Extreme rainfall events alter the trophic structure in bromeliad tanks across the Neotropics - INRAE - Institut national de recherche pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et l’environnement Access content directly
Journal Articles Nature Communications Year : 2020

Extreme rainfall events alter the trophic structure in bromeliad tanks across the Neotropics

A Andrew
  • Function : Author
M Macdonald
  • Function : Author
M Kurtis Trzcinski
  • Function : Author
Acosta Mercado
  • Function : Author
Vinicius F Farjalla
  • Function : Author
Ignacio M Barberis
  • Function : Author
Olivier Deźerald
Edd Hammill
Trisha B Atwood
  • Function : Author
Gustavo C O Piccoli
  • Function : Author
Fabiola Ospina Bautista
Juliana S Leal
  • Function : Author
Guillermo Montero
Pablo a P Antiqueira
  • Function : Author
Rodrigo Freire
  • Function : Author
Emilio Realpe
  • Function : Author
Sarah L Amundrud
  • Function : Author
Paula M de Omena
  • Function : Author
Pavel Kratina
  • Function : Author
Eoin J. O'Gorman
  • Function : Author

Abstract

Changes in global and regional precipitation regimes are among the most pervasive components of climate change. Intensification of rainfall cycles, ranging from frequent downpours to severe droughts, could cause widespread, but largely unknown, alterations to trophic structure and ecosystem function. We conducted multi-site coordinated experiments to show how variation in the quantity and evenness of rainfall modulates trophic structure in 210 natural freshwater microcosms (tank bromeliads) across Central and South America (18°N to 29°S). The biomass of smaller organisms (detritivores) was higher under more stable hydrological conditions. Conversely, the biomass of predators was highest when rainfall was uneven, resulting in top-heavy biomass pyramids. These results illustrate how extremes of precipitation, resulting in localized droughts or flooding, can erode the base of freshwater food webs, with negative implications for the stability of trophic dynamics.
Fichier principal
Vignette du fichier
Romero_etal_Nature_Comm_2020_11_1.pdf (2.34 Mo) Télécharger le fichier
Origin : Publisher files allowed on an open archive
Loading...

Dates and versions

hal-02887639 , version 1 (02-07-2020)

Identifiers

Cite

Gustavo Romero, Nicholas A. C. Marino, A Andrew, M Macdonald, Reǵis Ceŕeǵhino, et al.. Extreme rainfall events alter the trophic structure in bromeliad tanks across the Neotropics. Nature Communications, 2020, 11 (1), pp.3215. ⟨10.1038/s41467-020-17036-4⟩. ⟨hal-02887639⟩
60 View
30 Download

Altmetric

Share

Gmail Facebook Twitter LinkedIn More