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How do grazers affect periphyton heterogeneity in streams?

Maruxa Alvarez1, Barbara L Peckarsky

  • 1Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, 529, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA.

Oecologia
|February 3, 2005
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Stream invertebrate grazing impacts algal biomass and spatial distribution. Mobile grazers like Baetis bicaudatus increase algal heterogeneity, while predator cues reduce their foraging, affecting periphyton.

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Aquatic Ecology
  • Stream Ecology

Background:

  • Stream invertebrates significantly influence periphyton communities.
  • Grazer behavior, including foraging activity and mobility, can alter algal biomass and spatial distribution.
  • Predator cues can modify invertebrate grazing behavior, impacting ecosystem processes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To experimentally investigate the effects of grazing by stream invertebrates on algal biomass and spatial heterogeneity.
  • To determine how grazer mobility and predator presence influence periphyton dynamics.
  • To explore the mechanisms by which grazers like Baetis bicaudatus affect algal resources under different conditions.

Main Methods:

  • Used flow-through microcosms with natural substrates (rocks) to simulate stream conditions.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Conducted experiments with fixed densities of three grazer species (caddisfly, Epeorus, Baetis) and manipulated predator cues.
  • Employed a three-factorial design to test effects of resource distribution, grazer density, and predator odor on algal resources.

    • Main Results:

    • Grazing reduced mean algal biomass (chlorophyll a) but did not differ among grazer types.
    • Algal heterogeneity increased with grazer mobility, with the most mobile grazer (Baetis without fish cues) showing the highest heterogeneity.
    • Baetis exhibited resource tracking, selecting high-food rocks when resources were heterogeneously distributed, maintaining initial resource heterogeneity.

    Conclusions:

    • Mobile stream grazers can significantly alter algal spatial heterogeneity.
    • Grazer foraging behavior, influenced by predator cues, plays a crucial role in structuring periphyton communities.
    • Mobile grazers like Baetis bicaudatus have the potential to maintain observed periphyton distributions in natural streams.