Seasonal increases in fish trophic niche plasticity within a flood‐pulse river ecosystem (Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia)
Abstract Species’ responses to seasonal environmental variation can influence trophic interactions and food web structure within an ecosystem. However, our ability to predict how species’ interactions will vary spatially and temporally in response to seasonal variation unfortunately remains inadequa...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2017-07-01
|
| Series: | Ecosphere |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.1881 |
| _version_ | 1811167131918663680 |
|---|---|
| author | Thomas Pool Gordon Holtgrieve Vittoria Elliott Kevin McCann Bailey McMeans Neil Rooney Adrianne Smits Thach Phanara Michael Cooperman Sydney Clark Chheng Phen Samol Chhuoy |
| author_facet | Thomas Pool Gordon Holtgrieve Vittoria Elliott Kevin McCann Bailey McMeans Neil Rooney Adrianne Smits Thach Phanara Michael Cooperman Sydney Clark Chheng Phen Samol Chhuoy |
| author_sort | Thomas Pool |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Species’ responses to seasonal environmental variation can influence trophic interactions and food web structure within an ecosystem. However, our ability to predict how species’ interactions will vary spatially and temporally in response to seasonal variation unfortunately remains inadequate within most ecosystems. Fish assemblages in the Tonle Sap Lake (TSL) of Cambodia—a dynamic flood‐pulse ecosystem—were studied for five years (2010–2014) using stable isotope and Bayesian statistical approaches to explore both within‐ and among‐species isotopic niche variation associated with seasonal flooding. Roughly 600 individual fish specimens were collected during 19 sampling events within the lake. We found that fishes within the same species tended to have a broader isotopic niche during the wet season, likely reflecting assimilation of resources from either a wider range of isotopically distinct prey items or a variety of habitats, or both. Furthermore, among‐species isotopic niches tended to overlap and range more broadly during the wet season, suggesting that floodplain inundation promotes exploitation of more diverse and similar resources by different species in the fish community. Our study highlights that the flood‐pulse dynamic that is typical of tropical aquatic ecosystems may be an essential element supporting freshwater fish community structure and the fish diversity that underpins the TSL food web. This flow regime is currently threatened by regional dam development, which may in turn impact the natural function and structure of the fishery food web. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T16:03:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a1f3eb0da6f347be9c622fe35ca3e143 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2150-8925 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T16:03:58Z |
| publishDate | 2017-07-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-a1f3eb0da6f347be9c622fe35ca3e1432023-02-10T07:33:12ZengWileyEcosphere2150-89252017-07-0187n/an/a10.1002/ecs2.1881Seasonal increases in fish trophic niche plasticity within a flood‐pulse river ecosystem (Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia)Thomas Pool0Gordon Holtgrieve1Vittoria Elliott2Kevin McCann3Bailey McMeans4Neil Rooney5Adrianne Smits6Thach Phanara7Michael Cooperman8Sydney Clark9Chheng Phen10Samol Chhuoy11School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences (SAFS) University of Washington Seattle Washington 98105 USASchool of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences (SAFS) University of Washington Seattle Washington 98105 USAInland Fisheries Research and Development Institute (IFReDI), Fisheries Administration Phnom Penh CambodiaDepartment of Integrative Biology University of Guelph Guelph Ontario CanadaDepartment of Biology University of Toronto Mississauga Ontario CanadaSchool of Environmental Sciences University of Guelph Guelph Ontario CanadaDepartment of Biology University of Nevada Reno Nevada 89557 USAInland Fisheries Research and Development Institute (IFReDI), Fisheries Administration Phnom Penh CambodiaGordon and Betty Moore Center for Science Conservation International Arlington Virginia 22202 USAEarth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences Brown University Providence Rhode Island 02912 USAInland Fisheries Research and Development Institute (IFReDI), Fisheries Administration Phnom Penh CambodiaInland Fisheries Research and Development Institute (IFReDI), Fisheries Administration Phnom Penh