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River damming affects energy flow and food web structure: a case study from a subtropical large river

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Abstract

The river discontinuity caused by damming can modify both the availability of production sources and the energy flow in riverine food webs. We hypothesized the carbon source support food web would vary among the reaches in response to changing in hydrogeomorphic conditions, and this variability further caused food web structure changes. To test our hypothesis, three different river reaches in the lower **sha River, China, were selected and the stable isotope ratios of basal sources and dominant consumers were analyzed in three seasons 2015. The relative importance of basal sources showed temporal and spatial difference to varying degrees. Seston were the most important carbon sources in supporting all consumers and the contributions increased from upstream to downstream. Riparian C3 plants played an important supplementary role in both reaches above the dam or only in the high flow period. Dam-induced flow alteration changed the trophic basis and the composition of food webs, resulting in a difference in the food web structures, and widening but with lowest complexity food web occurred in the downstream reach. The results further confirm that the differences in the hydrogeomorphologic conditions caused by dam construction can exert potential influence on riverine food web structures.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Ziwei Shen, Kaikai Du, Chuanshun Yang, and Bin Yang for their help in the field, and Ms. Yuan Ke for the stable isotope analysis. We greatly appreciate the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on the earlier version of the manuscript. This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51409262) and China Three Gorges Corporation (Program No. 0799555).

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  1. Fishery Eco-Environment Monitoring Center in Middle and Upper Reaches of Yangtze River of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fisheries Science, Wuhan, 430223, China

    Huijun Ru, Yunfeng Li, Liqiao Zhong & Zhaohui Ni

  2. Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Aquatic Resources Conservation and Development, College of Life Sciences, Huzhou University, Huzhou, 313000, China

    Qiang Sheng

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  1. Huijun Ru
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Ru, H., Li, Y., Sheng, Q. et al. River damming affects energy flow and food web structure: a case study from a subtropical large river. Hydrobiologia 847, 679–695 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-019-04130-y

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