Consumption of terrestrial organic matter in the rocky intertidal zone along the central Oregon coast

Fairbanks, Douglas O.; McArthur, J. Vaun; Young, Craig M.; Rader, Russell B.

doi:10.1002/ecs2.2138

Title: Consumption of terrestrial organic matter in the rocky intertidal zone along the central Oregon coast

Journal Article · 06 March 2018 · Ecosphere

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2138 · OSTI ID:1423921

Fairbanks, Douglas O. ^[1]; McArthur, J. Vaun ^[2]; Young, Craig M. ^[3]; Rader, Russell B. ^[1]

Brigham Young Univ., Provo, UT (United States). Dept. of Biology
Savannah River Ecology Lab., Aiken, SC (United States)
Univ. of Oregon, Charleston, OR (United States). Oregon Inst. of Marine Biology

Terrestrial organic matter (TOM) constitutes an important source of energy in many aquatic environments. This is the first study to compare the consumption of terrestrial leaves (Alnus rubra) to high-quality (Nereocystis luetkeana) and low-quality (Fucus gardneri) sources of drift kelp and low-quality seagrass (Phyllospadix spp.) in pools of the rocky intertidal zone on Cape Arago, Oregon, USA. On average, 1.02 kg ash-free dry mass (AFDM) per day of TOM was transported by small forested streams during fall leaf abscission to the rocky intertidal zone in small pocket bays. Leaves of A. rubra (red alder) varied in wrack from negligible (12 g AFDM/m²) on some beaches to the primary source of detritus on others (256 g AFDM/m²). Long-term feeding experiments (months) showed that consumption rates of A. rubra in the spring (19.7% of the initial pack biomass) and in the fall (52% of the initial pack biomass) were intermediate between those of N. luetkeana (fully consumed) and Phyllospadix spp. (never >10% consumed of the initial pack biomass). Long-term experiments also showed that conditioned fall-shed leaves of A. rubra were consumed at a faster rate (52.3% of initial pack biomass) than spring-shed leaves of A. rubra (16.8% of initial pack biomass). Short-term feeding experiments again showed that consumption of A. rubra in the spring (18.6% of initial pack biomass over 3 d) and fall (16.7% over 7 d) was intermediate between N. luetkeana (57.3% consumed over 3 d in the spring and 60.7% over 7 d in the fall) and Phyllospadix spp. (<1% consumed in the spring). Except for Phyllospadix spp., consumption rates followed polyphenolic concentrations in that, N. luetkeana (418 mg/mL) > A. rubra (3415 mg/mL) > F. gardneri (8098 mg/mL). Phyllospadix spp. was rarely consumed despite a fairly low concentration of phenolics (800 mg/mL). In the temperate zone, leaves of A. rubra may constitute an important source of energy during the fall and winter when more nutritious marine resources dieback, such as single-celled algae and kelp (e.g., N. luetkeana).

View Journal Article

Cite

Export

Save

Research Organization:: Savannah River Ecology Lab., Aiken, SC (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: FC09-96SR18546; DE‐FC09‐96SR18546

OSTI ID:: 1423921

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1433411; OSTI ID: 1505141

Journal Information:: Ecosphere, Vol. 9, Issue 3; ISSN 2150-8925

Publisher:: Ecological Society of AmericaCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (71)

