Romero, Gustavo Q and Marino, Nicholas AC and MacDonald, A Andrew M and Céréghino, Régis and Trzcinski, M Kurtis and Mercado, Dimaris Acosta and Leroy, Céline and Corbara, Bruno and Farjalla, Vinicius F and Barberis, Ignacio M and Dézerald, Olivier and Hammill, Edd and Atwood, Trisha B and Piccoli, Gustavo CO and Bautista, Fabiola Ospina and Carrias, Jean-François and Leal, Juliana S and Montero, Guillermo and Antiqueira, Pablo AP and Freire, Rodrigo and Realpe, Emilio and Amundrud, Sarah L and de Omena, Paula M and Campos, Alice BA and Kratina, Pavel and O'Gorman, Eoin J and Srivastava, Diane S (2020) Extreme rainfall events alter the trophic structure in bromeliad tanks across the Neotropics. Nature Communications, 11 (1). 3215-. DOI https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17036-4
Romero, Gustavo Q and Marino, Nicholas AC and MacDonald, A Andrew M and Céréghino, Régis and Trzcinski, M Kurtis and Mercado, Dimaris Acosta and Leroy, Céline and Corbara, Bruno and Farjalla, Vinicius F and Barberis, Ignacio M and Dézerald, Olivier and Hammill, Edd and Atwood, Trisha B and Piccoli, Gustavo CO and Bautista, Fabiola Ospina and Carrias, Jean-François and Leal, Juliana S and Montero, Guillermo and Antiqueira, Pablo AP and Freire, Rodrigo and Realpe, Emilio and Amundrud, Sarah L and de Omena, Paula M and Campos, Alice BA and Kratina, Pavel and O'Gorman, Eoin J and Srivastava, Diane S (2020) Extreme rainfall events alter the trophic structure in bromeliad tanks across the Neotropics. Nature Communications, 11 (1). 3215-. DOI https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17036-4
Romero, Gustavo Q and Marino, Nicholas AC and MacDonald, A Andrew M and Céréghino, Régis and Trzcinski, M Kurtis and Mercado, Dimaris Acosta and Leroy, Céline and Corbara, Bruno and Farjalla, Vinicius F and Barberis, Ignacio M and Dézerald, Olivier and Hammill, Edd and Atwood, Trisha B and Piccoli, Gustavo CO and Bautista, Fabiola Ospina and Carrias, Jean-François and Leal, Juliana S and Montero, Guillermo and Antiqueira, Pablo AP and Freire, Rodrigo and Realpe, Emilio and Amundrud, Sarah L and de Omena, Paula M and Campos, Alice BA and Kratina, Pavel and O'Gorman, Eoin J and Srivastava, Diane S (2020) Extreme rainfall events alter the trophic structure in bromeliad tanks across the Neotropics. Nature Communications, 11 (1). 3215-. DOI https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17036-4
Abstract
Changes in global and regional precipitation regimes are among the most pervasive components of climate change. Intensification of rainfall cycles, ranging from frequent downpours to severe droughts, could cause widespread, but largely unknown, alterations to trophic structure and ecosystem function. We conducted multi-site coordinated experiments to show how variation in the quantity and evenness of rainfall modulates trophic structure in 210 natural freshwater microcosms (tank bromeliads) across Central and South America (18°N to 29°S). The biomass of smaller organisms (detritivores) was higher under more stable hydrological conditions. Conversely, the biomass of predators was highest when rainfall was uneven, resulting in top-heavy biomass pyramids. These results illustrate how extremes of precipitation, resulting in localized droughts or flooding, can erode the base of freshwater food webs, with negative implications for the stability of trophic dynamics.
Item Type: | Article |
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Uncontrolled Keywords: | Animals; Bromelia; Ecosystem; Biodiversity; Biomass; Food Chain; Fresh Water; South America; Droughts; Floods; Climate Change; Hydrology |
Divisions: | Faculty of Science and Health Faculty of Science and Health > Life Sciences, School of |
SWORD Depositor: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
Depositing User: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
Date Deposited: | 09 Sep 2020 07:36 |
Last Modified: | 07 Aug 2024 19:26 |
URI: | http://repository.essex.ac.uk/id/eprint/28088 |
Available files
Filename: s41467-020-17036-4.pdf
Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0