River Food Webs Research Articles

Predicting the sign of trophic effects: individual-based simulation versus loop analysis

Food web research needs to be predictive in order to support decisions system-based conservation. In order to increase predictability and applicability, complexity needs to be managed in such a way that we are able to provide simple and clear results. One question emerging frequently is whether certain perturbations (environmental effects or human impact) have positive or negative effects on natural ecosystems or their particular components. Yet, most of food web studies do not consider the sign of effects. Here, we study 6 versions of the Kelian River (Borneo) food web, representing six study sites along the river. For each network, we study the signs of the effects of a perturbed trophic group i on each other j groups. We compare the outcome of the relatively complicated dynamical simulation model and the relatively simple loop analysis model. We compare these results for the 6 sites and also the 14 trophic groups. Finally, we see if sign-agreement and sign-determinacy depend on certain structural features (node centrality, interaction strength). We found major differences between different modelling scenarios, with herbivore-detritivore fish behaving in the most consistent, while algae and particulate organic matter behaving in the least consistent way. We also found higher agreement between the signs of predictions for trophic groups at higher trophic levels in sites 1–3 and at lower trophic levels in site 4–6. This means that the behaviour of predators in the more natural sections of the river and that of producers at the more human-impacted sections are more consistently predicted. This suggests to be more careful with the less consistently predictable trophic groups in conservation management.

Seasonal hydrology influences energy channels in food webs of rivers in the lower Okavango Delta

Floodplain aquatic ecosystems experience temporal changes in basal production sources and inputs from allochthonous sources that influence energy flow. We analyzed stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) from 449 fish muscles representing 18 species to characterize energy pathways in two rivers of the lower Okavango Delta, Botswana. We sampled fish during wet and dry seasons and used mixing models to estimate proportions of major basal production sources assimilated by fishes. We estimated trophic position (TP) for each fish population and assessed the association between TP and the degree that fish biomass was supported by a single production source. During the wet season, fishes in the Boteti River assimilated material through food chains originating mainly from aquatic macrophytes. During the dry season, terrestrial C3 plants and terrestrial C4 grasses assumed greater importance. In the Boro River, terrestrial C3 plants were inferred to be an important production source supporting fishes during the wet season, with aquatic macrophytes becoming more important during the dry season. In both rivers and seasons, the degree of dependence on a single source was negatively related to TP, supporting the hypothesis that organisms positioned higher in the food web tend to be supported by multiple food chains and basal sources, whereas organisms lower in the food web may be supported by many or few food chains. We showed that consumers in river food webs shift foraging habits in response to seasonal patterns of connectivity and habitat availability, thus promoting long-term population and community stability.

Longitudinal variation in the nutritional quality of basal food sources and its effect on invertebrates and fish in subalpine rivers.

There is growing recognition of the importance of food quality over quantity for aquatic consumers. In streams and rivers, most previous studies considered this primarily in terms of the quality of terrestrial leaf litter and importance of microbial conditioning. However, many recent studies suggest that algae are a more nutritional food source for riverine consumers than leaf litter. To date, few studies have quantified longitudinal shifts in the nutritional quality of basal food resources in river ecosystems and how these may affect consumers. We conducted a field investigation in a subalpine river ecosystem in Austria to investigate longitudinal variations in diet quality of basal food sources (submerged leaves and periphyton) and diet source dependence of stream consumers (invertebrate grazers, shredders, filterers and predators, and fish). Fatty acid (FA) profiles of basal food sources and their consumers were measured. Our results indicate systematic differences between the FA profiles of terrestrial leaves and aquatic biota, that is periphyton, invertebrates and fish. Submerged leaves contained very low proportions of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs), which were conversely rich in aquatic biota. While the FA composition of submerged leaves remained similar among sites, the LC-PUFAs of periphyton increased longitudinally, which was associated with increasing nutrients from upstream to downstream. Longitudinal variations in periphyton LC-PUFAs were reflected in the LC-PUFAs of invertebrate grazers and shredders, and further tracked by invertebrate predators and fish. However, brown trout Salmo trutta contained a large proportion of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6ω3), a LC-PUFA almost entirely missing in basal sources and invertebrates. The fish accumulated eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5ω3) from invertebrate prey and may use this FA to synthesize DHA. Our results provide a nutritional perspective for river food web studies, emphasizing the importance of algal resources to consumer somatic growth and the need to account for the longitudinal shifts in the quality of these basal resources.

