Does a link between rainfall and predators drive changes in stream fish community structure? скачать в хорошем качестве

Does a link between rainfall and predators drive changes in stream fish community structure?

New data from nine streams on the Texas coastal plain suggest that differences in rainfall patterns affect the influence predatory fishes have in aquatic communities. Through 'environmentally-mediated top-down control', changes in rainfall and hydrological stability leading to changes in predator populations may drive changes in the structure and function of food webs in these ecosystems. Ultimately, understanding these dynamics between climate (i.e. precipitation patterns and hydrology), predators, and aquatic food webs may be highly valuable in predicting how aquatic systems, which provide critical ecological and economic services to human communities worldwide, will respond in the face of a changing global climate. This presentation was given at the Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting in Grand Rapids, Michigan, May 2022.