Tangled webs: reciprocal flows of invertebrate prey link streams and riparian zones

Summary 1. Streams and their adjacent riparian zones are closely linked by reciprocal flows of invertebrate prey. We review characteristics of these prey subsidies and their strong direct and indirect effects on consumers and recipient food webs. 2. Fluxes of terrestrial invertebrates to streams can provide up to half the annual energy budget for drift‐feeding fishes such as salmonids, despite the fact that input occurs principally in summer. Inputs appear highest from closed‐canopy riparian zones with deciduous vegetation and vary markedly with invertebrate phenology and weather. Two field experiments that manipulated this prey subsidy showed that it affected both foraging and local abundance of stream…