Integrating trophic data from the literature: The Danube River food web

In the era of bioinformatics and big data, ecological research depends on large and easily accessible databases that make it possible to construct complex system models. Open-access data repositories for food webs via publications and ecological databases (e.g. EcoBase) are becoming increasingly common, yet certain ecosystem types are underrepresented (e.g. rivers). In this paper, we compile the trophic connections (predator-prey relationships) for the Danube River ecosystem as gathered from globally available literature data. Data are analyzed by Danube regions separately (Upper, Middle, Lower Danube) as well as an integrated master network version. The master version has been aggregated into larger taxonomic categories. Local and global metrics were used to analyze and compare each network. We find disparity between regions (the Middle Danube having most nodes, but still quite heterogenous), we identify the most important trophic groups, and explain ways on evaluating missing data using each aggregation stage. This data-driven approach, summarizing our presently documented knowledge, can be used for preparing preliminary models and to further refine the Danube River food web in the future.

Food web modeling indicates the potential impacts of increasing deforestation and fishing pressure in the Tapajós River, Brazilian Amazon

In the Tapajos River, Brazilian Amazon, fishing is an important activity, especially for low-income riverine populations. Unfortunately, the Tapajos River fish diversity and abundance are threatened by several anthropogenic drivers, including deforestation and overfishing. We modeled the lower Tapajos River's food web and simulated changes in biomass compartments as a response to increases in deforestation (loss of floodplain forest habitat) and on artisanal fishing pressure over 30 years. According to our simulations, the large-bodied species could be reduced drastically while small-bodied and fast-growing species could be favored by fishing effort increasing. The loss of floodplain forest is expected to cause a general decline (23%) of the total standing fish biomass. This reduction could reflect greater losses on species that are directly dependent on resources from the floodplain forests, such as fruits and seeds. These results indicated that the food web of the lower Tapajos River is structurally characterized by bottom-up control, through the use of basal resources, such as detritus (mostly from decomposing plants), fruits, seeds, terrestrial, and aquatic invertebrates. Furthermore, the simulations’ results highlight that the protection of the floodplain forest through the existing protected areas will be of essential importance in the future to maintain fish biomass, sustainable artisanal fishing, and improve the food security of Amazonian riverine inhabitants.

Levels, bioaccumulation and biomagnification of pesticide residues in a tropical freshwater food web

The study assessed pesticide contamination transfer in Ikpoba River, an important tropical freshwater ecosystem in Southern Nigeria. The study quantified concentrations, bioaccumulation and biomagnification of pesticides in Ikpoba River’s food web, with emphasis on less frequently assessed lower trophic-level organisms. Concentrations of pesticides were quantified in water, sediment and biota (phytoplankton, green algae (Cladophora), macrophyte (Commelina erecta), macrobenthic invertebrates (Lestes species, Caridina africana, Enallagma species, Gerris lacustris, Culex species, Pentaneura species, Sympetrum species, Argyroneta aquatica, Lecane species (Cladocera) and pelagic fish (Tilapia zilli)). Samples were collected at two separate stations and were analyzed using gas chromatography equipped with electron capture detector. Aldrin was the dominant pesticide in the Ikpoba River food web with concentrations accounting for 14.4% of the total pesticide residues in the assessed matrices. Sediment samples had significantly higher pesticide concentrations among the matrices assessed, with a total mean concentration of 0.095 ± 0.02 µg/kg dw. Among the biota samples, total pesticide levels were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in Commelina erecta. BAF and BSAF values were also highest in this species indicating that Commelina erecta may represent a greater reservoir for pesticides and may be a principal factor in subsequent transfer of pesticides along the food web of Ikpoba River. The BMF values for α-HCH, γ-HCH, β-HCH, glyphosate, heptachlor, aldrin, heptachlor epoxide, endosulfan I, endrin, carbofuran and diazinon showed that these pesticides have the potential to biomagnify along the trophic levels. The persistence of these pesticides in Ikpoba River supports the need for continuous monitoring.

Grassroots reserves rescue a river food web from cascading impacts of overharvest

Intensive fishing is altering the functioning of aquatic ecosystems worldwide, threatening both biodiversity and food security. No‐fishing reserves have proven effective at restoring food‐web structure and enhancing fisheries in marine ecosystems, but remain virtually untested in freshwater systems. Using experiments inside and outside of community‐created riverine reserves in Thailand, we describe a trophic cascade across six trophic levels, from humans to algal responses to nutrient availability. Protection from fishing profoundly reconfigures fish communities – greatly increasing biodiversity, biomass, and body size – yet mean trophic position was unaffected. Cascade dynamics from fish to algae were observed regardless of protection status, although fishing intensified trophic interactions through strong effects on grazing insect behavior. The marked effectiveness of these small, grassroots reserves offers an important conservation‐planning model for protecting food webs and augmenting fishery yields in biodiverse tropical rivers.

