Coastal woody encroachment reduces food quality for basal consumers
Abstract Woody plant encroachment (the replacement of grasses and forbs by woody shrubs and trees) is reshaping communities in both terrestrial and coastal environments, but little is known about its effects on basal consumers. We used interactions between fiddler crabs (Uca spp.) and the encroachin...
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3511 |
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doaj-6c3a1a2e17124875bbf890982fc004ed2021-06-30T01:15:32ZengWileyEcosphere2150-89252021-05-01125n/an/a10.1002/ecs2.3511Coastal woody encroachment reduces food quality for basal consumersJanelle A. Goeke0Anna R. Armitage1Department of Marine Biology Texas A&M University at Galveston Galveston Texas77553USADepartment of Marine Biology Texas A&M University at Galveston Galveston Texas77553USAAbstract Woody plant encroachment (the replacement of grasses and forbs by woody shrubs and trees) is reshaping communities in both terrestrial and coastal environments, but little is known about its effects on basal consumers. We used interactions between fiddler crabs (Uca spp.) and the encroaching mangrove Avicennia germinans in Gulf of Mexico salt marshes to explore trophic interactions between basal consumers and encroaching shrubs. In a series of food preference trials, fiddler crabs consumed over five times more marsh (Spartina alterniflora) plant matter when given a choice between mangrove and marsh diets. In food quality trials, fiddler crabs stored 50% less energy, as measured by hepatopancreas lipid content, when restricted to a mangrove diet. These results demonstrate that mangrove encroachment may have negative consequences for salt marsh basal consumers, which may lead to deleterious population‐level effects and altered ecosystem carbon flows. As fiddler crabs are generalist consumers and mangroves share many physical and chemical characteristics with other encroaching woody species, negative consequences for basal consumers may be widespread in other environments undergoing woody shrub encroachment.https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3511coastal wetlandsdetritivoryfood websherbivorymangrove encroachment |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Janelle A. Goeke Anna R. Armitage |
spellingShingle |
Janelle A. Goeke Anna R. Armitage Coastal woody encroachment reduces food quality for basal consumers Ecosphere coastal wetlands detritivory food webs herbivory mangrove encroachment |
author_facet |
Janelle A. Goeke Anna R. Armitage |
author_sort |
Janelle A. Goeke |
title |
Coastal woody encroachment reduces food quality for basal consumers |
title_short |
Coastal woody encroachment reduces food quality for basal consumers |
title_full |
Coastal woody encroachment reduces food quality for basal consumers |
title_fullStr |
Coastal woody encroachment reduces food quality for basal consumers |
title_full_unstemmed |
Coastal woody encroachment reduces food quality for basal consumers |
title_sort |
coastal woody encroachment reduces food quality for basal consumers |
publisher |
Wiley |
series |
Ecosphere |
issn |
2150-8925 |
publishDate |
2021-05-01 |
description |
Abstract Woody plant encroachment (the replacement of grasses and forbs by woody shrubs and trees) is reshaping communities in both terrestrial and coastal environments, but little is known about its effects on basal consumers. We used interactions between fiddler crabs (Uca spp.) and the encroaching mangrove Avicennia germinans in Gulf of Mexico salt marshes to explore trophic interactions between basal consumers and encroaching shrubs. In a series of food preference trials, fiddler crabs consumed over five times more marsh (Spartina alterniflora) plant matter when given a choice between mangrove and marsh diets. In food quality trials, fiddler crabs stored 50% less energy, as measured by hepatopancreas lipid content, when restricted to a mangrove diet. These results demonstrate that mangrove encroachment may have negative consequences for salt marsh basal consumers, which may lead to deleterious population‐level effects and altered ecosystem carbon flows. As fiddler crabs are generalist consumers and mangroves share many physical and chemical characteristics with other encroaching woody species, negative consequences for basal consumers may be widespread in other environments undergoing woody shrub encroachment. |
topic |
coastal wetlands detritivory food webs herbivory mangrove encroachment |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3511 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT janelleagoeke coastalwoodyencroachmentreducesfoodqualityforbasalconsumers AT annararmitage coastalwoodyencroachmentreducesfoodqualityforbasalconsumers |
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1721353936570417152 |