2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH
5/26/2021 | 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM | FRESHWATER MUSSELS: AN INTEGRAL LINK BETWEEN BROWN AND GREEN FOOD WEBS | Virtual Platform
FRESHWATER MUSSELS: AN INTEGRAL LINK BETWEEN BROWN AND GREEN FOOD WEBS
Freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae) dominate benthic biomass in some aquatic systems, creating biogeochemical hotspots that control ecosystem structure and function through direct and indirect pathways. Mussel nutrient excretion can stimulate benthic primary production and alter algal species composition (i.e. ‘green food webs’ based on primary producers). In addition, excretion enhances respiration and decomposition rates (i.e. ‘brown food webs’ based on decomposers). Bioturbation by animals also alters nutrient dynamics by indirectly stimulating denitrification and microbial growth. Here, we used mesocosms to evaluate how monoculture and polyculture treatments of three phylogenetically distinct species of freshwater mussels influence nutrient dynamics of green and brown food webs. Our findings indicate that compared to controls without mussels, mussel treatments had increased levels of microbial activity on leaf litter, greater fungal biomass production, increased benthic chlorophyll concentrations, as well as greater sediment nitrogen removal potentials. Our results suggest that freshwater mussels have bottom-up effects on both brown and green food webs via microbial priming and nutrient regeneration. This study highlights how consumers impact ecosystem functions such as nutrient cycling, primary production, and decomposition through altering nutrient availability for both autotrophic and heterotrophic microbes.
- Nutrient cycling
- Microbial ecology
- Biodiversity
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Presenters/Authors
Megan Kubala
(), The University of Alabama, medavis16@crimson.ua.edu;
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Garrett Hopper
(), Kansas State University, ghopper@ksu.edu;
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Irene Sanchez Gonzalez
(), Arkansas State University, irene1sanchez@gmail.com;
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Carla Atkinson
(), The University of Alabama, carla.l.atkinson@ua.edu;
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