Bottom-Up Effects on Biomass Versus Top-Down Effects on Identity: A Multiple-Lake Fish Community Manipulation Experiment

摘要: The extent to which ecosystems are regulated by top-down relative bottom-up control has been a dominant paradigm in ecology for many decades. For lakes, it shown that predation fish is an important determinant of variation zooplankton and phytoplankton community characteristics. Effects expected not only be function total biomass, but also functional composition the community. Previous research on importance trophic cascades lakes largely focused role zooplanktivorous piscivorous fish. We conducted large-scale multiple-lake manipulation experiment test effect differences structure lakes. examine factors biomass as well their composition. put our data broader perspective comparing results survey included ponds with low densities very high Our indicate overall food web under primarily structured factors, whereas characteristics seem factors. suggest subtle interplay between dominate determining quantities while effects identities communities.