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Nutrients on the Move: Investigating Large Scale Fatty Acid Exports from European Ponds Via Emerging Insects

Fehlinger, Lena ; Chaguaceda, Fernando ; Tirozzi, Pietro ; Tomas-Martin, Marina ; Jakobsson, Ellinor ; Chonova, Teofana ; Misteli, Benjamin ; Scotti, Alberto ; Henriques, Jorge f. and Rubio-Rios, Juan , et al. (2024) In Preprint
Abstract
Permanent ponds represent key landscape components that support biodiversity and supply various ecosystem services. Notably, the export of aquatic subsidies to land via emerging insects, may significantly influence terrestrial food webs. Various factors, including eutrophication, can influence these exports. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), which greatly enhance consumer fitness, are among the most important exported components. However, the patterns and drivers of dietary exports from ponds via insects remain poorly known, particularly at continental scales. Here, we analyzed the exports of biomass, lipid, and fatty acid contents from emerging insects, sampled in 36 ponds across 11 European countries, over four seasons. We found that... (More)
Permanent ponds represent key landscape components that support biodiversity and supply various ecosystem services. Notably, the export of aquatic subsidies to land via emerging insects, may significantly influence terrestrial food webs. Various factors, including eutrophication, can influence these exports. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), which greatly enhance consumer fitness, are among the most important exported components. However, the patterns and drivers of dietary exports from ponds via insects remain poorly known, particularly at continental scales. Here, we analyzed the exports of biomass, lipid, and fatty acid contents from emerging insects, sampled in 36 ponds across 11 European countries, over four seasons. We found that both biomass and fatty acid exports decreased with increasing latitude, and were higher in spring and summer. These seasonal effects also increased with higher latitudes. Temperature was the most important predictor of insect biomass, explaining 27.6% of the total variation and showing an unimodal response. This suggests increasing temperature may promote exports in colder regions and seasons, whereas it may negatively influence biomass exports in already warm regions. The exports of total lipids, PUFA, and eicosapentaenoic acid were correlated to exported biomass, while those of docosahexaenoic acid were linked to the emergence of Chaoboridae. Moreover, our findings indicated that PUFA contents were affected by taxonomic composition of insect communities and pond trophic state (indicated by chlorophyll a). Two of the correlates identified here (temperature and trophic state) are influenced by anthropogenic activity via climate and land use change respectively. Thus, human activity impacts the food webs in and around ponds by influencing the quantity and quality of nutritional exports. (Less)
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organization
publishing date
type
Working paper/Preprint
publication status
submitted
subject
keywords
freshwater, PUFA, food web, ecology, small water bodies, biomass
in
Preprint
pages
38 pages
publisher
SSRN
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
c5f1452c-170f-48fd-a6e5-d3d3d34bbe3f
alternative location
https://ssrn.com/abstract=4930289
https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00916/102748/
date added to LUP
2024-12-11 12:17:48
date last changed
2025-05-09 17:01:16
@misc{c5f1452c-170f-48fd-a6e5-d3d3d34bbe3f,
  abstract     = {{Permanent ponds represent key landscape components that support biodiversity and supply various ecosystem services. Notably, the export of aquatic subsidies to land via emerging insects, may significantly influence terrestrial food webs. Various factors, including eutrophication, can influence these exports. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), which greatly enhance consumer fitness, are among the most important exported components. However, the patterns and drivers of dietary exports from ponds via insects remain poorly known, particularly at continental scales. Here, we analyzed the exports of biomass, lipid, and fatty acid contents from emerging insects, sampled in 36 ponds across 11 European countries, over four seasons. We found that both biomass and fatty acid exports decreased with increasing latitude, and were higher in spring and summer. These seasonal effects also increased with higher latitudes. Temperature was the most important predictor of insect biomass, explaining 27.6% of the total variation and showing an unimodal response. This suggests increasing temperature may promote exports in colder regions and seasons, whereas it may negatively influence biomass exports in already warm regions. The exports of total lipids, PUFA, and eicosapentaenoic acid were correlated to exported biomass, while those of docosahexaenoic acid were linked to the emergence of Chaoboridae. Moreover, our findings indicated that PUFA contents were affected by taxonomic composition of insect communities and pond trophic state (indicated by chlorophyll a). Two of the correlates identified here (temperature and trophic state) are influenced by anthropogenic activity via climate and land use change respectively. Thus, human activity impacts the food webs in and around ponds by influencing the quantity and quality of nutritional exports.}},
  author       = {{Fehlinger, Lena and Chaguaceda, Fernando and Tirozzi, Pietro and Tomas-Martin, Marina and Jakobsson, Ellinor and Chonova, Teofana and Misteli, Benjamin and Scotti, Alberto and Henriques, Jorge f. and Rubio-Rios, Juan and Morant, Daniel and Marle, Pierre and Kolar, Vojtech and Stamenkovic, Olivera and Mondav, Rhiannon and Münzner, Karla and Osakpolor, Stephen e. and Bonacina, Luca and Nava, Veronica and Drohan, Emma and Fenoy, Encarnation and Llorente, Alfredo and Mathieu-Resuge, Margaux and Halabowski, Dariusz and Juvigny-Khenafou, Noël P.d. and Martelo, Joana and Nash, Liam and Fahy, Julie c. and Cunillera-Montcusí, David and Balibrea, David and Rimcheska, Biljana}},
  keywords     = {{freshwater; PUFA; food web; ecology; small water bodies; biomass}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Preprint}},
  publisher    = {{SSRN}},
  series       = {{Preprint}},
  title        = {{Nutrients on the Move: Investigating Large Scale Fatty Acid Exports from European Ponds Via Emerging Insects}},
  url          = {{https://ssrn.com/abstract=4930289}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}