Bending the rules: exploitation of allochthonous resources by atop-predator modifies size-abundance scaling in stream foodwebs
OA Location
Author(s)
Woodward, Guy
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Body mass–abundance (M‐N) allometries provide a key measure of community structure, and deviations from scaling predictions could reveal how cross‐ecosystem subsidies alter food webs. For 31 streams across the UK, we tested the hypothesis that linear log‐log M‐N scaling is shallower than that predicted by allometric scaling theory when top predators have access to allochthonous prey. These streams all contained a common and widespread top predator (brown trout) that regularly feeds on terrestrial prey and, as hypothesised, deviations from predicted scaling increased with its dominance of the fish assemblage. Our study identifies a key beneficiary of cross‐ecosystem subsidies at the top of stream food webs and elucidates how these inputs can reshape the size‐structure of these ‘open’ systems.
Date Issued
2018-12-01
Date Acceptance
2018-07-29
Citation
Ecology Letters
ISSN
1461-023X
Publisher
Wiley
Start Page
1771
End Page
1780
Journal / Book Title
Ecology Letters
Volume
21
Issue
12
Copyright Statement
© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS
Sponsor
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
Identifier
http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000449662400002&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
Grant Number
NE/J015288/2
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Ecology
Environmental Sciences & Ecology
Allometric scaling
body size
brown trout
energetic subsidies
food webs
metabolic theory
stable isotopes
streams
BODY MASS RELATIONSHIPS
SALMO-TRUTTA
BROWN TROUT
TERRESTRIAL
POPULATION
UNIVERSAL
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2018-09-26