How body size mediates the role of animals in nutrient cycling in aquatic ecosystems

Hall, Robert O.; Koch, Benjamin J.; Marshall, Michael C.; Taylor, Barrie F.; Tronstad, Lusha M.

doi:10.1017/cbo9780511611223.016

Cited by 72 publications

(103 citation statements)

References 79 publications

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“…Size structure may have important implications for excretion rates, nutrient dynamics and primary production. For a given biomass of fishes, an assemblage of smaller individuals is expected to produce higher excretion-driven nutrient fluxes than an assemblage of larger individuals, which can serve to stimulate primary production (Vanni & Layne 1997;Vanni 2002;Hall et al 2007). Surveys of HP, LP and RO sites across four Northern Range drainages (Arima, Aripo, Guanapo and Marianne) indicate that the average size of an adult guppy is approximately onefifth the average size of an individual Rivulus (0.15 g versus 0.75 g; E. P. Palkovacs 2008, unpublished data).…”

Section: Study Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental evaluation of evolution and coevolution as agents of ecosystem change in Trinidadian streams

Palkovacs

Marshall

Lamphere

et al. 2009

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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151

179

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Evolution has been shown to be a critical determinant of ecological processes in some systems, but its importance relative to traditional ecological effects is not well known. In addition, almost nothing is known about the role of coevolution in shaping ecosystem function. Here, we experimentally evaluated the relative effects of species invasion (a traditional ecological effect), evolution and coevolution on ecosystem processes in Trinidadian streams. We manipulated the presence and population-of-origin of two common fish species, the guppy (Poecilia reticulata) and the killifish (Rivulus hartii ). We measured epilithic algal biomass and accrual, aquatic invertebrate biomass, and detrital decomposition. Our results show that, for some ecosystem responses, the effects of evolution and coevolution were larger than the effects of species invasion. Guppy evolution in response to alternative predation regimes significantly influenced algal biomass and accrual rates. Guppies from a high-predation site caused an increase in algae relative to guppies from a low-predation site; algae effects were probably shaped by observed divergence in rates of nutrient excretion and algae consumption. Rivulus-guppy coevolution significantly influenced the biomass of aquatic invertebrates. Locally coevolved populations reduced invertebrate biomass relative to non-coevolved populations. These results challenge the general assumption that intraspecific diversity is a less critical determinant of ecosystem function than is interspecific diversity. Given existing evidence for contemporary evolution in these fish species, our findings suggest considerable potential for ecoevolutionary feedbacks to operate as populations adapt to natural or anthropogenic perturbations.

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Section: Study Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental evaluation of evolution and coevolution as agents of ecosystem change in Trinidadian streams

Palkovacs

Marshall

Lamphere

et al. 2009

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

Self Cite

151

179

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“…Sexual size dimorphism has the potential to influence resource use because prey capture is size-dependent [10] and body size influences overall feeding rates [11]. Body size and physiology also influence rates of nutrient excretion [12], which have important effects for ecosystem processes [13]. Males and females can also be dimorphic in behavioural or morphological traits, affecting resource use [14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex ratio variation shapes the ecological effects of a globally introduced freshwater fish

et al. 2015

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Sex ratio and sexual dimorphism have long been of interest in population and evolutionary ecology, but consequences for communities and ecosystems remain untested. Sex ratio could influence ecological conditions whenever sexual dimorphism is associated with ecological dimorphism in species with strong ecological interactions. We tested for ecological implications of sex ratio variation in the sexually dimorphic western mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis. This species causes strong pelagic trophic cascades and exhibits substantial variation in adult sex ratios. We found that female-biased populations induced stronger pelagic trophic cascades compared with male-biased populations, causing larger changes to key community and ecosystem responses, including zooplankton abundance, phytoplankton abundance, productivity, pH and temperature. The magnitude of such effects indicates that sex ratio is important for mediating the ecological role of mosquitofish. Because both sex ratio variation and sexual dimorphism are common features of natural populations, our findings should encourage broader consideration of the ecological significance of sex ratio variation in nature, including the relative contributions of various sexually dimorphic traits to these effects.

