Open AccessA metagenomics‐based approach to the top‐down effect on the detritivore food web: a salamanders influence on fungal communities within a deciduous forest
Author(s) -
Walker Donald M.,
Lawrence Brandy R.,
Esterline Dakota,
Graham Sean P.,
Edelbrock Michael A.,
Wooten Jessica A.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
ecology and evolution
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.17
H-Index - 63
ISSN - 2045-7758
DOI - 10.1002/ece3.1259
Subject(s) - detritivore , biology , food web , keystone species , ecology , invertebrate , deciduous , apex predator , internal transcribed spacer , pyrosequencing , ecosystem , ribosomal rna , biochemistry , gene
The flow of energy within an ecosystem can be considered either top‐down, where predators influence consumers, or bottom‐up, where producers influence consumers. Plethodon cinereus (Red‐backed Salamander) is a terrestrial keystone predator who feeds on invertebrates within the ecosystem. We investigated the impact of the removal of P. cinereus on the detritivore food web in an upland deciduous forest in northwest Ohio, U.S.A. A total of eight aluminum enclosures, each containing a single P. cinereus under a small log, were constructed in the deciduous forest. On Day 1 of the experiment, four salamanders were evicted from four of the eight enclosures. Organic matter and soil were collected from the center of each enclosure at Day 1 and Day 21. From each sample, DNA was extracted, fungal‐specific amplification performed, and 454 pyrosequencing was used to sequence the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer ( ITS 2) region and partial ribosomal large subunit ( LSU ). Changes in overall fungal community composition or species diversity were not statistically significant between treatments. Statistically significant shifts in the most abundant taxonomic groups of fungi were documented in presence but not absence enclosures. We concluded that P. cinereus does not affect the overall composition or diversity of fungal communities, but does have an impact on specific groups of fungi. This study used a metagenomics‐based approach to investigate a missing link among a keystone predator, P. cinereus, invertebrates, and fungal communities, all of which are critical in the detritivore food web.