scholarly journals Fish-mediated nutrient recycling and the trophic cascade in lakes

2001 ◽  
Vol 58 (10) ◽  
pp. 1924-1931 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Luiz Attayde ◽  
Lars-Anders Hansson

The effects of planktivorous fish on phytoplankton through nutrient recycling and zooplankton herbivory were experimentally separated and their relative importance quantified in a eutrophic humic lake. Natural phytoplankton assemblages were incubated in nutrient-permeable chambers placed inside enclosures with or without fish. Outside these chambers, phytoplankton were exposed to zooplankton herbivory and to nutrient recycling by fish and zooplankton, whereas inside the chambers, phytoplankton were exposed only to nutrient recycling by these consumers. Our results show that fish had significant positive effects on cyanobacteria, cryptomonads, and chlorophytes inside the chambers, indicating that fish-mediated nutrient recycling had significant effects on these phytoplankton groups. However, our results also indicate that changes in zooplankton grazing induced by fish were an important mechanism by which fish affected all phytoplankton groups except cyanobacteria. Comparison of effect sizes revealed that the effects on cyanobacteria and chlorophytes through nutrient recycling were stronger than those through zooplankton grazing. Moreover, most of the fish-mediated nutrient recycling effects were due to increased nutrient recycling by zooplankton rather than direct nutrient excretion by fish. In conclusion, we provide experimental evidence supporting the hypothesis that fish-mediated nutrient recycling is an important mechanism affecting phytoplankton community structure and favoring cyanobacteria dominance in lakes.

Diversity ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 88
Author(s):  
Eric K. Moody ◽  
Fernando Alda ◽  
Krista A. Capps ◽  
Oscar Puebla ◽  
Benjamin L. Turner

Variation in nutrient excretion rates and stoichiometric ratios (e.g., nitrogen to phosphorus) by consumers can have substantial effects on aquatic ecosystem function. While phylogenetic signals within an assemblage often explain variation in nutrient recycling rates and stoichiometry, the phylogenetically conserved traits that underlie this phenomenon remain unclear. In particular, variation in nutrient excretion stoichiometry across a phylogeny might be driven by phylogenetic patterns in either diet or body stoichiometry. We examined the relative importance of these traits in explaining variation in nutrient recycling rates and stoichiometry in a diverse family of Neotropical-armored catfishes, Loricariidae, in Panamanian streams. We found significant variation in nutrient mineralization traits among species and subfamilies, but variation in nutrient excretion stoichiometry among species was best explained by trophic position rather than body stoichiometry. The variation in trophic position among Panamanian species was consistent with variation in the trophic niche of their genera across South America, suggesting that phylogenetic patterns underpin the evolution of trophic and nutrient excretion traits among these species. Such geographical variation in nutrient mineralization patterns among closely related species may be common, given that trophic variation in fish lineages occurs widely. These results suggest that information on trophic trait evolution within lineages will advance our understanding of the functional contribution of animals to biogeochemical cycling.


2015 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 239-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katia Regina Vieira de Rezende ◽  
Melissa Medeiros Ferreira Hatherly ◽  
Cristiane Marques Monteiro Pimenta ◽  
Janaina Eduardo ◽  
Simone de Castro Vianna ◽  
...  

AbstractThis study analyzed the temporal variability of phytoplankton assemblages in the surface waters of Guanabara Bay (RJ, Brazil), at six stations in front of Icaraí Inlet from April/2011 to April/2012. Our results highlight the great contribution of diatoms, dinoflagellates and cyanobacteria, represented by 111 taxa typical of estuarine and coastal areas. The coexistence of benthic and planktonic species suggests considerable hydrodinamism in these waters. All variables were homogeneous (p > 0.05) between the stations, but differed between sampling periods. On average, phytoplankton abundance (107 cells.L-1) was higher than that of other estuaries and its temporal behavior was closely correlated (p < 0.01) with diatoms and cyanobacteria. The richness distribution pattern (7 to 27 taxa) was closely correlated (p < 0.01) with dinoflagellates and diatoms. Ninety per cent of all samples presented a low diversity index (< 2.0 bits.cell-1), which indicated the unstable balance of the system, typical of environments subjected to eutrophication. The population structure analysis revealed that 10% of all taxa were resident, 12% visitors and 78% accidental, suggesting the influence of continental and oceanic water influxes. Between the "typical" taxa, the most common were the cyanobacteria of the order Oscillatoriales, the diatoms Ceratoneis closterium (=Cylindrotheca closterium) and Leptocylindrus minimus and the dinoflagellate Prorocentrum triestinum.


1986 ◽  
Vol 43 (8) ◽  
pp. 1474-1481 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. A. Suttle ◽  
P. J. Harrison

We studied the effects of pulsed nutrient supplies on the physiology of natural phytoplankton assemblages. A natural phytoplankton community, from an oligotrophic lake, was grown at several dilution rates from 0.1 to 1.5∙d−1 in P-limited semicontinuous cultures. Particulate C:P and N:P ratios (by atoms) were approximately 300:1 and 50:1, respectively, at the lowest dilution rate and 40:1 and 7:1, respectively, at the highest dilution rate. This demonstrates that a range of P-limited conditions can be established using the semicontinuous culturing technique. The time-course of uptake, in response to a saturating addition of phosphate, revealed that there was a short lag before maximum rates of uptake were observed at all but the highest dilution rate, and that maximum uptake rates over the first 30 min of incubation were higher at intermediate dilution rates. Subsequent to the maximum uptake rate occurring, the relationship between uptake rate and time was species dependent. In Oscillatoria sp. dominated cultures the uptake rates declined with increasing cellular P, and the rates of these declines increased with dilution rate; in Synechococcus sp. dominated cultures the uptake rates remained constant and were independent of cellular P.