Managing riparian zones for river health improvement: an integrated approach

Riparian zones are among the most valuable ecosystems on the earth. They act as the ecological engineers that improve river health through delivering a range of ecosystem functions. Stream bank stabilization, pollutant and sediment buffering, temperature regulation, provision of energy to river food webs and communities, groundwater recharge and provision of ecological corridors and habitat for wildlife, are among major ecosystem functions of riparian zones that play a great role in river health. Besides these ecosystem functions, riparian zones also provide various ecosystem goods and services for human well-being. But in the current scenario, riparian zones are under severe threat due to agricultural activities, urbanization, river flow alteration, overexploitation, climate change, pollution, and biological invasion. In the present and probable future scenarios of declining river health and global environmental changes, there is a pressing need of an integrated approach for managing riparian zones. This review article aims to advocate an integrated approach for riparian zone management based on various components such as riparian condition assessment, policy framework, stakeholder’s participation, management practices, legislation, and awareness. Authors also discussed riparian zones in context of their concepts, features, functions, and threats.

The cost of gold: Mercury contamination of fishes in a Neotropical river food web

Abstract In South America, mercury contamination due to gold mining operations is a threat to both biodiversity and human health. We examined mercury (Hg) concentrations in fishes that constitute important subsistence fisheries from mined and non-mined tributaries in the middle Mazaruni River, Guyana. Mercury concentrations and trophic food web structure (based on carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes) were characterized for primary basal sources and 39 fish species representing seven trophic guilds. Fishes collected at mined sites had higher mercury concentrations; piscivores and carnivores had the highest Hg concentrations and exhibited significant Hg biomagnification. Our results showed that medium- to large-bodied fishes commonly eaten by local people contained Hg values that exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria, and pose a health concern for riverine communities along the Mazaruni River that depend on fish as their main source of protein. Further research to determine the sources of Hg contamination and how it affects human health in this neotropical river must become a top priority. In addition, more research on how Hg contamination impacts the fishes themselves and overall aquatic biodiversity is also needed in the Mazaruni River which has both high fish endemism and diversity.

Detrital food web contributes to aquatic ecosystem productivity and rapid salmon growth in a managed floodplain.

Similar to many large river valleys globally, the Sacramento River Valley has been extensively drained and leveed, hydrologically divorcing river channels from most floodplains. Today, the former floodplain is extensively managed for agriculture. Lack of access to inundated floodplains is recognized as a significant contributing factor in the decline of native Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). We observed differences in salmon growth rate, invertebrate density, and carbon source in food webs from three aquatic habitat types—leveed river channels, perennial drainage canals in the floodplain, and agricultural floodplain wetlands. Over 23 days (17 February to 11 March, 2016) food web structure and juvenile Chinook Salmon growth rates were studied within the three aquatic habitat types. Zooplankton densities on the floodplain wetland were 53x more abundant, on average, than in the river. Juvenile Chinook Salmon raised on the floodplain wetland grew at 0.92 mm/day, 5x faster than fish raised in the adjacent river habitat (0.18 mm/day). Two aquatic-ecosystem modeling methods were used to partition the sources of carbon (detrital or photosynthetic) within the different habitats. Both modeling approaches found that carbon in the floodplain wetland food web was sourced primarily from detrital sources through heterotrophic pathways, while carbon in the river was primarily photosynthetic and sourced from in situ autotrophic production. Hydrologic conditions typifying the ephemerally inundated floodplain—shallower depths, warmer water, longer water residence times and predominantly detrital carbon sources compared to deeper, colder, swifter water and a predominantly algal-based carbon source in the adjacent river channel—appear to facilitate the dramatically higher rates of food web production observed in the floodplain. These results suggest that hydrologic patterns associated with seasonal flooding facilitate river food webs to access floodplain carbon sources that contribute to highly productive heterotrophic energy pathways important to the production of fisheries resources.

River management alters ecosystem metabolism in a large oligotrophic river

AbstractAlgae and aquatic plants support river food webs through in-situ primary production. However, gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (ER) are rarely evaluated in the conte...

