1993
Wootton, J. T.; Power, M. E.
Productivity, consumers, and the structure of a river food chain Journal Article
In: PNAS, vol. 90, no. 4, pp. 1384-1387, 1993.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: consumers, productivity, river food chain
@article{Wootton1993,
title = {Productivity, consumers, and the structure of a river food chain},
author = {J. T. Wootton and M. E. Power},
url = {https://angelo.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/59/Wootton_1993_PNAS.pdf},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.90.4.1384},
year = {1993},
date = {1993-02-15},
journal = {PNAS},
volume = {90},
number = {4},
pages = {1384-1387},
abstract = {We tested models of food chain dynamics in experimentally manipulated channels within a natural river. As light levels increased, primary productivity and the biomass of algae and primary predators increased, but the biomass of grazers remained relatively constant. In the presence of a fourth trophic level, algae and primary predators decreased, but grazers increased. These results match predictions of food chain models based on classical predator-prey theory and suggest that simple models of multitrophic level interactions are sometimes sufficient to predict the responses of natural communities to changes in environmental productivity and predators.},
keywords = {consumers, productivity, river food chain},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
We tested models of food chain dynamics in experimentally manipulated channels within a natural river. As light levels increased, primary productivity and the biomass of algae and primary predators increased, but the biomass of grazers remained relatively constant. In the presence of a fourth trophic level, algae and primary predators decreased, but grazers increased. These results match predictions of food chain models based on classical predator-prey theory and suggest that simple models of multitrophic level interactions are sometimes sufficient to predict the responses of natural communities to changes in environmental productivity and predators.