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How hydroperiod and species richness affect the balance of resource flows across aquatic-terrestrial habitats

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Abstract

Ecosystem functioning is influenced by the flow of nutrients, detritus, and organisms. Variation in these flows, like that found in temporary ecosystems, affects temporal and spatial patterns of community diversity and secondary production. We evaluated the influence of hydroperiod and ecosystem size on the bi-directional flow of subsidies from intermittent ponds and surrounding forests by quantifying litter deposition and the abundance and biomass of emerging insects and amphibians. In addition, we assessed whether amphibian and insect diversity influenced the magnitude of cross-habitat resource flux. We found substantial spatial and temporal variation in the magnitude, composition, and timing of cross-habitat resource subsidies. Overall, deposition into ponds far exceeded biomass exported via insect and amphibian emergence. We found a negative association between resource flux and the diversity of amphibians and insects. Different species groups contributed to flux patterns unequally, with insects having higher diversity but lower flux compared to amphibians. Organismal flux varied among ponds with amphibians having the highest flux in the shortest hydroperiod pond and insect flux was highest from an intermediate hydroperiod pond. This work reveals how variation in pond size and permanence affects species diversity and ecosystem flows. Species composition played a major role in flux differences across ponds. Further, given the general lack of research and conservation prioritization of temporary ponds, uncovering how these ponds contribute to cross-habitat linkages is necessary to develop fully integrated management strategies.

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Acknowledgments

Construction of the drift fences and setting pitfall buckets could not have been completed without the help of: Katherine Bannar-Martin, Devin Bloom, Kristen Brochu, Kirsten Comberford, Maria Modanu, Stephen Pynn, David Stitt, and Caroline Tucker. We also thank Mark Conboy, Klara Jaspers-Fayer, Tristan Willis and Monica Candelaria for helping with field work. The tremendous dedication of Siao Ryan Yang and Ruby Sambi in processing samples is greatly appreciated. We thank Karen Pope for generously donating the emergence traps and Nathan Lovejoy for microscope and laboratory use. This research was supported by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grant awarded to DDW.

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  1. Tiffany A. Schriever

    Present address: Department of Zoology, Cordley Hall 3029, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331-2914, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Room 3055, Toronto, M5S 3B2, Canada

    Tiffany A. Schriever, M. W. Cadotte & D. Dudley Williams

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON, M1C1A4, Canada

    Tiffany A. Schriever, M. W. Cadotte & D. Dudley Williams

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  1. Tiffany A. Schriever
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Correspondence to Tiffany A. Schriever.

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Schriever, T.A., Cadotte, M.W. & Williams, D.D. How hydroperiod and species richness affect the balance of resource flows across aquatic-terrestrial habitats. Aquat Sci 76, 131–143 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-013-0320-9

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