A comparison of benthic algal and macroinvertebrate communities in a dammed and undammed Mediterranean river (Eel River watershed, California, USA)

AbstractFlow regulation by dams can reduce hydrologic variability, and subsequently, alter river food webs. This study compared the summer algal and macroinvertebrate assemblages from the mainstem Eel River (Mainstem) below Cape Horn Dam to that of the unregulated Middle Fork Eel River (Middle Fork). Despite above average rainfall in 2017, flow regulation produced a steeper spring flow recession limb with only 15.72 cubic meter per second in the dammed Mainstem in late May, which was about half the undammed Middle Fork's discharge of 32.28 cubic meter per second at the same time of year. Peak summer water temperatures in the Mainstem (mid‐August) were later relative to the Middle Fork (late July) based on past years of monitoring. The regulated Mainstem supported less Cladophora with lower mid‐summer algal richness, resulting in a macroinvertebrate community less reliant on Cladophora, with fewer key invertebrates such as Chironominae compared to the unregulated Middle Fork. Dam systems that reduce flow variation in Mediterranean rivers may shift the downstream community away from seasonal proliferation of dense green filamentous algae and invertebrate grazers typical of rivers in this climate, and towards adnate epilithic algae and cyanobacteria and generalist invertebrates, due to the encroachment of riparian vegetation and reduced thermal variation.

Interannual changes in δ15N baseline in a lake–swamp–river food web: effects of summer precipitation in West Siberian forest steppe

Frequency and intensity of precipitation events can alter hydrological conditions of lotic systems and material inflow from the catchment. In this study, interannual changes in food web structure were investigated in a lake–swamp–river system in the semi-arid West Siberian forest-steppe region using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios (δ13C and δ15N). The δ15N signatures of aquatic producers and consumers including zooplankton, benthic invertebrates, and fish sharply increased (up to 7.2‰ in range) in 2009 under high summer precipitation. This would reflect the inflow of 15N-rich nutrients accumulated in the catchment through natural and anthropogenic activities, e.g., sewage, livestock farming, evaporation, and/or microbial denitrification. In 2010, benthic producers including epiphytes and macrophytes were more 13C-enriched, which is likely due to limited supply of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) under water stagnation, leading to a large isotopic fractionation during photosynthesis. However, 13C-enrichments in the benthic producers were not reflected to those of aquatic consumers in the habitat. Interannual changes in δ13C of particulate organic matter (POM; a proxy of phytoplankton) were reflected to those of zooplankton, benthic invertebrates, and fish fry, suggesting the trophic importance of autochthonous phytoplankton in the system. These findings suggest that occasional precipitation events in semi-arid forest-steppe regions can modify nutrient flux from the catchment, leading to changes in δ15N baseline in the lotic food web.

Stable isotopes reveal effects of natural drivers and anthropogenic pressures on isotopic niches of invertebrate communities in a large subtropical river of China.

Isotopic niches reflect the basic structure and functioning of river food webs; however, their response to riverine environments remains unclear. We used stable isotope analysis and community-wide metrics to quantify how invertebrate niches vary with environmental changes along a large subtropical river in China. Eight niche metrics, which had higher values in the wet than in the dry season, increased from headwaters to the middle river and decreased sharply near the estuarine industrial zones. The δ13C value of > - 23.8‰, which indicated consumption of epilithic diatoms, separated the invertebrates between the upper and mid-lower reaches. The δ15N values > 9.4‰ identified site-specific nitrogen sources from manure (e.g., animal effluent) and domestic sewage in agricultural area. The output of mixing models showed a downstream shift in carbon utilization by invertebrates from autochthonous periphyton and submerged hydrophytes to allochthonous C3 plants. Principle component (PC) and cluster analysis decomposed and grouped 40 environmental variables into 4 PCs that explained 84.5% of the total variance. Hierarchical partitioning revealed that the second and first PCs, which were driven mainly by biological indicators and habitat characteristics, had the highest explanatory power for niche ranges and areas (e.g., Bayesian ellipse), respectively. Our results suggest that reducing anthropogenic pressures (e.g., habitat loss and water pollution) on river ecosystems through measures, such as protecting diatom-dominated biofilms in riffles and controlling nitrogen loading in rural regions, may produce the greatest impact for river management. Graphical abstract.

