Concepts

Indirect effects of predators on lower trophic levels mediated through changes in intermediate consumer behavior or abundance

Behavioral, physiological, and life-history changes that reduce the risk of predation but have associated energetic or fitness costs to prey individuals and populations

The decomposition and fragmentation of dead organic matter by organisms, particularly the conversion of coarse to fine particulate organic matter

The modification of environments by organisms in ways that influence resource availability for other species, exemplified by beaver dam construction creating pond habitats.

Selective pressure relationships between host plants and their parasites that can shift based on environmental changes

Selective consumption behavior of invertebrates feeding on different types of organic detritus

The flow of energy through ecological systems, measured as invertebrate biomass transfer from terrestrial to aquatic environments

Co-occurrence patterns between species that reflect ecological interactions beyond shared environmental responses

Input of terrestrial invertebrates into aquatic food webs providing energy to aquatic predators

The sequential development of microbial communities on substrates following disturbance

Consumption of dead organic matter by organisms, particularly caddisfly larvae feeding on detritus

Functional guild of macroinvertebrates that break down dead organic material, contributing to nutrient cycling in aquatic ecosystems

Asymmetric intraguild predation (IGP) between caddisflies where larger, faster-growing species prey on smaller competitors