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TITLE PAGE - acumen - The University of Alabama

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insects and larval salamanders have been correlated with resource availability (Dobson and<br />

Hildrew 1992; Wallace et al. 1999; Negishi & Richardson, 2003; Johnson and Wallace 2005),<br />

which suggests that the facultative species remained in the manipulation following the litter<br />

amendment because <strong>of</strong> the higher availability <strong>of</strong> resources (e.g. organic matter and prey).<br />

In addition to in-stream dispersal, oviposition by aerial adult insects also likely<br />

contributed to the higher biomass <strong>of</strong> facultative macroinvertebrates in the manipulation reach.<br />

Aerial adult dipterans have been recorded in six cave systems near (≤ 40 km) Bluff River Cave<br />

(M.P. Venarsky, personal observation). Prior to and following the litter amendment, aerial adult<br />

dipterans were observed near the Bluff River Cave entrance and in both study reaches. Adult<br />

Ephemeroptera were also observed emerging from the manipulation reach during one sampling<br />

period following the litter amendment. Thus, cave streams can potentially be both actively (e.g.<br />

migration or oviposition) and passively (e.g. dispersal during flooding) colonized by facultative<br />

macroinvertebrate species.<br />

Lastly, the increase in facultative biomass within the manipulation reach can also be<br />

attributed to the growth <strong>of</strong> individuals. <strong>The</strong> δ 13 C composition <strong>of</strong> both facultative and obligate<br />

consumers within the manipulation reach indicated that corn-carbon was assimilated into animal<br />

tissue. In some taxa, such as Ephemeroptera and Chironomidae, a majority <strong>of</strong> the carbon within<br />

body tissues was acquired from the corn-litter, while the biomass <strong>of</strong> larger consumers like C.<br />

tenebrosus appeared to be composed <strong>of</strong> a lower portion <strong>of</strong> corn-derived carbon. <strong>The</strong><br />

discrepancies in δ 13 C composition among taxa can be attributed to several factors, including i)<br />

body size and growth rates, which influence tissue turnover (e.g. crayfish vs. Chironomidae), ii)<br />

time spent feeding in the manipulation reach prior to sampling, and iii) species mobility, which<br />

would allow a species to feed within both study reaches (e.g. mobile crayfish). Regardless <strong>of</strong><br />

53

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