Hydrologic variability affects invertebrate grazing on phototrophic biofilms in stream microcosms.
The temporal variability of streamflow is known to be a key feature structuring and controlling fluvial ecological communities and ecosystem processes. Although alterations of streamflow regime due to habitat fragmentation or other anthropogenic factors are ubiquitous, a quantitative understanding o...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2013-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0060629&type=printable |
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| author | Serena Ceola Iris Hödl Martina Adlboller Gabriel Singer Enrico Bertuzzo Lorenzo Mari Gianluca Botter Johann Waringer Tom J Battin Andrea Rinaldo |
| author_facet | Serena Ceola Iris Hödl Martina Adlboller Gabriel Singer Enrico Bertuzzo Lorenzo Mari Gianluca Botter Johann Waringer Tom J Battin Andrea Rinaldo |
| author_sort | Serena Ceola |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The temporal variability of streamflow is known to be a key feature structuring and controlling fluvial ecological communities and ecosystem processes. Although alterations of streamflow regime due to habitat fragmentation or other anthropogenic factors are ubiquitous, a quantitative understanding of their implications on ecosystem structure and function is far from complete. Here, by experimenting with two contrasting flow regimes in stream microcosms, we provide a novel mechanistic explanation for how fluctuating flow regimes may affect grazing of phototrophic biofilms (i.e., periphyton) by an invertebrate species (Ecdyonurus sp.). In both flow regimes light availability was manipulated as a control on autotroph biofilm productivity and grazer activity, thereby allowing the test of flow regime effects across various ratios of biofilm biomass to grazing activity. Average grazing rates were significantly enhanced under variable flow conditions and this effect was highest at intermediate light availability. Our results suggest that stochastic flow regimes, characterised by suitable fluctuations and temporal persistence, may offer increased windows of opportunity for grazing under favourable shear stress conditions. This bears important implications for the development of comprehensive schemes for water resources management and for the understanding of trophic carbon transfer in stream food webs. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3b8dd5cd43cb403185357effa96ad07d |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2013-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj-art-3b8dd5cd43cb403185357effa96ad07d2025-08-20T02:30:37ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032013-01-0184e6062910.1371/journal.pone.0060629Hydrologic variability affects invertebrate grazing on phototrophic biofilms in stream microcosms.Serena CeolaIris HödlMartina AdlbollerGabriel SingerEnrico BertuzzoLorenzo MariGianluca BotterJohann WaringerTom J BattinAndrea RinaldoThe temporal variability of streamflow is known to be a key feature structuring and controlling fluvial ecological communities and ecosystem processes. Although alterations of streamflow regime due to habitat fragmentation or other anthropogenic factors are ubiquitous, a quantitative understanding of their implications on ecosystem structure and function is far from complete. Here, by experimenting with two contrasting flow regimes in stream microcosms, we provide a novel mechanistic explanation for how fluctuating flow regimes may affect grazing of phototrophic biofilms (i.e., periphyton) by an invertebrate species (Ecdyonurus sp.). In both flow regimes light availability was manipulated as a control on autotroph biofilm productivity and grazer activity, thereby allowing the test of flow regime effects across various ratios of biofilm biomass to grazing activity. Average grazing rates were significantly enhanced under variable flow conditions and this effect was highest at intermediate light availability. Our results suggest that stochastic flow regimes, characterised by suitable fluctuations and temporal persistence, may offer increased windows of opportunity for grazing under favourable shear stress conditions. This bears important implications for the development of comprehensive schemes for water resources management and for the understanding of trophic carbon transfer in stream food webs.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0060629&type=printable |
| spellingShingle | Serena Ceola Iris Hödl Martina Adlboller Gabriel Singer Enrico Bertuzzo Lorenzo Mari Gianluca Botter Johann Waringer Tom J Battin Andrea Rinaldo Hydrologic variability affects invertebrate grazing on phototrophic biofilms in stream microcosms. PLoS ONE |
| title | Hydrologic variability affects invertebrate grazing on phototrophic biofilms in stream microcosms. |
| title_full | Hydrologic variability affects invertebrate grazing on phototrophic biofilms in stream microcosms. |
| title_fullStr | Hydrologic variability affects invertebrate grazing on phototrophic biofilms in stream microcosms. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Hydrologic variability affects invertebrate grazing on phototrophic biofilms in stream microcosms. |
| title_short | Hydrologic variability affects invertebrate grazing on phototrophic biofilms in stream microcosms. |
| title_sort | hydrologic variability affects invertebrate grazing on phototrophic biofilms in stream microcosms |
| url | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0060629&type=printable |
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