Interactive effects of temperature and habitat complexity on freshwater communities.

ABSTRACT: Warming can lead to increased growth of plants or algae at the base of the food web, which may increase the overall complexity of habitat available for other organisms. Temperature and habitat complexity have both been shown to alter the structure and functioning of communities, but they may also have interactive effects, for example, if the shade provided by additional habitat negates the positive effect of temperature on understory plant or algal growth. This study explored the interactive effects of these two major environmental factors in a manipulative field experiment, by assessing changes in ecosystem functioning (primary production and decomposition) and community structure in the presence and absence of artificial plants along a natural stream temperature gradient of 5-18°C. There

SUBMITTER: Scrine J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5696415 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature