Functional consumers regulate the effect of availability of subsidy on trophic cascades in the Yellow River Delta, China

Jiaguo Yan; Baoshan Cui; Honghui Huang; Sarah O'Flynn; Junhong Bai; Tom Ysebaert

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.01.045

Functional consumers regulate the effect of availability of subsidy on trophic cascades in the Yellow River Delta, China

Mar Pollut Bull. 2019 Mar:140:157-164. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.01.045. Epub 2019 Jan 25.

Authors

Jiaguo Yan¹, Baoshan Cui², Honghui Huang³, Sarah O'Flynn⁴, Junhong Bai⁵, Tom Ysebaert⁴

Affiliations

¹ State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Estuarine and Delta Systems, and Utrecht University, P.O. Box 140, 4400 AC Yerseke, the Netherlands.
² State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China. Electronic address: cuibs@bnu.edu.cn.
³ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Fishery Ecology and Environment, South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou 510300, China.
⁴ NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Estuarine and Delta Systems, and Utrecht University, P.O. Box 140, 4400 AC Yerseke, the Netherlands.
⁵ State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.

PMID: 30803629
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.01.045

Abstract

Understanding the environmental context where heterogeneous ecological processes affect biotic interactions is a key aim of ecological research. However, mechanisms underlying spatial variation in trophic interactions linked to resource availability across ecosystem gradients remains unclear. We experimentally manipulated the interactive effects of predator fish and quantitative gradient of leaf detritus on macroinvertebrates and benthic algae. We found that non-linear changes in the strength of trophic cascades were strongly linked to the retention rates of experimental leaf detritus and also determined by predatory consumers. Retention rate of leaf detritus influenced the recruitment of predatory invertebrates and foraging preference of predators, accounting for largely the variations in shift of strengthening and weakening trophic cascades. Our results highlight the importance to identify joint processes of recruitment and foraging responses of functional consumer in understanding the impacts of both anthropogenic and natural alterations in subsidy on trophic interaction of coastal food webs.

Keywords: Availability of leaf detritus; Foraging preference; Functional response; Macroinvertebrates; Recruitment; Resource retention.

MeSH terms

Animals
China
Ecosystem
Feeding Behavior / physiology*
Fishes / physiology*
Food Chain
Invertebrates / physiology*
Models, Theoretical
Nutritional Status
Plant Leaves / chemistry
Predatory Behavior / physiology*
Rivers / chemistry*