Effects of salamander larvae on food webs in highly subsidised ephemeral ponds

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftForschungsartikelBeigetragenBegutachtung

Beitragende

  • Timm Reinhardt - , Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung (UFZ), Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf (Autor:in)
  • Mario Brauns - , Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung (UFZ) (Autor:in)
  • Sebastian Steinfartz - , Technische Universität Braunschweig (Autor:in)
  • Markus Weitere - , Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung (UFZ) (Autor:in)

Abstract

Ephemeral ponds are often dominated by species with both terrestrial and aquatic life phases. Such species have the potential to strongly alter the food web structure of ponds, particularly if they are predators. Here we experimentally tested the effects of salamander larvae (Salamandra salamandra) on invertebrate communities in ephemeral forest ponds. We repeatedly split two ponds into salamander enclosure- and exclosure-segments, and compared the diversity and biomass of potential prey organisms. We used stable isotopes of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) of resources and consumers to characterise the food web structure. The presence of salamander larvae did not affect abundances of culicid larvae, their preferred prey. The population dynamics of most insect larvae was independent of the presence of salamander larvae, and was instead driven by the timing of hatching and emergence. However, a significant reduction resulting from salamander predation could be detected in the less abundant chironomid larvae. There was no substantial alteration of the food web structure as indicated by stable isotopes. However, the stable isotope results suggest a strong trophic subsidisation from the terrestrial system, which is probably the reason for the weak top-down effects of the salamander larvae on the invertebrate food web.

Details

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Seiten (von - bis)37-48
Seitenumfang12
FachzeitschriftHydrobiologia
Jahrgang799
Ausgabenummer1
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - 1 Sept. 2017
Peer-Review-StatusJa
Extern publiziertJa

Schlagworte

Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Schlagwörter

  • Aquatic-terrestrial linkage, Biodiversity, Salamandra salamandra, Top-down, Trophic cascades