Publications by authors named "Douglas P Ward"
Food web subsidies from external sources ("allochthony") can support rich biological diversity and high secondary and tertiary production in aquatic systems, even those with low rates of primary production. However, animals vary in their degree of dependence on these subsidies. We examined dietary sources for aquatic animals restricted to refugial habitats (waterholes) during the dry season in Australia's wet-dry tropics, and show that allochthony is strongly size dependent.
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- Biotic communities evolve through adaptations influenced by selective pressures, like floods in large rivers, which can disrupt environments but also boost productivity and diversity.
- The predictability of flooding events (rhythmicity) plays a crucial role in determining the outcomes, with more predictable floods leading to greater fish species richness and stable bird populations.
- Climate change is likely to disrupt this rhythmicity, along with human activities that alter water flow, potentially harming biodiversity and productivity in floodplain rivers.