Eutrophication induces shifts in the trophic position of invertebrates in aquatic food webs.

ABSTRACT: Changes in the ecological stoichiometry of primary producers may have considerable implications for energy and matter transfer in food webs. We hypothesized that nutrient enrichment shifts the trophic position of omnivores towards herbivory, as the nutritional quality of primary producers increases. This hypothesis was tested by analyzing the ecological stoichiometry and stable isotope signature of primary producers and a wide range of aquatic macroinvertebrates, including primary consumers (herbivores) and secondary consumers (both potential omnivores and strict carnivores), along a eutrophication gradient in an agricultural landscape. Our results showed (1) that carbon : nutrient ratios of primary producers decreased along the eutrophication gradient, while the elemental composition of c

SUBMITTER: van der Lee GH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7988625 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature