Individual size distributions across North American streams vary with local temperature
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-25-2021
Department
Great Lakes Research Center
Abstract
Parameters describing the negative relationship between abundance and body size within ecological communities provide a summary of many important biological processes. While it is considered to be one of the few consistent patterns in ecology, spatiotemporal variation of this relationship across continental scale temperature gradients is unknown. Using a database of stream communities collected across North America (18-68° N latitude, -4 to 25°C mean annual air temperature) over 3 years, we constructed 160 individual size distribution relationships (i.e. abundance size spectra). The exponent parameter describing ISD's decreased (became steeper) with increasing mean annual temperature, with median slopes varying by ~0.2 units across the 29°C temperature gradient. In addition, total community biomass increased with increasing temperatures, contrary to theoretical predictions. Our study suggests conservation of individual size distribution relationships in streams across broad natural environmental gradients. This supports the emerging use of size-spectra deviations as indicators of fundamental changes to the structure and function of ecological communities.
Publication Title
Global change biology
Recommended Citation
Pomeranz, J. P.,
Junker, J. R.,
&
Wesner, J. S.
(2021).
Individual size distributions across North American streams vary with local temperature.
Global change biology.
http://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15862
Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/michigantech-p/15306