Grass shrimp (Palaemonetes spp.) play a pivotal trophic role in enhancing Ruppia maritima
Grass shrimp (Palaemonetes spp.) play a pivotal trophic role in enhancing Ruppia maritima
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DOI：
10.1890/06-0375
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发表时间：
2007-03-01
期刊：
影响因子：
4.8
通讯作者：
Rakocinski, Chet F.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
McCall, Donna Drury;Rakocinski, Chet F.
营养-工程耦合作用对于维持栖息地功能和生态系统服务具有潜在的重要意义。作为短暂的沉水水生植被(SAV)，Ruppia maritima的生长-衰老周期很短，应该从任何改善其身体状况和寿命的生态相互作用中受益。草虾(Palaemonetes spp.)是潮汐沼泽和SAV生境中丰富的附生藻类兼性捕食者和营养物质的传送者。在美国密西西比州大湾国家河口研究保护区进行的一系列三项野外实验中，添加草虾持续提高了Ruppia的生物量和新梢密度。在两个实验中，草虾对附生植物的放牧通过抑制Ruppia生活史中后期的死亡来增强Ruppia。在第三个实验中，尽管草虾对附生植物的捕食作用不明显，但在其早期生长阶段也促进了鲁皮亚的生长。在该试验中，营养添加也显著增加了附生植物的生物量。在第三个实验中，草虾可能通过粪便直接沉积到底泥中而促进了鲁皮亚的早期生长。草虾通过与SAV生活史阶段、季节和营养限制相关的上下文相互作用，在Ruppia的维持中发挥着关键的营养作用。
Coupled trophic-engineer interactions are potentially important for maintaining habitat function and ecosystem services. As ephemeral submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), Ruppia maritima has a short well-defined growth-senescence cycle and should benefit from any ecological interaction that enhances its physical condition and longevity. Grass shrimp (Palaemonetes spp.) are abundant facultative grazers of epiphytic algae and conveyors of nutrients in tidal marsh and SAV habitats. Grass shrimp addition consistently enhanced Ruppia biomass and shoot density in a series of three field experiments conducted in Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi, USA. In two experiments, epiphyte grazing by grass shrimp enhanced Ruppia by inhibiting die-back during the mid- and latter stages of the Ruppia life cycle. Despite a nonsignificant epiphyte grazing effect, grass shrimp also enhanced Ruppia during its early growth stage in a third experiment. In that experiment, nutrient addition also significantly increased epiphyte biomass. Grass shrimp may have fostered the early growth of Ruppia through direct deposition of feces to the sediment in the third experiment. Grass shrimp play a pivotal trophic role in the maintenance of Ruppia through context-dependent interactions involving stage of the SAV life cycle, season, and nutrient limitation.