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“…Both of these factors are strongly affected by mesh size. The potential effects on lake nutrient cycles also can be influenced by many other factors, including temperature, the unharvested size-distribution (Schmidt-Nielsen, 1975;Hall et al, 2007), diet (Vanni, 2002;Higgins et al, 2006;Pilati and Vanni, 2007), growth rate and fecundity (Kim and Devries, 2000;Schaus et al, 2002). Predictions of the potential benefits of fish harvest to the nutrient dynamics in a particular lake will depend on an understanding of these factors and how they may interact to impact the population over the short term and in the long term.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Reductions of fish stocks can be conducted with non size-selective means, such as pond draining or rotenone, or by size-selective means, such as piscivore additions, trawls or gill nets (Drenner and Hambright, 1999). Many types of commercial fishing gear are highly selective for larger size classes, shifting the population toward one dominated by smaller fish (Hall et al, 2007;Catalano and Allen, 2011b). Utilizing commercial fisheries for biomanipulation favors the rapid removal of a large biomass in a cost-effective manner, regardless of any effects on size structure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is often desirable, as biomanipulation more frequently improves water quality in cases with extensive fish removals, especially where 80% of the fish biomass or >200 kg·ha −1 can be removed within a three year period (Hansson et al, 1998;Meijer et al, 1999;Søndergaard et al, 2008). Despite the strong size-selective nature of many biomanipulation efforts relying on commercial fishing, little is understood about the impact that this shift may have on nutrient cycling (Hall et al, 2007). Smaller fish typically have higher mass-specific nutrient excretion rates (Lamarra, 1975;Brabrand et al, 1990;Gido, 2002), so size-selective harvest at similar biomass levels could have important consequences for nutrient cycles.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effect of a size-selective biomanipulation on nutrient release by gizzard shad in Florida (USA) lakes

Schaus

Godwin

Battoe

et al. 2013

Knowl. Managt. Aquatic Ecosyst.

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Key-words: Dorosoma cepedianum, biomanipulation, size-structure, nutrient excretionAlthough fish removal for biomanipulation is often highly size-selective, our understanding of the nutrient cycling effects of this size-selection is poor. To better understand these effects, we measured nutrient excretion by gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) of differing sizes from four central Florida (USA) lakes and combined these measures with gillnet biomass and size-structure data to compare lake-wide effects among lakes and years. Direct removal of P in fish tissue ranged from 0.16−1.00 kg·P·ha −1 ·yr −1 . The estimated reduction in P excretion due to harvest ranged from 30.8−202.5 g·P·ha −1 ·month −1 , with effects strongly tied to the biomass and size structure harvested. The amount of P release prevented per kg of fish removed was lower in previously unharvested lakes, due to the initial removal of larger fish with lower mass-specific excretion rates. Gill net mesh size impacted the size distribution of harvested fish, with smaller fish that excrete more P per gram being more vulnerable to smaller mesh sizes. In Lake Apopka, decreasing the mesh size by 1.3 cm yielded P excretion reductions that were 10.7−15.1% larger. Fish harvesting to reduce internal nutrient cycling can be most effective by increasing total harvest and by harvesting smaller size classes over multiple years. RÉSUMÉEffet d'une biomanipulation sélective en taille sur la libération des éléments nutritifs par l'alose noyer dans des lacs de Floride (États-Unis) Mots-clés : éléments nutritifsBien que l'enlèvement des poissons pour biomanipulation soit souvent très calibré, notre compréhension des effets sur le cycle des éléments nutritifs de cette sélection en taille est peu documentée. Pour mieux comprendre ces effets, nous avons mesuré l'excrétion des nutriments par l'alose noyer (Dorosoma cepedianum) de différentes tailles à partir de quatre lacs de Floride centrale (États-Unis) et combiné ces mesures avec la biomasse estimée aux filets maillants et les données de structure en taille pour comparer les effets à l'échelle du lac suivant les lacs et les années. Le retrait direct de P dans les tissus des poissons variait de 0,16 à 1,00 kg·P·ha −1 ·année −1 . La réduction de P estimée par excrétion due à la récolte variait de 30,8 à 202,5 g·P·ha −1 ·mois −1 , avec des effets fortement liés à la biomasse et la structure en taille du retrait. La quantité de P libérée évitée par kg de poisson prélevé était plus faible dans les lacs précédemment non pêchés, en raison de la suppression initiale de gros poissons avec des taux d'excrétion de masse volumique inférieure. Le maillage des filets a impacté la distribution en taille des poissons pêchés, les petits poissons qui excrètent plus de P par gramme étant plus vulnérables à des petits maillages. Dans le lac Apopka, la diminution de la taille des mailles de 1,3 cm a permis de réduire l'excrétion de P de 10,7 à 15,1 % en plus. Le retrait de poissons afin de réduire le cycle nutritif interne peut être plus e...

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How body size mediates the role of animals in nutrient cycling in aquatic ecosystems

Cited by 72 publications

References 79 publications

Experimental evaluation of evolution and coevolution as agents of ecosystem change in Trinidadian streams

Experimental evaluation of evolution and coevolution as agents of ecosystem change in Trinidadian streams

Sex ratio variation shapes the ecological effects of a globally introduced freshwater fish

Effect of a size-selective biomanipulation on nutrient release by gizzard shad in Florida (USA) lakes

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