Abstract
Shredders play an important role in leaf decomposition in headwater streams; however, their activities can be affected by irregular leaf availability, shredder density, and interactions between species. We performed two experiments to evaluate the effects of interspecific (InterComp) and intraspecific (IntraComp) competition and food availability on survival and leaf consumption of two shredder species, Triplectides egleri and Phylloicus elektoros, of an Amazonian stream. We hypothesized that: (i) shredder density (InterComp and IntraComp experiments) has a negative effect on shredder survival and leaf consumption due to increase in interactions between individuals (e.g. direct encounters) that will lead to competition; and (ii) low food availability (IntraComp experiment) will increase competition among individuals, decreasing shredder survival and leaf consumption. In both experiments, high densities of shredders caused direct encounters between individuals and led to a decrease in survival and leaf consumption. Moreover, In the IntraComp experiment, lower survival and leaf consumption were observed in treatments with low food availability, probably associated with competitive interactions for limited resources. Our results indicate that decreased food availability, increased shredder density, and inter-and intraspecific interactions lead to competition for food and space, resulting in direct encounters between shredders and the occurrence of events such as cannibalism, and/or can inhibit feeding activities (e.g., avoiding conspecifics), thereby decreasing survival and leaf consumption.
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The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
RTM received fellowship from Programa de Apoio à Fixação de Doutores no Amazonas–FIXAM/AM (Amazonas State Research Foundation—FAPEAM) and visiting researcher fellowships from Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq 380592/2022-3). The collection, transport, and rearing of the larvae used in this study was under the ICMBIO license #52574. The present work was supported in part by INCT ADAPTA II funded by CNPq (465540/2014-7), FAPEAM (0621187/2017), CAPES–Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel, and FAPEAM-Program POSGRAD. VCF thanks the Graduate Program in Zoology—UFPA. The LACIA-INPA (Laboratório de Citotaxonimia e Insetos Aquáticos) and CNPq project (308970/2019-5) supported the invertebrate sampling and laboratory experiments.
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Firmino, V.C., Keppler, R.L.F., Gomes, E.S. et al. Effects of inter- and intraspecific competition and food availability on shredder invertebrates from an Amazonian stream. Aquat Sci 84, 39 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-022-00874-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-022-00874-3