Food Chain Length Associated with Environmental Factors Affected by Large Dam along the Yangtze River

Abstract

Food chain length (FCL) is a critical measure of food web complexity that influences the community structure and ecosystem function. The FCL of large subtropical rivers affected by dams and the decisive factors are far beyond clear. In this study, we used stable isotope technology to estimate the FCL of fish in different reaches of the main stream in the Yangtze River and explored the key factors that determined the FCL. The results showed that FCL varied widely among the studied areas with a mean of 4.09 (ranging from 3.69 to 4.31). The variation of FCL among river sections in the upstream of the dam was greater than that in the downstream. Regression analysis and model selection results revealed that the FCL had a significant positive correlation with ecosystem size as well as resource availability, and FCL variation was largely explained by ecosystem size, which represented 72% of the model weight. In summary, our results suggested that ecosystem size plays a key role in determining the FCL in large subtropical rivers and large ecosystems tend to have a longer food chain. Additionally, the construction of the Three Gorges Dam has been speculated to increase the FCL in the impoundment river sections.

The Low Ontogenetic Diet Diversity and Flexibility of the Pike-Perch, Sander lucioperca (Linnaeus, 1758) (Osteichthyes, Percidae): A Case Study

“…Specific to this fish in the studied area, data about its trophic relations and the food composition are vital when researching fish biology and ecology, at least because the growth of fish and, consequently, the productivity of the fish herd depends on the availability of food. Knowledge of the main food sources of various species of the fish community will lead to knowledge of the trophic network and, consequently, of the interrelationships of species [41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49].…”