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Effects of a caddisfly range shift on competition and facilitation in high elevation ponds

Authors: Ardito, A.
Year: 2023

Abstract

As temperatures warm, the climate crisis is having a significant influence on species all across the world and altering their distributions. Colorado's high elevation ponds have recently observed a species range shift, traveling to higher altitudes than they have previously inhabited. The Mexican Cut Nature Preserve near the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, CO, is home to a prominent caddisfly Limnephilus externus, but recently a new range-shifting species, Nemotaulius hostilis, has appeared. Caddisflies play an essential role in nutrient cycling and putting energy back into the food web. The range-shifting species is known to excrete high rates of phosphorus (P), and could potentially facilitate the growth of a nutrient dense food source for the resident species. However, the range-shifting species and the resident species have differing life histories and emergence patterns that could increase interspecific competition between the two caddisfly populations. This study aims to understand the ecological impacts that the range-shifting species Nemotaulius hostilis is having on facilitating resources or competing for resources with the resident species Limnephilus externus.

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