Top-Down Effect of Arthropod Predator Chinese Mitten Crab on Freshwater Nutrient Cycling.

ABSTRACT: Aquatic litter decomposition is highly dependent on contributions and interactions at different trophic levels. The invasion of alien aquatic organisms like the channeled apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata) might lead to changes in the decomposition process through new species interactions in the invaded wetland. However, it is not clear how aquatic macroinvertebrate predators like the Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) will affect the nutrient cycle in freshwater ecosystems in the face of new benthic invasion. We used the litter bag method to explore the top-down effect of crabs on the freshwater nutrient cycle with the help of soil zymography (a technology previously used in terrestrial ecosystems). The results showed significant feeding effects of crabs and snails on

SUBMITTER: Wang L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10376719 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature