NEXUS will fill basic knowledge gaps by determining the factors that regulate the transfer and uptake of aquatic insect subsidies into terrestrial food webs.
The riparian buffer strips provide many valued ecosystem services, for example flood/erosion control, nutrient retention, climate mitigation and recreation. Cross-habitat flows of resources and energy are important, albeit poorly studied, components of virtually all ecosystems. NEXUS will fill basic knowledge gaps by determining the factors that regulate the transfer and uptake of aquatic insect subsidies into terrestrial food webs, and how land use (urban, agriculture, forestry) affects the biodiversity, functioning and valued ecosystem services of these unique habitats.
The results from NEXUS can be used to create guidelines for best management practices to safeguard valued ecosystem services.
Read more about results from the project in this thesis: