OOS 48

Effects of Disturbance on Consumer Mediated Habitat Linkages

One pervasive consequence of increasing disturbance regimes is the simplification of foodwebs. Such simplifications are having profound effects, not only within disturbed ecosystems, but others that maybe connected to the disturbed system via consumer mediated habitat linkages. Consumer mediated habitat linkages can be defined as the transport of biomass to spatially distinct foodwebs through movements of heterotrophic species. These linkages can emerge from the movement of biomass from one ecosystem to the next via consumer ontogenic, seasonal, and reproductive migrations, and also more frequent consumer movements between foraging and refuge habitats. These trophic linkages across disparate foodwebs can govern processes at every ecological scale, substantially contributing to the stability, resistance capacity and resiliency of many natural systems. However, disturbance such as eutrophication, species invasions, overfishing, and other climate disturbances can alter these linkages, driving cascading changes to recipient ecosystems. Yet, how disturbance functions to alter these consumer mediated habitat linkages remains understudied. In this organized special session, we will present a series of cases studies showing how disturbance may either strengthen or weaken consumer mediated connectivity between spatially separated food webs. Speakers will also be encouraged to discuss how changes in these consumer mediated habitat linkages may alter key traits of ecosystem function. With disturbance regimes predicted to become more frequent, it is important that we identify how these perturbations change important consumer mediated habitat linkages, in order to understand future effects on recipient ecosystems that rely on these trophic subsidies.