Temperature-driven selection on metabolic traits increases the strength of an algal-grazer interaction in naturally warmed streams

Trophic interactions are important determinants of the structure and functioning of ecosystems. As the metabolism and consumption rates of ectotherms increase sharply with temperature, there are major concerns that global warming will increase the strength of trophic interactions, destabilizing food webs, and altering ecosystem structure and function. We used geothermally warmed streams that span a ~10 ° C temperature gradient to investigate the interplay between temperature-driven selection on traits related to metabolism and resource acquisition, and the interaction strength between the keystone gastropod grazer, the wandering snail Radix balthica, and a common algal resource. Populations from a warm stream (~28 ° C) had higher maximal metabolic rates and optimal temperatures than their counterparts from a cold stream (~17 ° C). We found that metabolic rates of the population originating from a warmer stream were higher across all measurement temperatures. A reciprocal transplant experiment demonstrated that the interaction strengths between the grazer and its algal resource were highest for both populations when transplanted into the warm stream. In line with the thermal dependence of respiration, interaction strengths of grazers from the warm stream were always higher than those of grazers from the cold stream. These findings suggest that warming can increase the strength of algal-grazer interactions through the thermodynamic effects of higher temperatures on physiological rates as well as through correlated increases in per capita metabolism and consumption.