The Quantification of Stream Drift Allan, J. David; Russek, Estelle Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Vol. 42, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1139/f85-028	journal	February 1985
Importance of terrestrial subsidies for estuarine food webs in contrasting East African catchments Abrantes, Kátya G.; Barnett, Adam; Marwick, Trent R. Ecosphere, Vol. 4, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1890/ES12-00322.1	journal	January 2013
Revisiting Odum (1956): A synthesis of aquatic ecosystem metabolism Hoellein, Timothy J.; Bruesewitz, Denise A.; Richardson, David C. Limnology and Oceanography, Vol. 58, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.2013.58.6.2089	journal	November 2013
δ¹³C evidence of the origins and fates of organic carbon in estuarine and near-shore food webs Simenstad, Ca; Wissmar, Rc Marine Ecology Progress Series, Vol. 22 https://doi.org/10.3354/meps022141	journal	January 1985
Factors influencing egg size in the gammarid amphipod Gammarus insensibilis Sheader, M. Marine Biology, Vol. 124, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00351033	journal	February 1996
Consumption of terrestrial organic matter by estuarine molluscs determined by analysis of their stable isotopes and cellulase activity Antonio, Emily S.; Kasai, Akihide; Ueno, Masahiro Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, Vol. 86, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2009.05.010	journal	February 2010
Seagrass herbivory:evidence for the continued grazing of marine grasses Valentine, Jf; Heck, Kl Marine Ecology Progress Series, Vol. 176 https://doi.org/10.3354/meps176291	journal	January 1999
Red alder leaf decomposition and nutrient release in alder and conifer riparian patches in western Washington, USA Edmonds, Robert L.; Tuttle, Kerri Mikkelsen Forest Ecology and Management, Vol. 259, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2010.03.011	journal	May 2010
Reciprocal subsidies between freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems structure consumer resource dynamics Bartels, Pia; Cucherousset, Julien; Steger, Kristin Ecology, Vol. 93, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1890/11-1210.1	journal	May 2012
Consumption of leaf detritus by a stream shredder: Influence of tree species and nutrient status Irons, John G.; Oswood, Mark W.; Bryant, John P. Hydrobiologia, Vol. 160, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00014278	journal	March 1988
Leaf dynamics of a deciduous forest canopy: no response to elevated CO 2 Norby, Richard J.; Sholtis, Johnna D.; Gunderson, Carla A. Oecologia, Vol. 136, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-003-1296-2	journal	August 2003
Energy Flow in Bear Brook, New Hampshire: An Integrative Approach to Stream Ecosystem Metabolism Fisher, Stuart G.; Likens, Gene E. Ecological Monographs, Vol. 43, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.2307/1942301	journal	February 1973
Organic Matter flow in Stream food webs with Reduced Detrital Resource base Hall, Robert O.; Wallace, J. Bruce; Eggert, Susan L. Ecology, Vol. 81, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(2000)081[3445:OMFISF]2.0.CO;2	journal	December 2000
Herbivory and Detritivory on Freshwater Macrophytes by Invertebrates: A Review Newman, Raymond M. Journal of the North American Benthological Society, Vol. 10, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.2307/1467571	journal	June 1991
Riparian litter inputs to streams in the central Oregon Coast Range Hart, Stephanie K.; Hibbs, David E.; Perakis, Steven S. Freshwater Science, Vol. 32, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1899/12-074.1	journal	March 2013
Effect of Nutrient Content on Leaf Decomposition in a Coastal Plain Stream: A Comparison of Green and Senescent Leaves Leff, Laura G.; Vaun McArthur, J. Journal of Freshwater Ecology, Vol. 5, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1080/02705060.1990.9665240	journal	June 1990
Activation of chemical defenses in the tropical green algae Halimeda spp. Paul, Valerie J.; Van Alstyne, Kathryn L. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, Vol. 160, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-0981(92)90237-5	journal	October 1992
Detrital processing in seagrass systems: A review of factors affecting decay rates, remineralization and detritivory Harrison, Paul G. Aquatic Botany, Vol. 35, Issue 3-4 https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3770(89)90002-8	journal	November 1989
Multi-stressor impacts on fungal diversity and ecosystem functions in streams: natural vs. anthropogenic stress Tolkkinen, M.; Mykrä, H.; Annala, M. Ecology, Vol. 96, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1890/14-0743.1	journal	March 2015
