Feeding in the frequency domain
- Theory predicts that resource variability hinders consumer performance. How this effect depends on the temporal structure of resource fluctuations encountered by individuals remains poorly understood. Combining modelling and growth experiments with Daphnia magna, we decompose the complexity of resource fluctuations and test the effect of resource variance, supply peak timing (i.e. phase) and co-limiting resource covariance along a gradient from high to low frequencies reflecting fine- to coarse-grained environments. Our results show that resource storage can buffer growth at high frequencies, but yields a sensitivity of growth to resource peak timing at lower ones. When two resources covary, negative covariance causes stronger growth depression at low frequencies. However, negative covariance might be beneficial at intermediate frequencies, an effect that can be explained by digestive acclimation. Our study provides a mechanistic basis for understanding how alterations of the environmental grain size affect consumers experiencingTheory predicts that resource variability hinders consumer performance. How this effect depends on the temporal structure of resource fluctuations encountered by individuals remains poorly understood. Combining modelling and growth experiments with Daphnia magna, we decompose the complexity of resource fluctuations and test the effect of resource variance, supply peak timing (i.e. phase) and co-limiting resource covariance along a gradient from high to low frequencies reflecting fine- to coarse-grained environments. Our results show that resource storage can buffer growth at high frequencies, but yields a sensitivity of growth to resource peak timing at lower ones. When two resources covary, negative covariance causes stronger growth depression at low frequencies. However, negative covariance might be beneficial at intermediate frequencies, an effect that can be explained by digestive acclimation. Our study provides a mechanistic basis for understanding how alterations of the environmental grain size affect consumers experiencing variable nutritional quality in nature.…
Author details: | Apostolos-Manuel KoussoroplisORCiDGND, Svenja SchälickeORCiDGND, Michael RaatzORCiDGND, Moritz Bach, Alexander WackerORCiDGND |
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DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13267 |
ISSN: | 1461-023X |
ISSN: | 1461-0248 |
Pubmed ID: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31016844 |
Title of parent work (English): | Ecology letters |
Subtitle (English): | Coarser-grained environments increase consumer sensitivity to resource variability, covariance and phase |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Place of publishing: | Hoboken |
Publication type: | Article |
Language: | English |
Date of first publication: | 2019/04/23 |
Publication year: | 2019 |
Release date: | 2021/01/19 |
Tag: | Cholesterol; Daphnia; covariance; digestive acclimation; dynamic energy budgets; food quality; phosphorus; storage; unbalanced diets |
Volume: | 22 |
Issue: | 7 |
Number of pages: | 11 |
First page: | 1104 |
Last Page: | 1114 |
Funding institution: | German Research FoundationGerman Research Foundation (DFG) [KO5330/1-1, WA2445/9-1, WA2445/15-1] |
Organizational units: | Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Institut für Biochemie und Biologie |
DDC classification: | 5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 57 Biowissenschaften; Biologie / 570 Biowissenschaften; Biologie |
Peer review: | Referiert |