CambodiaAbstract Species’ responses to seasonal environmental variation can influence trophic interactions and food web structure within an ecosystem. However, our ability to predict how species’ interactions will vary spatially and temporally in response to seasonal variation unfortunately remains inadequate within most ecosystems. Fish assemblages in the Tonle Sap Lake (TSL) of Cambodia—a dynamic flood‐pulse ecosystem—were studied for five years (2010–2014) using stable isotope and Bayesian statistical approaches to explore both within‐ and among‐species isotopic niche variation associated with seasonal flooding. Roughly 600 individual fish specimens were collected during 19 sampling events within the lake. We found that fishes within the same species tended to have a broader isotopic niche during the wet season, likely reflecting assimilation of resources from either a wider range of isotopically distinct prey items or a variety of habitats, or both. Furthermore, among‐species isotopic niches tended to overlap and range more broadly during the wet season, suggesting that floodplain inundation promotes exploitation of more diverse and similar resources by different species in the fish community. Our study highlights that the flood‐pulse dynamic that is typical of tropical aquatic ecosystems may be an essential element supporting freshwater fish community structure and the fish diversity that underpins the TSL food web. This flow regime is currently threatened by regional dam development, which may in turn impact the natural function and structure of the fishery food web.https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.1881flood‐pulsefood websMekongomnivorystable isotopestrophic dynamics |
| spellingShingle | Thomas Pool Gordon Holtgrieve Vittoria Elliott Kevin McCann Bailey McMeans Neil Rooney Adrianne Smits Thach Phanara Michael Cooperman Sydney Clark Chheng Phen Samol Chhuoy Seasonal increases in fish trophic niche plasticity within a flood‐pulse river ecosystem (Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia) Ecosphere flood‐pulse food webs Mekong omnivory stable isotopes trophic dynamics |
| title | Seasonal increases in fish trophic niche plasticity within a flood‐pulse river ecosystem (Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia) |
| title_full | Seasonal increases in fish trophic niche plasticity within a flood‐pulse river ecosystem (Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia) |
| title_fullStr | Seasonal increases in fish trophic niche plasticity within a flood‐pulse river ecosystem (Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Seasonal increases in fish trophic niche plasticity within a flood‐pulse river ecosystem (Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia) |
| title_short | Seasonal increases in fish trophic niche plasticity within a flood‐pulse river ecosystem (Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia) |
| title_sort | seasonal increases in fish trophic niche plasticity within a flood pulse river ecosystem tonle sap lake cambodia |
| topic | flood‐pulse food webs Mekong omnivory stable isotopes trophic dynamics |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.1881 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT thomaspool seasonalincreasesinfishtrophicnicheplasticitywithinafloodpulseriverecosystemtonlesaplakecambodia AT gordonholtgrieve seasonalincreasesinfishtrophicnicheplasticitywithinafloodpulseriverecosystemtonlesaplakecambodia AT vittoriaelliott seasonalincreasesinfishtrophicnicheplasticitywithinafloodpulseriverecosystemtonlesaplakecambodia AT kevinmccann seasonalincreasesinfishtrophicnicheplasticitywithinafloodpulseriverecosystemtonlesaplakecambodia AT baileymcmeans seasonalincreasesinfishtrophicnicheplasticitywithinafloodpulseriverecosystemtonlesaplakecambodia AT neilrooney seasonalincreasesinfishtrophicnicheplasticitywithinafloodpulseriverecosystemtonlesaplakecambodia AT adriannesmits seasonalincreasesinfishtrophicnicheplasticitywithinafloodpulseriverecosystemtonlesaplakecambodia AT thachphanara seasonalincreasesinfishtrophicnicheplasticitywithinafloodpulseriverecosystemtonlesaplakecambodia AT michaelcooperman seasonalincreasesinfishtrophicnicheplasticitywithinafloodpulseriverecosystemtonlesaplakecambodia AT sydneyclark seasonalincreasesinfishtrophicnicheplasticitywithinafloodpulseriverecosystemtonlesaplakecambodia AT chhengphen seasonalincreasesinfishtrophicnicheplasticitywithinafloodpulseriverecosystemtonlesaplakecambodia AT samolchhuoy seasonalincreasesinfishtrophicnicheplasticitywithinafloodpulseriverecosystemtonlesaplakecambodia |