Seasonal and inter-annual variation in occurrence and biomass of rooted macrophytes and drift algae in shallow bays Berglund, J.; Mattila, J.; Rönnberg, O. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, Vol. 56, Issue 5-6 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-7714(02)00326-8	journal	April 2003
Reproduction, development, growth, and the length of larval life of Phascolosoma turnerae, a wood-dwelling deep-sea sipunculan Rice, Mary E.; Reichardt, Hugh F.; Piraino, Julianne Invertebrate Biology, Vol. 131, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7410.2012.00267.x	journal	July 2012
Effects of retention site on breakdown of organic matter in a mountain stream Flores, Lorea; Díez, Jose Ramón; Larrañaga, Aitor Freshwater Biology, Vol. 58, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.12125	journal	March 2013
Maintenance of an Exceptional Intertidal Grazer Biomass in South Africa: Subsidy by Subtidal Kelps Bustamante, R. H.; Branch, G. M.; Eekhout, S. Ecology, Vol. 76, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.2307/1941704	journal	October 1995
Macrofaunal involvement in the sublittoral decay of kelp debris: The sea urchin Psammechinus miliaris (Gmelin) (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) Bedford, A. P.; Moore, P. G. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, Vol. 20, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/0272-7714(85)90116-7	journal	January 1985
Minireview-Predicting the Effects of Brown Algal Phlorotannins on Marine Herbivores in Tropical and Temperate Oceans Targett, Nancy M.; Arnold, Thomas M. Journal of Phycology, Vol. 34, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1529-8817.1998.340195.x	journal	April 1998
Experimental deep-sea deployments reveal diverse Northeast Pacific wood-boring bivalves of Xylophagainae (Myoida: Pholadidae) Voight, Janet R. Journal of Molluscan Studies, Vol. 73, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1093/mollus/eym034	journal	November 2007
Nearshore Accumulations of Detached Macrophytes as Nursery Areas for Fish Lenanton, Rcj; Robertson, Ai; Hansen, Ja Marine Ecology Progress Series, Vol. 9 https://doi.org/10.3354/meps009051	journal	January 1982
Food-web composition affects cross-ecosystem interactions and subsidies: Cross-ecosystem interactions and subsidies Romero, Gustavo Q.; Srivastava, Diane S. Journal of Animal Ecology, Vol. 79, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2656.2010.01716.x	journal	June 2010
Food webs, trophic cascades and community structure Polis, Gary A. Australian Journal of Ecology, Vol. 19, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-9993.1994.tb00475.x	journal	June 1994
ECOSYSTEM SUBSIDIES: TERRESTRIAL SUPPORT OF AQUATIC FOOD WEBS FROM ¹³ C ADDITION TO CONTRASTING LAKES Carpenter, Stephen R.; Cole, Jonathan J.; Pace, Michael L. Ecology, Vol. 86, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1890/04-1282	journal	October 2005
Seagrass nutrient content Duarte, Cm Marine Ecology Progress Series, Vol. 67 https://doi.org/10.3354/meps067201	journal	January 1990
The shell selection behaviour of two closely related hermit crabs Mesce, Karen A. Animal Behaviour, Vol. 45, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1006/anbe.1993.1081	journal	April 1993
Consumption of drift kelp by intertidal populations of the sea urchin Tetrapygus niger on the central Chilean coast: possible consequences at different ecological levels Rodríguez, Sr Marine Ecology Progress Series, Vol. 251 https://doi.org/10.3354/meps251141	journal	January 2003
Net Heterotrophy in Small Danish Lakes: A Widespread Feature Over Gradients in Trophic Status and Land Cover Sand-Jensen, Kaj; Staehr, Peter A. Ecosystems, Vol. 12, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-008-9226-0	journal	January 2009
The role of fungi in the nutrition of stream invertebrates BÄRlocher, Felix Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, Vol. 91, Issue 1-2 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8339.1985.tb01137.x	journal	July 1985
TOWARD AN INTEGRATION OF LANDSCAPE AND FOOD WEB ECOLOGY:The Dynamics of Spatially Subsidized Food Webs Polis, Gary A.; Anderson, Wendy B.; Holt, Robert D. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, Vol. 28, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.28.1.289	journal	November 1997
Reproductive Potential Can Predict Recruitment Rates in Abalone Rossetto, Marisa; Leo, Giulio Alessandro De; Greenley, Ashley Journal of Shellfish Research, Vol. 32, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.2983/035.032.0122	journal	April 2013
