Food web structure of a subtropical headwater stream
Resource
Marine and Freshwater Research 58 (7): 596-607
Journal
Marine and Freshwater Research
Pages
596
Date Issued
2007
Date
2007
Author(s)
Huang, I-Yu
Lin, Yao-Sung
Chen, Chang-Po
Hsieh, Hwey-Lian
Abstract
The food web structure of a headwater stream (Hapen Creek) in subtropical northern Taiwan, which is subject to regular typhoon disturbances, was characterised using stable isotope techniques. δ13C and δ15N signatures were used to examine (i) the relative contributions of allochthonous versus. autochthonous sources to the web, and (ii) the trophic organisation of the community including the predominant feeding guilds and the most prevalent feeding mode. This study presents food web attributes for one of the very few food webs studied to date in a subtropical region. Consumers utilised allochthonous and autochthonous carbon sources differently depending on their trophic positions. The majority of consumers exploited more autochthonous carbon sources. Consumers at higher trophic positions in the food web had more direct and greater association with benthic algae. Higher-order consumers also consumed allochthonous carbon in an indirect manner by assimilating lower-order insects. The results reveal the importance of invertebrate consumer snails and aquatic insects in the transfer of organic matter. Omnivores predominated in the food web; this may reflect an opportunistic foraging strategy that enables them to adapt to hydrological disturbances and a fluctuating food supply. © CSIRO 2007.
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