Conclusion
We show with a novel combination of approaches that forest loss affects
freshwater food webs via indirect resource limitations. Our
observations also add to a growing body of evidence indicating that
terrestrial subsidies are a less important basal resource than
autochthonous aquatic production. From a conservation perspective, our
findings reinforce the conventional wisdom advocating the preservation
of intact forests (Gibson et al., 2011). While this ideal may appear
unfeasible in the face of rapid urbanisation and expanding human
populations, our observations suggest that we may be able to limit the
impacts of anthropogenic development within river catchments by
prioritising the preservation (or restoration) of forest cover upstream
of more sensitive freshwater habitats. More importantly, our study
reveals the impacts of forest loss on food webs at a decadal temporal
scale which may not be apparent in the short term because of
compensatory effects of buffering mechanisms (e.g., trophic redundancy
(Chua et al., in revision), food web complexity (Brose et al., 2005)).
It is paramount that we do not underestimate the importance of
responsible land-use planning as longer-term impacts can sometimes be
overlooked.