With a dedicated group and a lot of field work, we quantified food web efficiency (fish production/gross primary production) in nine desert streams. Food web efficiency was negatively related to light, water temperature, and variation in streamflow, but was unrelated to gross primary production. These patterns in part confirm previous results from mesocosms, but add understanding of the role of disturbance by scouring floods.
Baruch, E. M., T. K. Harms, A. Ruhi, M. Lu, L. Gaines‐Sewell, and J. L. Sabo. 2023. Food web efficiency in desert streams. Limnology and Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.12305