Stage-Structured Predation Effects on Aquatic Insect Emergence and Spider Abundance

An 85% reduction in adult aquatic insect emergence to land was observed when fish predation was manipulated in a freshwater food web. The research, led by Jeff S. Wesner of the University of South Dakota, demonstrates how stage-specific predation regulates cross-ecosystem resource flows. Fish had weaker effects on larval aquatic insects, reducing dry mass by 63%.

Use Cases

• Modeling stage-structured predation impacts based on experimental manipulation data
• Analyzing cross-ecosystem subsidy regulation based on insect emergence and spider abundance metrics
• Studying food web interactions based on stage-specific effects on prey taxa

Strengths

• Quantifies a strong effect: fish reduced adult insect emergence by 85 ± 0.04%
• Reports a substantial secondary effect: a ~40% reduction in terrestrial spider abundance
• Compares stage-specific impacts, showing a weaker 63% reduction in larval dry mass

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified

Provenance

Source

University of South Dakota

Collection Method

Experimental manipulation of fish predation in a freshwater food web.