The breeding of Balanus porcatus (Da Costa) in the Irish Sea Crisp, D. J. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, Vol. 33, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025315400008481	journal	June 1954
Diversity and reproduction of near-shore vs offshore wood-boring bivalves (Pholadidae: Xylophagainae) of the deep eastern Pacific ocean, with three new species Voight, J. R. Journal of Molluscan Studies, Vol. 75, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1093/mollus/eyp012	journal	January 2009
Reconciling the temperature dependence of respiration across timescales and ecosystem types Yvon-Durocher, Gabriel; Caffrey, Jane M.; Cescatti, Alessandro Nature, Vol. 487, Issue 7408 https://doi.org/10.1038/nature11205	journal	June 2012
Diet selection by a ruminant generalist browser in relation to plant chemistry McArthur, C.; Robbins, C. T.; Hagerman, A. E. Canadian Journal of Zoology, Vol. 71, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1139/z93-314	journal	November 1993
Food preference studies and ingestion rate measurements of the mangrove amphipod Parhyale hawaiensis (Dana) Poovachiranon, S.; Boto, K.; Duke, N. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, Vol. 98, Issue 1-2 https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-0981(86)90078-X	journal	January 1986
Community Interactions on Marine Rocky Intertidal Shores Connell, J. H. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, Vol. 3, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.es.03.110172.001125	journal	November 1972
Least-Squares Means: The R Package lsmeans Lenth, Russell V. Journal of Statistical Software, Vol. 69, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.18637/jss.v069.i01	journal	January 2016
Green Leaf Decomposition in Coastal Plain Streams McArthur, J. Vaun; Leff, Laura G.; Kovacic, David A. Journal of Freshwater Ecology, Vol. 3, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1080/02705060.1986.9665149	journal	December 1986
Linking Marine and Terrestrial Food Webs: Allochthonous Input from the Ocean Supports High Secondary Productivity on Small Islands and Coastal Land Communities Polis, Gary A.; Hurd, Stephen D. The American Naturalist, Vol. 147, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1086/285858	journal	March 1996
Diet and Growth in the Black Abalone, Haliotis cracerodii Leighton, David; Boolootian, Richard A. Ecology, Vol. 44, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.2307/1932170	journal	April 1963
Hagfish in the new Zealand Fjords are Supported by Chemoautotrophy of Forest Carbon McLeod, Rebecca J.; Wing, Stephen R. Ecology, Vol. 88, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1890/06-1342	journal	April 2007
Spatial subsidy in the subtidal zone: utilization of drift algae by a deep subtidal sea urchin Britton-Simmons, Kh; Foley, G.; Okamoto, D. Aquatic Biology, Vol. 5 https://doi.org/10.3354/ab00154	journal	May 2009
Suspended Particulate Organic Matter Concentration and Export in Streams Golladay, Stephen W. Journal of the North American Benthological Society, Vol. 16, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.2307/1468245	journal	March 1997
What happens to terrestrial organic matter in the ocean? Hedges, J. I.; Keil, R. G.; Benner, R. Organic Geochemistry, Vol. 27, Issue 5-6 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0146-6380(97)00066-1	journal	November 1997
Production and fate of kelp detritus Krumhansl, Ka; Scheibling, Re Marine Ecology Progress Series, Vol. 467 https://doi.org/10.3354/meps09940	journal	October 2012
Resource subsidies across the land-freshwater interface and responses in recipient communities Richardson, John S.; Zhang, Yixin; Marczak, Laurie B. River Research and Applications, Vol. 26, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.1283	journal	July 2009
The Trophic Significance of Bacteria in a Detritus-Based Stream food web Hall, Robert O.; Meyer, Judy L. Ecology, Vol. 79, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(1998)079[1995:TTSOBI]2.0.CO;2	journal	September 1998
Vascular Plant Breakdown in Freshwater Ecosystems Webster, J. R.; Benfield, E. F. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, Vol. 17, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.es.17.110186.003031	journal	November 1986
Quantitative studies on gonad cycle, fecundity, reproductive output and recruitment in a baltic Mytilus edulis population Kautsky, N. Marine Biology, Vol. 68, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00397601	journal	June 1982
Supply-side ecology and benthic marine assemblages Underwood, A. J.; Fairweather, P. G. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Vol. 4, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/0169-5347(89)90008-6	journal	January 1989