2018 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
JL Pinckney ◽  
C Tomas ◽  
DI Greenfield ◽  
K Reale-Munroe ◽  
B Castillo ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
pp. 016264342198997
Author(s):  
Sojung Jung ◽  
Ciara Ousley ◽  
David McNaughton ◽  
Pamela Wolfe

In this meta-analytic review, we investigated the effects of technology supports on the acquisition of shopping skills for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) between the ages of 5 and 24. Nineteen single-case experimental research studies, presented in 15 research articles, met the current study’s inclusion criteria and the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) standards. An analysis of potential moderators was conducted, and we calculated effect sizes using Tau-U to examine the impact of age, diagnosis, and type of technology on the reported outcomes for the 56 participants. The results from the included studies provide evidence that a wide range of technology interventions had a positive impact on shopping performance. These positive effects were seen for individuals across a wide range of ages and disability types, and for a wide variety of shopping skills. The strongest effect sizes were observed for technologies that provided visual supports rather than just auditory support. We provide an interpretation of the findings, implications of the results, and recommended areas for future research.


Author(s):  
Jeanne Gubbels ◽  
Claudia E. van der Put ◽  
Geert-Jan J. M. Stams ◽  
Mark Assink

AbstractSchool-based programs seem promising for child abuse prevention. However, research mainly focused on sexual child abuse and knowledge is lacking on how individual program components contribute to the effectiveness of school-based prevention programs for any form of child abuse. This study aimed to examine the overall effect of these school-based programs on (a) children’s child abuse-related knowledge and (b) self-protection skills by conducting two three-level meta-analyses. Furthermore, moderator analyses were performed to identify how program components and delivery techniques were associated with effectiveness. A literature search yielded 34 studies (158 effect sizes; N = 11,798) examining knowledge of child abuse and 22 studies (99 effect sizes; N = 7804) examining self-protection skills. A significant overall effect was found of school-based programs on both knowledge (d = 0.572, 95% CI [0.408, 0.737], p < 0.001) and self-protection skills (d = 0.528, 95% CI [0.262, 0.794], p < 0.001). The results of the first meta-analysis on children’s child abuse knowledge suggest that program effects were larger in programs addressing social–emotional skills of children (d = 0.909 for programs with this component versus d = 0.489 for programs without this component) and self-blame (d = 0.776 versus d = 0.412), and when puppets (d = 1.096 versus d = 0.500) and games or quizzes (d = 0.966 versus d = 0.494) were used. The second meta-analysis on children’s self-protections skills revealed that no individual components or techniques were associated with increased effectiveness. Several other study and program characteristics did moderate the overall effects and are discussed. In general, school-based prevention programs show positive effects on both knowledge and self-protection skills, and the results imply that program effectiveness can be improved by implementing specific components and techniques.


2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 3941-3959 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Marinov ◽  
S. C. Doney ◽  
I. D. Lima

Abstract. The response of ocean phytoplankton community structure to climate change depends, among other factors, upon species competition for nutrients and light, as well as the increase in surface ocean temperature. We propose an analytical framework linking changes in nutrients, temperature and light with changes in phytoplankton growth rates, and we assess our theoretical considerations against model projections (1980–2100) from a global Earth System model. Our proposed "critical nutrient hypothesis" stipulates the existence of a critical nutrient threshold below (above) which a nutrient change will affect small phytoplankton biomass more (less) than diatom biomass, i.e. the phytoplankton with lower half-saturation coefficient K are influenced more strongly in low nutrient environments. This nutrient threshold broadly corresponds to 45° S and 45° N, poleward of which high vertical mixing and inefficient biology maintain higher surface nutrient concentrations and equatorward of which reduced vertical mixing and more efficient biology maintain lower surface nutrients. In the 45° S–45° N low nutrient region, decreases in limiting nutrients – associated with increased stratification under climate change – are predicted analytically to decrease more strongly the specific growth of small phytoplankton than the growth of diatoms. In high latitudes, the impact of nutrient decrease on phytoplankton biomass is more significant for diatoms than small phytoplankton, and contributes to diatom declines in the northern marginal sea ice and subpolar biomes. In the context of our model, climate driven increases in surface temperature and changes in light are predicted to have a stronger impact on small phytoplankton than on diatom biomass in all ocean domains. Our analytical predictions explain reasonably well the shifts in community structure under a modeled climate-warming scenario. Climate driven changes in nutrients, temperature and light have regionally varying and sometimes counterbalancing impacts on phytoplankton biomass and structure, with nutrients and temperature dominant in the 45° S–45° N band and light-temperature effects dominant in the marginal sea-ice and subpolar regions. As predicted, decreases in nutrients inside the 45° S–45° N "critical nutrient" band result in diatom biomass decreasing more than small phytoplankton biomass. Further stratification from global warming could result in geographical shifts in the "critical nutrient" threshold and additional changes in ecology.


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