title: Phenological response of a key ecosystem function to biological invasion.
abstract: Although climate warming has been widely demonstrated to induce shifts in the timing of many biological events, the phenological consequences of other prominent global change drivers remain largely unknown. Here, we investigated the effects of biological invasions on the seasonality of leaf litter decomposition, a crucial freshwater ecosystem function. Decomposition rates were quantified in 18 temperate shallow lakes distributed along a gradient of crayfish invasion and a temperature-based model was constructed to predict yearly patterns of decomposition. We found that, through direct detritus consumption, omnivorous invasive crayfish accelerated decomposition rates up to fivefold in spring, enhancing temperature dependence of the process and shortening the period of major detritus availability in the ecosystem by up to 39 days (95% CI: 15-61). The fact that our estimates are an order of magnitude higher than any previously reported climate-driven phenological shifts indicates that some powerful drivers of phenological change have been largely overlooked.
authors.affiliation: UMR5174 EDB (Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique), CNRS, Université Paul Sabatier, ENFA, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alp
authors.affiliation: UMR5174 EDB (Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique), CNRS, Université Paul Sabatier, ENFA, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Julien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cucherousset
authors.affiliation: UMR5174 EDB (Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique), CNRS, Université Paul Sabatier, ENFA, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Mathieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Buoro
authors.affiliation: UMR 5245 EcoLab (Laboratoire d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement);, CNRS Université Paul Sabatier, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lecerf
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003400:Astacoidea / Q000502:physiology*; D017753:Ecosystem; D057232:Global Warming; D058865:Introduced Species; D008954:Models, Biological; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000378:metabolism; D013696:Temperature
keywords: Detritus; ecosystem process; invasive species; leaf litter decomposition; metabolic theory of ecology; non-native crayfish; seasonality; shallow lakes