2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference

March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH

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5/24/2021 | 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM | CONSEQUENCES OF SPECIES RANGE SHIFTS ON DETRITUS PROCESSING: A TEST WITH CADDISFLIES IN ALPINE PONDS | Virtual Platform

CONSEQUENCES OF SPECIES RANGE SHIFTS ON DETRITUS PROCESSING: A TEST WITH CADDISFLIES IN ALPINE PONDS

Shifts in species distributions poleward in latitude and upslope in elevation are among the most commonly reported ecological responses to climate change, yet few studies have explored the impacts of these shifts on ecosystem function. We investigated the ecosystem-level impacts of observed elevational range shifts in a guild of detritivorous caddisflies (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae) in alpine ponds in the Colorado Rockies. We manipulated caddisfly assemblages in microcosms, mesocosms, and cages within ponds to reflect changes in species relative abundance as high elevation resident taxa are replaced by range-expanding taxa from lower elevations. These experimental species replacements altered ecosystem processes linked to detritus decomposition including rates of detritus breakdown and fine particle production. Moreover, these changes in process rates were consistent across experimental units differing in spatial scale and ecological context. These results suggest that species range shifts can alter detritus dynamics, which could have broader ramifications for aquatic food webs and the provision of ecosystem services.

Climate change
Decomposition
Detritivore

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Presenters/Authors

Hamish Greig (), University of Maine, hamish.greig@maine.edu;