Invertebrate survival: Invertebrate survival rates from feeding experiments, conducted at Bodega Marine Laboratory, where food sources (eelgrass (Zostera marina) genotypes) were varied

<p>In this project, we examined the effect of eelgrass genetic and invertebrate species diversity on detrital consumption and animal survival rates in a series of laboratory experiments.</p>

<p>Abstract:<br />
​Seagrass meadows are among the world's most productive ecosystems, and as in many other systems, genetic diversity is correlated with increased production. However, only a small fraction of seagrass production is directly consumed, and instead much of the secondary production is fueled by the detrital food web. Here, we study the roles of plant genetic diversity and grazer species diversity on detrital consumption in California eelgrass Zostera marina meadows. We used three common mesograzers—an amphipod, Ampithoe lacertosa, an isopod, Idotea resecata, and a polychaete, Platynereis bicanaliculata. In this experiment, we raised communities of either Ampithoe lacertosa or communities of all three mesograzers on either no food, eelgrass detritus from a single clone, or eelgrass detritus from 3 of from 6 different clones. Under monospecific grazer assemblages, plant genetic identity but not diversity influenced detritus consumption. However, more realistic, diverse mesoconsumer communities combined with high plant-detrital genotypic diversity resulted in greater consumption and grazer survival.&nbsp;</p>

<p>These data are illustrated in figure 6 of Reynolds et al., 2017 (DOI:<a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/oik.04471\" target=\"_blank\">10.1111/oik.04471</a>)</p>