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Intraspecific phenotypic variation in a fish predator affects multitrophic lake metacommunity structure.

ABSTRACT: Contemporary insights from evolutionary ecology suggest that population divergence in ecologically important traits within predators can generate diversifying ecological selection on local community structure. Many studies acknowledging these effects of intraspecific variation assume that local populations are situated in communities that are unconnected to similar communities within a shared region. Recent work from metacommunity ecology suggests that species dispersal among communities can also influence species diversity and composition but can depend upon the relative importance of the local environment. Here, we study the relative effects of intraspecific phenotypic variation in a fish predator and spatial processes related to plankton species dispersal on multitrophic lake plankton metacommunity structure. Intraspecific diversification in foraging traits and residence time of the planktivorous fish alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) among coastal lakes yields lake metacommunities supporting three lake types which differ in the phenotype and incidence of alewife: lakes with anadromous, landlocked, or no alewives. In coastal lakes, plankton community composition was attributed to dispersal versus local environmental predictors, including intraspecific variation in alewives. Local and beta diversity of zooplankton and phytoplankton was additionally measured in response to intraspecific variation in alewives. Zooplankton communities were structured by species sorting, with a strong influence of intraspecific variation in A. pseudoharengus. Intraspecific variation altered zooplankton species richness and beta diversity, where lake communities with landlocked alewives exhibited intermediate richness between lakes with anadromous alewives and without alewives, and greater community similarity. Phytoplankton diversity, in contrast, was highest in lakes with landlocked alewives. The results indicate that plankton dispersal in the region supplied a migrant pool that was strongly structured by intraspecific variation in alewives. This is one of the first studies to demonstrate that intraspecific phenotypic variation in a predator can maintain contrasting patterns of multitrophic diversity in metacommunities.

SUBMITTER: Howeth JG

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3892366 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Intraspecific phenotypic variation in a fish predator affects multitrophic lake metacommunity structure.

Howeth Jennifer G JG Weis Jerome J JJ Brodersen Jakob J Hatton Elizabeth C EC Post David M DM

Ecology and evolution 20131114 15

Contemporary insights from evolutionary ecology suggest that population divergence in ecologically important traits within predators can generate diversifying ecological selection on local community structure. Many studies acknowledging these effects of intraspecific variation assume that local populations are situated in communities that are unconnected to similar communities within a shared region. Recent work from metacommunity ecology suggests that species dispersal among communities can als ...[more]

PMID: 24455134

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Project description:Abstract Intraspecific variation is an important form of biodiversity that can alter community and ecosystem properties. Recent work demonstrates the community effects of intraspecific variation in predators via altering prey communities and in foundation species via shaping habitat attributes. However, tests of the community effects of intraspecific trait variation in predators acting on foundation species are lacking despite the fact that consumption of foundation species can have strong community effects by shaping habitat structure. Here, we tested the hypothesis that intraspecific foraging differences among populations of mussel‐drilling dogwhelk predators (Nucella) differentially alter intertidal communities through effects on foundational mussels. We conducted a 9‐month field experiment where we exposed intertidal mussel bed communities to predation from three Nucella populations that exhibit differences in size‐selectivity and consumption time for mussel prey. At the end of the experiment, we measured mussel bed structure, species diversity, and community composition. While exposure to Nucella originating from different populations did not significantly alter overall community diversity, we found that differences in Nucella mussel selectivity significantly altered foundational mussel bed structure, which in turn altered the biomass of shore crabs and periwinkle snails. Our study extends the emerging paradigm of the ecological importance of intraspecific variation to include the effects of intraspecific variation on predators of foundation species. Recent work demonstrates the community effects of intraspecific variation in predators via altering prey communities and in foundation species via shaping habitat attributes, but tests of the community effects of intraspecific trait variation in predators acting on foundation species are lacking. We used a 9‐month field experiment to test the hypothesis that intraspecific foraging differences among populations of mussel‐drilling dogwhelk predators differentially alter intertidal communities through effects on foundational mussels. We found that differences in dogwhelk prey selectivity significantly altered foundational mussel bed structure, which in turn altered the biomass of shore crabs and periwinkle snails, extending the emerging paradigm of the ecological importance of intraspecific variation to include the effects of intraspecific variation in predators of foundation species.

Dataset Information

Intraspecific phenotypic variation in a fish predator affects multitrophic lake metacommunity structure.

Publications

Intraspecific phenotypic variation in a fish predator affects multitrophic lake metacommunity structure.

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