Poster Details
ENVIRONMENTAL AND BIOTIC DRIVERS OF FOOD WEB STRUCTURE IN OHIO STREAMS
Food webs are a type of ecological network that provide important information about biotic interactions and energy pathways in ecosystems. The determinants of key characteristics of ecological trophic networks—such as food-chain length and linkage density—are still not well understood. Here, we examine relationships between network structure and physical, chemical, and biotic characteristics of streams draining through multiple land uses (agricultural, urban, forested) in the upper Ohio River Basin. Benthic insects were surveyed, physical features such as habitat availability, sediment, and channel geometry were measured, and nitrogen, phosphorus, nitrate, and orthophosphate concentrations assessed at sites distributed across agricultural, mixed-use, and forested catchments (n = 3). Preliminary evidence suggests that nutrient concentrations and stoichiometric relationships were correlated with network properties such as connectance and linkage density. Species traits such as body size and functional feeding groups were also correlated with connectance and linkage density. We anticipate that results will provide a better understanding of the environmental and biological drivers of aquatic invertebrate network structure in modified landscapes, which can in turn play a significant role in the health and stability of stream ecosystems.
Rebecca Czaja (Primary Presenter/Author), The Ohio State University, czaja.3@osu.edu;
S. Mažeika Patricio Sulliván (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), The Ohio State University, sullivan.191@osu.edu;
Kay C. Stefanik (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), The Ohio State University, stefanik.13@osu.edu;
Lauren M. Pintor (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), The Ohio State University, pintor.6@osu.edu;