Seasonal variation in the trophic structure of a spatial prey subsidy linking aquatic and terrestrial food webs: adult aquatic insects

Abstract

Research over the past decade has established spatial resource subsidies as important determinants of food web dynamics. However, most empirical studies have considered the role of subsidies only in terms of magnitude, ignoring an important property of subsidies that may affect their impact in recipient food webs: the trophic structure of the subsidy relative to in situ resources. This may be especially important when subsidies are composed of organisms, as opposed to nutrient subsidies, because the trophic position of subsidy organisms may differ from in situ prey. I explored the relative magnitude and trophic structure of a cross-habitat prey subsidy, adult aquatic insects, in terrestrial habitats along three streams in the south–central United States. Overall, adult aquatic insects contributed more than one-third of potential insect prey abundance and biomass to the terrestrial habitat. This contribution peaked along a permanent spring stream, reaching as high as 94% of abundance and 86% of biomass in winter. Trophic structure of adult aquatic and terrestrial insects differed. Nearly all adult aquatic insects were non-consumers as adults, whereas all but one taxon of terrestrial insects were consumers. Such a difference created a strong relationship between the relative contribution of the prey subsidy and the trophic structure of the prey assemblage: as the proportion of adult aquatic insects increased, the proportion of consumers in the prey assemblage declined. Specific effects varied seasonally and with distance from the stream as the taxonomic composition of the subsidy changed, but general patterns were consistent. These findings show that adult aquatic insect subsidies to riparian food webs not only elevate prey availability, but also alter the trophic structure of the entire winged insect prey assemblage.