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Using a Comparative Species Approach to Investigate the Neurobiology of Paternal Responses

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Published on: September 19, 2011

Species-specific differences determine responses to a resource pulse and predation.

Thomas E Miller¹, Maya L Buhler², Catalina Cuellar-Gempeler²

¹Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA. miller@bio.fsu.edu.

|April 4, 2019

Summary

Resource pulses significantly impact aquatic communities, but species responses vary. Predation affects larger bacterivores more, complicating simple size-based life history trade-offs and community dynamics.

Keywords:

Bottom-up Consumer effects Pitcher plants Protozoa Resource control Stability Thresholds Top-down

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Community Ecology
Aquatic Ecosystems

Background:

Resource pulses are known to affect natural communities, but the mechanisms driving species-specific responses to these pulses are less understood.
Hypotheses suggest species size influences competitive ability and predation tolerance, impacting community dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how species size influences responses to resource pulses and predation in aquatic communities.
To quantify the magnitude and timing of species' responses to resource pulses and predation.

Main Methods:

A factorial experiment was conducted in the aquatic microhabitats of the carnivorous pitcher plant, Sarracenia purpurea.
Prey was added to pitcher plant leaves to simulate a resource pulse, and the abundances of bacteria and bacterivores (protozoa, rotifers) were monitored.
The experiment included treatments with and without the predator Wyeomyia smithii larvae.

Main Results:

Resource pulses positively affected species abundances and diversity, but responses varied among bacterivore species and were not correlated with body size.
Larger bacterivores were significantly suppressed by predation, while smaller ones were not; predation also reduced overall bacterivore species diversity.
No interactions were observed between resource pulse effects and predation on protozoa abundances.

Conclusions:

Species-specific responses to resource pulses and predation are complex and not solely determined by body size.
Predation significantly alters community structure by differentially impacting species based on size.
Community states can persist long after a resource pulse due to varied species recovery rates.