Climate-related drivers of nutrient inputs and food web structure in shallow Arctic lake ecosystems

Climate-related drivers of nutrient inputs and food web structure in shallow Arctic lake ecosystems

In order to predict the effects of climate change on polar ecosystems, disentangling mechanisms of nutrient transfer in food webs is crucial. We investigated sources of nutrients in tundra lakes, tracing their transfer through the food web and relating the observed patterns to runoff, snow coverage,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports Vol. 12; no. 1; p. 2125
Main Authors: Calizza, Edoardo, Salvatori, Rosamaria, Rossi, David, Pasquali, Vittorio, Careddu, Giulio, Sporta Caputi, Simona, Maccapan, Deborah, Santarelli, Luca, Montemurro, Pietro, Rossi, Loreto, Costantini, Maria Letizia
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 08-02-2022
Nature Publishing Group
Nature Portfolio
Subjects:
631/158
631/158/2165
631/158/2445
631/158/2459
631/158/2463
631/158/2466
631/158/4016
631/158/853
704/106/242
704/106/286
Aquatic birds
Aquatic ecosystems
Biotic factors
Climate change
Climate effects
Climate prediction
Ecosystems
Food chains
Food webs
Global warming
Humanities and Social Sciences
Lake catchments
Lakes
multidisciplinary
Nutrient flow
Nutrient sources
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Snow
Trophic relationships
Tundra
Waterfowl
Arctic region
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Summary:In order to predict the effects of climate change on polar ecosystems, disentangling mechanisms of nutrient transfer in food webs is crucial. We investigated sources of nutrients in tundra lakes, tracing their transfer through the food web and relating the observed patterns to runoff, snow coverage, and the presence of migratory geese in lake catchments. C and N content (elemental and isotopic) of several food web components including Lepidurus arcticus (Notostraca, at the top of the lake food webs) in 18 shallow Arctic lakes was compared. Terrestrial productivity and geese abundance were key biotic factors that interacted with abiotic variables (snow coverage, lake and catchment size) in determining the amount and origin of nutrient inputs, affecting the trophic interactions among aquatic species, food chain length and nutrient flow in Arctic lake food webs. Decreasing snow coverage, increasing abundance and expansion of the geese’s range are expected across the Arctic due to climate warming. By relating nutrient inputs and food web structure to snow coverage, vegetation and geese, this study contributes to our mechanistic understanding of the cascade effects of climate change in tundra ecosystems, and may help predict the response of lakes to changes in nutrient inputs at lower latitudes.
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ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-022-06136-4