Elizabeth N. Gallagher, María J. González, Alexis D. Perminter, Michael J. Vanni
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Many ecosystems receive resource subsidies that affect productivity and food webs. Ecosystem subsidies vary in quantity, quality, and timing, and effects are often mediated by environmental factors, including temperature. Deposition of periodical cicada carcasses into ponds represents a large, high‐quality, infrequent subsidy. Cicadas emerge in massive numbers every 17 yr, and many individuals die and fall into aquatic ecosystems. As climate warms, future cicada subsidies may enter warmer ponds. We conducted a mesocosm experiment with a factorial design to examine the effects of cicada carcasses and elevated (~ 2.6°C) temperature on the growth and development of tadpoles of a common frog, Hyla chrysoscelis. Carcasses and warming each increased frog size at metamorphosis and shortened the time to metamorphosis, and the effects of cicadas and warming were additive for both traits. Mass at metamorphosis was largest and time to metamorphosis shortest with carcass addition and warmed temperature, whereas mass at metamorphosis was smallest and time to metamorphosis longest under ambient temperature without carcasses. Carcasses greatly increased algae biomass (periphyton and phytoplankton), possibly accounting for faster development and larger size of frogs. Warming did not increase standing algal biomass, but increased primary production, possibly increasing food supply for, and growth rates of, tadpoles. Our results show that a large, high‐quality, infrequent subsidy strongly affects pond amphibians, and effects are additively enhanced by warming. Because adult frogs migrate to land, live for several years, and return to their natal pond to breed, a cicada carcass subsidy may mediate reciprocal resource fluxes between land and ponds for several years.
期刊介绍:
Limnology and Oceanography (L&O; print ISSN 0024-3590, online ISSN 1939-5590) publishes original articles, including scholarly reviews, about all aspects of limnology and oceanography. The journal''s unifying theme is the understanding of aquatic systems. Submissions are judged on the originality of their data, interpretations, and ideas, and on the degree to which they can be generalized beyond the particular aquatic system examined. Laboratory and modeling studies must demonstrate relevance to field environments; typically this means that they are bolstered by substantial "real-world" data. Few purely theoretical or purely empirical papers are accepted for review.