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Life-history traits buffer against heat wave effects on predator-prey dynamics in zooplankton

Zhang, Huan LU ; Urrutia-Cordero, Pablo LU ; He, Liang ; Geng, Hong LU ; Chaguaceda, Fernando ; Xu, Jun LU and Hansson, Lars Anders LU orcid (2018) In Global Change Biology 24(10). p.4747-4757
Abstract

In addition to an increase in mean temperature, extreme climatic events, such as heat waves, are predicted to increase in frequency and intensity with climate change, which are likely to affect organism interactions, seasonal succession, and resting stage recruitment patterns in terrestrial as well as in aquatic ecosystems. For example, freshwater zooplankton with different life-history strategies, such as sexual or parthenogenetic reproduction, may respond differently to increased mean temperatures and rapid temperature fluctuations. Therefore, we conducted a long-term (18 months) mesocosm experiment where we evaluated the effects of increased mean temperature (4°C) and an identical energy input but delivered through temperature... (More)

In addition to an increase in mean temperature, extreme climatic events, such as heat waves, are predicted to increase in frequency and intensity with climate change, which are likely to affect organism interactions, seasonal succession, and resting stage recruitment patterns in terrestrial as well as in aquatic ecosystems. For example, freshwater zooplankton with different life-history strategies, such as sexual or parthenogenetic reproduction, may respond differently to increased mean temperatures and rapid temperature fluctuations. Therefore, we conducted a long-term (18 months) mesocosm experiment where we evaluated the effects of increased mean temperature (4°C) and an identical energy input but delivered through temperature fluctuations, i.e., as heat waves. We show that different rotifer prey species have specific temperature requirements and use limited and species-specific temperature windows for recruiting from the sediment. On the contrary, co-occurring predatory cyclopoid copepods recruit from adult or subadult resting stages and are therefore able to respond to short-term temperature fluctuations. Hence, these different life-history strategies affect the interactions between cyclopoid copepods and rotifers by reducing the risk of a temporal mismatch in predator-prey dynamics in a climate change scenario. Thus, we conclude that predatory cyclopoid copepods with long generation time are likely to benefit from heat waves since they rapidly "wake up" even at short temperature elevations and thereby suppress fast reproducing prey populations, such as rotifers. In a broader perspective, our findings suggest that differences in life-history traits will affect predator-prey interactions, and thereby alter community dynamics, in a future climate change scenario.

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author
; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Climate change, Copepods, Heat waves, Mesocosms, Predator-prey, Resting stage, Rotifer, Zooplankton
in
Global Change Biology
volume
24
issue
10
pages
4747 - 4757
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:85050773387
  • pmid:29963731
ISSN
1354-1013
DOI
10.1111/gcb.14371
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
251ec087-517e-47d4-b71a-d17c38a96f4e
date added to LUP
2018-10-01 13:07:46
date last changed
2024-02-14 03:34:41
@article{251ec087-517e-47d4-b71a-d17c38a96f4e,
  abstract     = {{<p>In addition to an increase in mean temperature, extreme climatic events, such as heat waves, are predicted to increase in frequency and intensity with climate change, which are likely to affect organism interactions, seasonal succession, and resting stage recruitment patterns in terrestrial as well as in aquatic ecosystems. For example, freshwater zooplankton with different life-history strategies, such as sexual or parthenogenetic reproduction, may respond differently to increased mean temperatures and rapid temperature fluctuations. Therefore, we conducted a long-term (18 months) mesocosm experiment where we evaluated the effects of increased mean temperature (4°C) and an identical energy input but delivered through temperature fluctuations, i.e., as heat waves. We show that different rotifer prey species have specific temperature requirements and use limited and species-specific temperature windows for recruiting from the sediment. On the contrary, co-occurring predatory cyclopoid copepods recruit from adult or subadult resting stages and are therefore able to respond to short-term temperature fluctuations. Hence, these different life-history strategies affect the interactions between cyclopoid copepods and rotifers by reducing the risk of a temporal mismatch in predator-prey dynamics in a climate change scenario. Thus, we conclude that predatory cyclopoid copepods with long generation time are likely to benefit from heat waves since they rapidly "wake up" even at short temperature elevations and thereby suppress fast reproducing prey populations, such as rotifers. In a broader perspective, our findings suggest that differences in life-history traits will affect predator-prey interactions, and thereby alter community dynamics, in a future climate change scenario.</p>}},
  author       = {{Zhang, Huan and Urrutia-Cordero, Pablo and He, Liang and Geng, Hong and Chaguaceda, Fernando and Xu, Jun and Hansson, Lars Anders}},
  issn         = {{1354-1013}},
  keywords     = {{Climate change; Copepods; Heat waves; Mesocosms; Predator-prey; Resting stage; Rotifer; Zooplankton}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{07}},
  number       = {{10}},
  pages        = {{4747--4757}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Global Change Biology}},
  title        = {{Life-history traits buffer against heat wave effects on predator-prey dynamics in zooplankton}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14371}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/gcb.14371}},
  volume       = {{24}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}