DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The influence of wildfire on food-chain length and aquatic-terrestrial connectivity: a before-after approach

Ohio State University, The, Columbus OH

Investigators

Abstract

Although wildfires are important disturbances in ecosystems in the mountains of the American West, their effects on streams remains unresolved. In particular, wildfires may have a strong influence on the way stream and riparian food webs interact, which may further influence diversity and stability of ecological communities. This research will build on three years of pre-fire research to investigate the influence of the Rim Fire, an unusually large and severe wildfire, on the interconnections between stream and riparian food webs. Invertebrate food webs will be analyzed in small tributary streams of the Tuolumne and Merced Rivers, which flow within the burned areas of Yosemite National Park, CA. The approach will consist of coordinated surveys of stream and riparian habitat, aquatic insects, and riparian spiders as well as analyses of energy pathways between stream primary producers and riparian consumers. This research will provide an empirical understanding of how wildfires may act as a disturbance agents to influence linked aquatic and terrestrial food webs. By advancing our understanding of the short-term effects of wildfire on ecosystem function, this study will inform fire-management policy that supports maintenance and restoration of stream and riparian ecosystem services. Educational and human resource benefits from the proposed study include training of graduate and undergraduate students participating in research activities. In addition, results from this work will be shared in workshops geared toward Resource Advisors and Fire Management Officers from the National Park Service, USDA Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and California State and County Parks. Additionally, presentations will be offered to undergraduates at the University of California at Merced Yosemite Environmental Science Research Training summer semester.