Laboratório de Interações Multitróficas e Biodiversidade, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), CP 6109, Campinas, São Paulo, 13083-862, Brazil.
Biology Department and Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Camden, NJ, USA.
Sci Rep. 2024 May 15;14(1):11137. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-61624-z.
Aquatic detritivores are highly sensitive to changes in temperature and leaf litter quality caused by increases in atmospheric CO. While impacts on detritivores are evident at the organismal and population level, the mechanisms shaping ecological communities remain unclear. Here, we conducted field and laboratory experiments to examine the interactive effects of changes in leaf litter quality, due to increasing atmospheric CO, and warming, on detritivore survival (at both organismal and community levels) and detritus consumption rates. Detritivore community consisted of the collector-gathering Polypedilum (Chironomidae), the scraper and facultative filtering-collector Atalophlebiinae (Leptophlebiidae), and Calamoceratidae (Trichoptera), a typical shredder. Our findings reveal intricate responses across taxonomic levels. At the organismal level, poor-quality leaf litter decreased survivorship of Polypedilum and Atalophlebiinae. We observed taxon-specific responses to warming, with varying effects on growth and consumption rates. Notably, species interactions (competition, facilitation) might have mediated detritivore responses to climate stressors, influencing community dynamics. While poor-quality leaf litter and warming independently affected detritivore larvae abundance of Atalophebiinae and Calamoceratidae, their combined effects altered detritus consumption and emergence of adults of Atalophlebiinae. Furthermore, warming influenced species abundances differently, likely exacerbating intraspecific competition in some taxa while accelerating development in others. Our study underscores the importance of considering complex ecological interactions in predicting the impact of climate change on freshwater ecosystem functioning. Understanding these emergent properties contributes to a better understanding of how detritivore communities may respond to future environmental conditions, providing valuable insights for ecosystem management and conservation efforts.
水生碎屑分解者对大气 CO 增加引起的温度变化和落叶质量变化非常敏感。虽然碎屑分解者在个体和种群水平上的影响是明显的，但塑造生态群落的机制尚不清楚。在这里，我们进行了野外和实验室实验，以研究由于大气 CO 增加导致的落叶质量变化以及变暖对碎屑分解者生存（在个体和群落水平上）和碎屑消耗率的交互影响。碎屑分解者群落由收集器收集的蜉蝣（毛翅目）、刮削器和兼性过滤收集器（Leptophlebiidae）和 Calamoceratidae（毛翅目）组成，这是一种典型的碎屑分解者。我们的研究结果揭示了在分类学水平上的复杂反应。在个体水平上，低质量的落叶降低了蜉蝣和 Atalophlebiinae 的存活率。我们观察到对变暖的分类特异性反应，对生长和消耗率有不同的影响。值得注意的是，物种相互作用（竞争、促进）可能介导了碎屑分解者对气候胁迫的反应，影响了群落动态。虽然低质量的落叶和变暖独立地影响了 Atalophebiinae 和 Calamoceratidae 的碎屑分解者幼虫丰度，但它们的综合效应改变了碎屑的消耗和 Atalophlebiinae 成虫的出现。此外，变暖以不同的方式影响物种丰度，可能在某些类群中加剧了种内竞争，而在其他类群中加速了发育。我们的研究强调了在预测气候变化对淡水生态系统功能的影响时考虑复杂生态相互作用的重要性。了解这些新兴特性有助于更好地理解碎屑分解者群落可能如何应对未来的环境条件，为生态系统管理和保护工作提供有价值的见解。
