Warming alters the top-down effect of a common mesopredator in an aquatic food web

Global warming is altering the composition and functioning of both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Most research has focussed on direct effects of warming on species and their population dynamics, while less is known about indirect effects through species interactions. Trophic cascades are especially likely to influence the effects of warming given that trophic levels differ in their response to warming because of differences in metabolism and vital rates such as growth and reproduction. We investigated if the top-down effect of a common mesopredator, the threespine stickleback, alters the impact of warming on a Baltic Sea food web. We manipulated both temperature and the presence of stickleback in mesocosms, and found the stickleback to alter the impact of warming on lower trophic levels. This was through increased consumption of herbivores that exceeded the rate at which the herbivore population could grow under higher temperature, which in turn increased algae biomass compared to..., , , # Warming alters the top-down effect of a common mesopredator in an aquatic food web

The dataset was directed to temperature impact on the lower trophic organisms of threespine stickleback.

The data were collected from a mesocosm experiment following a two-way factorial design, incorporating two climate settings (normal and high) and two levels of stickleback presence (absent/present). This experiment was conducted in two separate climate chambers. One density of stickleback (2 individuals/m2) was applied. Each treatment comprised 8 replicates altogether 32 replicates for the complete experiment. Condition in tanks imitated natural conditions in the field that were associated with herbivores and primary production. Following the experiment, the impact of treatments was recorded for the total biomass of algae, abundance of amphipods, and gastropods.

From Mesocosmdata_Tawfiqur.xlsx

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