Dissertation Research: Spatial Subsidies and the Stability of Planktonic Food Webs in Ponds

University Of Chicago, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

Proposal # 0206015 Leibold and Geddes. Abstract. Identifying factors that could stabilize or destabilize particular systems reflects the need to understand ecological processes because of concerns regarding how increased instability could yield loss of species and/or ecosystem functioning. Evidence that spatial subsidies might be more common than previously thought led prior research to assess the generality of such inputs. Although theoretical models suggest that subsidies could stabilize food webs, no experimental evidence supports such claim. The proposed research goes beyond recognizing that subsidies are ubiquitous by addressing their role on the dynamic behavior and functioning of planktonic pond food webs. Specifically, it addresses how food webs with configurations that differ in species richness and identity respond to subsidies, and how multiple subsidies interact with predation to mediate stability and ecosystem functioning. Ideally, results from this research will determine the effects of subsidies on food webs and ecosystems by bridging current gaps among theoretical, empirical, and correlational studies.