Storm versus calm: Variation in fauna associated with drifting macrophytes in sandy beach surf zones Baring, Ryan J.; Fairweather, Peter G.; Lester, Rebecca E. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, Vol. 461 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2014.09.011	journal	December 2014
Predicting the oceanic input of organic carbon by continental erosion Ludwig, Wolfgang; Probst, Jean-Luc; Kempe, Stefan Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Vol. 10, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1029/95GB02925	journal	March 1996
The Detritus Nitrogen Problem: New Observations and Perspectives from Organic Geochemistry Rice, Dl Marine Ecology Progress Series, Vol. 9 https://doi.org/10.3354/meps009153	journal	January 1982
An assessment of seaweed decomposition within a southern Strait of Georgia seaweed community Smith, B. D.; Foreman, R. E. Marine Biology, Vol. 84, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00393005	journal	January 1984
Kelp forest ecosystems: biodiversity, stability, resilience and future Steneck, Robert S.; Graham, Michael H.; Bourque, Bruce J. Environmental Conservation, Vol. 29, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892902000322	journal	December 2002
Broad sampling and diverse biomarkers allow characterization of nearshore particulate organic matter Lowe, Alexander T.; Galloway, Aaron W. E.; Yeung, J. Sean Oikos, Vol. 123, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.01392	journal	June 2014
A paradoxical mismatch of fecundity and recruitment in deep-sea opportunists: Cocculinid and pseudococculinid limpets colonizing vascular plant remains on the Bahamian Slope Young, Craig M.; Emson, Roland H.; Rice, Mary E. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, Vol. 92 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2013.01.027	journal	August 2013
Trophic structure of the marine food web at the Prince Edward Islands (Southern Ocean) determined by d13C and d15N analysis Kaehler, S.; Pakhomov, Ea; McQuaid, Cd Marine Ecology Progress Series, Vol. 208 https://doi.org/10.3354/meps208013	journal	January 2000
Changes in the Chemical Composition of Leaves During Processing in a Woodland Stream Suberkropp, K.; Godshalk, G. L.; Klug, M. J. Ecology, Vol. 57, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.2307/1936185	journal	July 1976
Premature Leaf Abscission: An Induced Plant Defense Against Gall Aphids Williams, Alan G.; Whitham, Thomas G. Ecology, Vol. 67, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.2307/1939093	journal	December 1986
Nutritional Quality and Tannin Astringency of Browse in Clear-Cuts and Old-Growth Forests Happe, Patricia J.; Jenkins, Kurt J.; Starkey, Edward E. The Journal of Wildlife Management, Vol. 54, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.2307/3809349	journal	October 1990
Sedimentary organic matter geochemistry of Clayoquot Sound, Vancouver Island, British Columbia Nuwer, Jonathan M.; Keil, Richard G. Limnology and Oceanography, Vol. 50, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.2005.50.4.1119	journal	July 2005
Annual reproductive cycles of the commercial sea urchinParacentrotus lividus from an exposed intertidal and a sheltered subtidal habitat on the west coast of Ireland Byrne, M. Marine Biology, Vol. 104, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01313269	journal	June 1990
Intertidal coarse woody debris: A spatial subsidy as shelter or feeding habitat for gastropods? Storry, Kristin A.; Weldrick, Christine K.; Mews, Malte Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, Vol. 66, Issue 1-2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2005.08.005	journal	January 2006

Figures / Tables (15)

Similar Records

Seasonal Nutrient Dynamics of Foliage and Litterfall on Walker Branch Watershed, a Deciduous Forest Ecosystem

Technical Report · 1999 · OSTI ID:814435

Soil ingestion by mule deer in northcentral Colorado

Journal Article · 1979 · J. Range Manage.; (United States) · OSTI ID:5376225

Arthur, III, W J; Alldredge, A W

Nitrogen processing by grazers in a headwater stream: riparian connections

Journal Article · 2016 · Freshwater Biology · OSTI ID:1354680

Hill, Walter R.; Griffiths, Natalie A.

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ecosystem linkages
marine consumers eat red alder leaves
rocky intertidal consumers
terrestrial organic matter

Title: Consumption of terrestrial organic matter in the rocky intertidal zone along the central Oregon coast

Citation Formats

References (71)

Figures / Tables (15)

Similar Records

Related Subjects