Stable Isotopes Reveal Complex Changes in Trophic Relationships Following Nutrient Addition in a Coastal Marine Ecosystem |
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| Authors: | Anna R Armitage James W Fourqurean |
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| Institution: | (1) Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, 5007 Avenue U, Galveston, TX 77551, USA;(2) Department of Biological Sciences and Southeast Environmental Research Center, Marine Science Program, Florida International University, North Miami, FL 33181, USA |
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| Abstract: | Complex links between the top-down and bottom-up forces that structure communities can be disrupted by anthropogenic alterations
of natural habitats. We used relative abundance and stable isotopes to examine changes in epifaunal food webs in seagrass
(Thalassia testudinum) beds following 6 months of experimental nutrient addition at two sites in Florida Bay (USA) with different ambient fertility.
At a eutrophic site, nutrient addition did not strongly affect food web structure, but at a nutrient-poor site, enrichment
increased the abundances of crustacean epiphyte grazers, and the diets of these grazers became more varied. Benthic grazers
did not change in abundance but shifted their diet away from green macroalgae + associated epiphytes and towards an opportunistic
seagrass (Halodule wrightii) that occurred only in nutrient addition treatments. Benthic predators did not change in abundance, but their diets were
more varied in enriched plots. Food chain length was short and unaffected by site or nutrient treatment, but increased food
web complexity in enriched plots was suggested by increasingly mixed diets. Strong bottom-up modifications of food web structure
in the nutrient-limited site and the limited top-down influences of grazers on seagrass epiphyte biomass suggest that, in
this system, the bottom-up role of nutrient enrichment can have substantial impacts on community structure, trophic relationships,
and, ultimately, the productivity values of the ecosystem. |
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