Getting quantitative about consequences of cross-ecosystem resource subsidies on recipient consumers

Abstract

Most studies of cross-ecosystem resource subsidies have demonstrated positive effects on recipient consumer populations, often with very large effect sizes. However, it is important to move beyond these initial addition-exclusion experiments to consider the quantitative consequences for populations across gradients in the rates and quality of resource inputs. In our introduction to this special issue, we describe at least four potential models that describe functional relationships between subsidy input rates and consumer responses, most of them asymptotic. Here we aim to advance our quantitative understanding of how subsidy inputs influence recipient consumers and their communities. In the papers following, fish were either the recipient consumers or the subsidy as carcasses of anadromous species. Advancing general, predictive models will enable us to further consider what other factors are potentially co-limiting (e.g., nutrients, other population interactions, physical habitat, etc.) and better integrate resource subsidies into consumer-resource, biophysical dynamics models.Résumé : La plupart des études des apports de ressources entre écosystèmes ont démontré des effets positifs sur les populations de consommateurs récepteurs, dont, bien souvent, de très grands effets sur la taille. Il importe toutefois d'aller au-delà de ces expériences initiales d'ajout-exclusion pour examiner les conséquences quantitatives sur les populations le long de gradients du taux et de la qualité des apports de ressources. Dans notre article d'introduction au présent numéro spécial, nous décrivons au moins quatre modèles potentiels qui décrivent les relations fonctionnelles entre les taux d'apports de ressources et les réactions de consommateurs, la plupart étant asymptotiques. Nous tentons ainsi d'accroître la compréhension quantitative de l'influence des apports sur les consommateurs récepteurs et les communautés dont ils font partie. Dans les articles suivants, des poissons représentent soit des consommateurs récepteurs ou des apports, sous forme de carcasses d'espèces anadromes. Le développe-ment de modèles prédictifs généraux permettra d'évaluer quels autres facteurs pourraient être colimitants (p. ex. nutriments, autres interactions de populations, habitat physique) et de mieux intégrer les apports de ressources aux modèles biophysiques de la dynamique consommateurs-ressources. [Traduit par la Rédaction]

Coastal marine ecosystem connectivity: pelagic ocean to kelp forest subsidies

“…Today we see calls to advance our quantitative understanding of the effects of cross-ecosystem subsidies (Richardson and Wipfli 2016). There is wide recognition that subsidies result in ecological consequences at varying levels of organization, and in general, observational and experimental approaches have shown positive consumer responses to trophic subsidies (Polis et al 1997, Marczak et al 2007).…”

“…In situ energy production relative to energy delivered with the subsidy Anderson and Polis (1998) Richardson and Wipfli (2016) the particular life history of that consumer. Longlived predators such as kelp forest rockfishes (genus: Sebastes) will be less likely to respond to a pulsed subsidy with short-term increases in abundance, but may exhibit increases in growth or reproduction, depending on the timing of subsidy availability.…”

Chlorpyrifos interacts with other agricultural stressors to alter stream communities in laboratory microcosms

“…, Rosemond et al. , Richardson and Wipfli ). However, agricultural stressors rarely operate in isolation, and their cumulative effects are less well understood.…”

“…For example, it is well established that many agricultural practices increase inputs of fine sediment into water bodies, generally causing negative effects on invertebrate communities and ecological processes (Wood and Armitage 1997, Allan 2004, Benoy et al 2012, Burdon et al 2013. It is also widely acknowledged that the application of fertilizers increases the input of nutrients into freshwater food webs, causing subsidy-stress responses in biological communities and ecological function (Woodward et al 2012, Rosemond et al 2015, Richardson and Wipfli 2016. However, agricultural stressors rarely operate in isolation, and their cumulative effects are less well understood.…”

Investigating Sub-tropical Community Resistance and Resilience to Climate Disturbance

“…Over the past two decades, research has established the importance of crossecosystem resource subsidies to recipient populations, communities, and ecological processes (Polis et al 1997;Sato 2015: Richardson andWipfli 2016).…”