The role of trout in stream food webs: integrating evidence from field surveys and experiments

The Journal of Animal Ecology
Kristian Meissner, Timo Muotka

Abstract

1. We evaluated the effects of brown trout on boreal stream food webs using field surveys and enclosure/exclosure experiments. Experimental results were related to prey preference of uncaged trout in the same stream, as well as to a survey of macroinvertebrate densities in streams with vs. without trout. Finally, we assessed the generality of our findings by examining salmonid predation on three groups of macroinvertebrate prey (chironomid midges, epibenthic grazers, invertebrate predators) in a meta-analysis. 2. In a preliminary experiment, invertebrate predators showed a strong negative response to trout, whereas chironomids benefited from trout presence. In the main experiment, trout impact increased with prey size. Trout had the strongest effect on invertebrate predators and cased caddis larvae, whereas Baetis mayfly and chironomid larvae were unaffected. Trout impact on the largest prey seemed mainly consumptive, because prey emigration rates were low and independent of fish presence. Despite strong effects on macroinvertebrates, trout did not induce a trophic cascade on periphyton. Uncaged trout showed a strong preference for the largest prey items (predatory invertebrates and aerial prey), whereas Baetis mayflies and chi...Continue Reading

References

Feb 15, 1993·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·J T Wootton, M E Power
Jun 13, 2003·Oecologia·Per NyströmMichael J Winterbourn
Nov 9, 1990·Science·M E Power
Sep 1, 1994·Oecologia·David Wooster

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