Biogeographic features mediate marine subsidies to island food webs

Debora S. Obrist*, Patrick J. Hanly, Norah E.M. Brown, Christopher M. Ernst, Sara B. Wickham, Owen T. Fitzpatrick, Jeremiah C. Kennedy, Wiebe Nijland, Luba Y. Reshitnyk, Chris T. Darimont, Brian M. Starzomski, John D. Reynolds

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Although marine subsidies often enrich terrestrial ecosystems, their influence is known to be context-dependent. Additionally, the multitrophic impact of marine subsidies has not been traced through food webs across physically diverse islands. Here, we test predictions about how island characteristics can affect marine enrichment of food web constituents and how nutrients flow through island food webs. To evaluate enrichment and trace marine nutrients across food webs, we used stable isotopes of soil, flora, and fauna (n = 4752 samples) collected from 97 islands in British Columbia, Canada. Island area was the strongest predictor of enrichment across taxa; we found that samples were more 15N-rich on smaller islands. Enrichment declined with distance from shore but less so on small islands, implying a higher per-unit-area subsidy effect. These area and distance-to-shore effects were taxon-specific, and nearly twice as strong in basal food web groups. We also found that increases in δ15N correlated with increases in %N in basal trophic groups, as well as in songbirds, implying biologically relevant uptake of a potentially limiting nutrient. Path analysis demonstrated that subsidies in soil flow through plants and detritivores, and into upper-level consumers. Our results reveal an interplay between island biogeography and marine subsidies in shaping island food webs through bottom-up processes.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere4171
JournalEcosphere
Volume13
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2022

Keywords

  • cross-boundary nutrient transfers
  • food webs
  • island biogeography
  • marine-derived nutrients
  • meta-ecosystem
  • spatial subsidies
  • stable isotopes
  • trophic ecology

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