Fisheries and trophic structure of a large tropical river under impoundment

Abstract Impacts on tropical rivers affect biodiversity and ecosystem services negatively impacting many economic activities, such as small-scale fisheries. Ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) has been applied to maintain ecosystem flows and services for fisheries, to support social and economic sustainability. The suitable employment of the EBFM approach requires the understanding of the ecosystem by quantifying the trophic interactions and simulating environmental and fishery alterations. In this paper, to evaluate the early changes resulting from damming for hydroelectric power generation on the Madeira River food web, we compared two Ecopath models: before (pre) and after (post) the dam construction in November 2011. We analyzed the changes using several ecosystem attributes: fish biomass, catches, exchange of matter/energy, transfer efficiency, and, especially, the potential direct and indirect relationships among species. We also carried out simulations of the increase in the catches of several stocks in the models. Our analysis allowed us to identify several differences between before (2010–2011) and post (2012–2013) periods: an increasing of the ecosystem’s respiration and consumption, a reducing of net production, transfer efficiency among Trophic Levels (TL), and total biomass of fish species by half. There was also an exchange of key species that were previously mostly non-fish compartments and became top predator fish, including B. rousseauxii, which was considered a key species in both periods. Fish species with an intermediate TL had their biomass reduced via top-down control, especially because of the increased biomass of non-migratory top predators (Hoplias malabaricus and Plagioscion squamosissimus). Noticeably, damming clearly reversed possible impact linkage among species, since one-third of indirect and almost one-half of direct (trophic) relations changed of signal, leading to unexpected turns in the system. Also, simulation revealed that increasing in catches strongly impact on fish biomass in the post-dam model more than in the pre-dam model. The ecosystem context of these results and the fact that they are pioneers in assess Amazonian damming can help the local managers and government to understand the impoundment effects and simulate changes in catches to foresee future impacts of reservoirs on Amazon.

Functional and trophic diversity of fishes in the Mekong-3S river system: comparison of morphological and isotopic patterns

The Lower Mekong River and its three major tributaries, the Sekong, Sesan, and Srepok rivers, are systems with high aquatic biodiversity that now face impacts from new hydroelectric dams. Despite the ecological, economic, and cultural importance of the freshwater biota, knowledge about aquatic ecology in this region remains poor. We used morphological and stable isotope data to explore how fish functional and trophic diversity vary between the four rivers that comprise the Mekong-3S river system. During our field surveys, the Sesan had experienced greatest flow alteration from dams and had lowest taxonomic and functional diversity, with species less packed and less evenly dispersed within morphological space compared to the other rivers. The Sekong had greatest functional diversity, with species less packed in morphological space. Species in the Mekong and Srepok were more evenly distributed in morphological space and had intermediate levels of functional diversity. Isotopic niche diversity in the Sesan did not appear to be significantly different from the Srepok and Sekong rivers. Conversely, the more species-rich Mekong fish assemblage encompassed a greater isotopic space with species less packed and evenly distributed. Greater trophic redundancy was observed amongst fishes of the 3S rivers than the Mekong. Species functional redundancy could buffer river food webs against species loss caused by dams; however, additional traits and niche dimensions should be evaluated to test this hypothesis. Overall, morphological and isotopic evidence from the Mekong and 3S rivers indicate that river impoundment and flow regulation function as an environmental filter that reduces fish functional diversity.

Reweaving river food webs through time

Abstract Our project sought to determine ecological effects of adding low‐head dams and levees to large rivers by examining potential changes to aquatic food webs over a 70‐year period in the Lower Ohio River (LOR) and Upper Mississippi River (UMR). We employed museum collections of fish and compound specific stable isotope analysis of amino acids to evaluate long‐term changes in primary food sources for multiple species of fish in each river. Fishes in both rivers depended more on autochthonous than allochthonous carbon sources throughout the 70‐year period (based on measurements of isotopic signatures of algae, C3 plants, C4 plants, cyanobacteria, and fungi), but the relative use of different carbon sources differed between the UMR and LOR. Significant but opposite shifts in trophic positions (TP) between rivers over time (higher TP in the UMR; lower in the LOR) were correlated with major anthropogenic changes to habitat structure (e.g. slight decrease in abundance of side channels in the UMR; increase in pool water depth in the LOR) resulting from low‐head dam construction. They may also have been influenced by likely increased primary productivity in the UMR from agricultural nitrogen inputs and by possible shifts in the importance of phytoplankton versus benthic algae in the LOR from changes in water depth. Shifts in trophic position and reliance on various food sources were not correlated with variation in discharge, gage height, or temperature. Although these two rivers have contrasting hydrogeomorphic complexity (UMR is an anastomosing river, while the LOR is a constricted channel river) and different discharge patterns (seasonal versus yearly operation in some cases), both differ substantially from rivers having hydrogeomorphic changes resulting from construction of high dams (&gt;15 m). It is not surprising, therefore, that factors controlling trophic position and reliance on different carbon sources vary among different types of dams and river structures.

Watershed geomorphology modifies the sensitivity of aquatic ecosystem metabolism to temperature

The regulation of aquatic carbon cycles by temperature is a significant uncertainty in our understanding of how watersheds will respond to climate change. Aquatic ecosystems transport substantial quantities of carbon to the atmosphere and ocean, yet we have limited understanding of how temperature modifies aquatic ecosystem metabolic processes and contributions to carbon cycles at watershed to global scales. We propose that geomorphology controls the distribution and quality of organic material that forms the metabolic base of aquatic ecosystems, thereby controlling the response of aquatic ecosystem metabolism to temperature across landscapes. Across 23 streams and four years during summer baseflow, we estimated variation in the temperature sensitivity of ecosystem respiration (R) among streams draining watersheds with different geomorphic characteristics across a boreal river basin. We found that geomorphic features imposed strong controls on temperature sensitivity; R in streams draining flat watersheds was up to six times more temperature sensitive than streams draining steeper watersheds. Further, our results show that this association between watershed geomorphology and temperature sensitivity of R was linked to the carbon quality of substrates that changed systematically across the geomorphic gradient. This suggests that geomorphology will control how carbon is transported, stored, and incorporated into river food webs as the climate warms.

Biological Traits and the Transfer of Persistent Organic Pollutants through River Food Webs.

Freshwater organisms remain at risk from bioaccumulation and biomagnification of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), but factors affecting their transfer through food webs are poorly understood. Here, we investigate transfer pathways of polychlorinated biphenyls, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and organochlorine through a river food web, assessing the distribution and flux between basal resources (n = 3), macroinvertebrates (n = 22), and fish (n = 1). We investigate the effects of biological traits on the observed patterns and use trait-based models to predict POP bioaccumulation. Transfer pathways differed among POPs and traits such as habitat affinity, feeding behavior, and body size explained some variation in POP burdens between organisms. Trait-based models indicated that relationships between POPs, trophic transfers, and traits were relatively well conserved across a wider array of river food webs. Although providing more consistent predictions of POP bioaccumulation than steady-state models, variability in bioaccumulation across food webs limited the accuracy of trait-model predictions. As some of the first data to illustrate how ecological processes alter the flux of pollutants through river food webs, these results reveal important links between POPs and contrasting energetic pathways. These data also show the utility of trait-based methods in the assessment of persistent contaminants, but further field validations are required.

Unrestricted ramping rates and long‐term trends in the food web metrics of a boreal river

AbstractLong‐term monitoring of the food web of a regulated hydropeaking river was conducted to assess if previously documented effects of changing ramping rates (RRs) were maintained with the addition of 6 years of data. Using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses, we hypothesized that: (1) macroinvertebrates and fish inhabiting areas below peaking hydrodams would be higher in δ15N and lower in δ13C due to increased flow velocity and the influence of light respired dissolved inorganic carbon, relative to those sampled from areas with a natural flow regime; (2) the increase in δ15N of macroinvertebrates would lead a shorter food web length in the regulated river, but δ13C and niche width would be similar between the restricted and unrestricted RR periods (i.e., the BACI analysis); and (3) isotopic metrics (e.g., δ13C, δ15N, niche width [SEAB], and food chain length [Δ15N]) would correlate with variations in flow characteristics through time. Consistent with previous analysis conducted over a shorter time period, a shift toward higher δ15N values was observed for both fish and invertebrates, but, contrarily, only invertebrates (not fish) had a lower δ13C value downstream of the dam. Over the long term, the before‐after‐control‐impact analysis found no effect of RRs on any of the food web metrics, implying that the change in operation did not affect the river food web. However, analysis of the time series data indicated that flow metrics and trophic metrics were often correlated, including a negative effect of RR (invertebrates) and discharge (fish) on food chain length. This study illustrates the difficulty in detecting changes in food web structure and function under changing flow regime influenced by natural and anthropogenic effects. As such, this study highlights the need for considering large spatial and temporal scales to differentiate between confounding effects of climate, natural variability, and altered flow regimes on food webs in regulated rivers.