundance. One interpretation of this dynamic coupling is that midge isotope signatures reflect temporal variation in benthic algal δ¹³ C values, which we expected to mirror primary production. Following from this explanation, high benthic production (enriched δ¹³ C values) would contribute to increased midge abundance, and high midge abundance would result in declining benthic production (depleted δ¹³ C values). An additional and related explanation is that midges deplete benthic algal abundance once they reach peak densities, causing midges to increase their relative reliance on other resources including detritus and associated microorganisms. Such a shift in resource use would be consistent with the subsequent decline in midge δ¹³ C values. Our study adds evidence that midge-resource interactions drive T. gracilentus fluctuations and demonstrates a novel application of stable isotope time-series data to understand consumer population dynamics.

Ecosystem engineering alters density-dependent feedbacks in an aquatic insect population

Ecosystem engineers have large impacts on the communities in which they live, and these impacts may feed back to populations of engineers themselves. In this study, we assessed the effect of ecosystem engineering on density-dependent feedbacks for midges in Lake Mývatn, Iceland. The midge larvae reside in the sediment and build silk tubes that provide a substrate for algal growth, thereby elevating benthic primary production. Benthic algae are in turn the primary food source for the midge larvae, setting the stage for the effects of engineering to feed back to the midges themselves. Using a field mesocosm experiment manipulating larval midge densities, we found a generally positive but nonlinear relationship between density and benthic production. Furthermore, adult emergence increased with the primary production per midge larva. By combining these two relationships in a simple model, we found that the positive effect of midges on benthic production weakened negative density dependence at low to intermediate larval densities. However, this benefit disappeared at high densities when midge consumption of primary producers exceeded their positive effects on primary production through ecosystem engineering. Our results illustrate how ecosystem engineering can alter density-dependent feedbacks for engineer populations.