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Barros HKS, Barbosa TAP, Prudente BDS. Feeding ecology of Moenkhausia collettii (Steindachner, 1882) (Characiformes: Characidae) in streams in the eastern Amazon: Environmental factors and body size. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2024. [PMID: 38561933 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
The present study aimed to characterize the diet of Moenkhausia collettii and investigate possible changes due to environmental variations and its body size in streams in the eastern Amazon. The specimens were sampled monthly between April 2019 and March 2020. They were measured for standard length (SL) and total mass (Tm) and eviscerated for analysis of stomach contents. Food items were identified and grouped into categories. Dietary aspects such as food importance index (AI%), trophic niche width, and stomach repletion index (SRI%) were evaluated. Furthermore, generalized linear models (GLMs) were used to evaluate the relation between diet and the SL, as well as between diet and the environmental variables of streams. A total of 355 specimens with SL ranging from 11.06 to 46.03 mm and weight ranging from 0.020 to 2.373 g were evaluated. Out of the 355 stomachs analysed, 88 contained material in an advanced stage of decomposition and 12 were empty. The diet of M. collettii was considered omnivorous, with a tendency toward insectivory. Formicidae was the most important category in the diet of the species, followed by immature Diptera and plant material. The GLMs showed a relationship between the diet and a set of environmental variables such as dissolved oxygen, conductivity, flow, width, depth, wood, leaf bank, and SL. The trophic niche width and feeding intensity increased with the length of the species, as well as in the period of higher precipitation, reinforcing trophic opportunism for M. collettii. Therefore, new studies that combine the traditional method of stomach content analysis, the use of stable isotopes, as well as ecomorphological attributes, are crucial for a profound understanding of the trophic ecology of the ichthyofauna in the face of natural changes occurring in their environment.
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Cirtwill AR, Åkesson A, Wootton KL, Eklöf A. Species motif participation provides unique information about species risk of extinction. J Anim Ecol 2024. [PMID: 38556748 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
Loss of species in food webs can set in motion a cascade of additional (secondary) extinctions. A species' position in a food web (e.g. its trophic level or number of interactions) is known to affect its ability to persist following disturbance. These simple measures, however, offer only a coarse description of how species fit into their community. One would therefore expect that more detailed structural measures such as participation in three-species motifs (meso-scale structures which provide information on a species' direct and indirect interactions) will also be related to probability of persistence. Disturbances affecting the basal resources have particularly strong effects on the rest of the food web. However, how disturbances branch out and affect consumer persistence depends on the structural pattern of species interactions in several steps. The magnitude, for example, the proportion of basal resources lost, will likely also affect the outcome. Here, we analyse whether a consumer's risk of secondary extinction after the removal of basal resources depends on the consumer's motif participation and how this relationship varies with the severity of disturbance. We show that consumer species which participate more frequently in the direct competition motif and less frequently in the omnivory motif generally have higher probability of persistence following disturbance to basal resources. However, both the strength of the disturbance and the overall network structure (i.e. connectance) affect the strength and direction of relationships between motif participation and persistence. Motif participation therefore captures important trends in species persistence and provides a rich description of species' structural roles in their communities, but must be considered in the context of network structure as a whole and of the specific disturbance applied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa R Cirtwill
- Spatial Foodweb Ecology Group, Research Centre for Ecological Change, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Anna Åkesson
- Department of Theoretical Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Kate L Wootton
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Anna Eklöf
- Department of Theoretical Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
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Yang X, Deng Y, Qin J, Luo K, Kang B, He X, Yan Y. Dietary Shifts in the Adaptation to Changing Marine Resources: Insights from a Decadal Study on Greater Lizardfish ( Saurida tumbil) in the Beibu Gulf, South China Sea. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:798. [PMID: 38473183 DOI: 10.3390/ani14050798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Revised: 02/24/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Understanding dietary behavior during the individual development of marine predators and its temporal variations elucidates how species adapt to changes in marine resources. This is crucial for predicting marine predators' habitat selection and the natural population's responses to environmental changes. The authors conducted a comparative analysis of dietary shift strategies and trophic level variations in Greater lizardfish (Saurida tumbil) in the Beibu Gulf during two distinct periods (2010 and 2020) using stomach content and stable isotope analysis methods. Possible driving factors for these changes were also explored. Changes in the fishery community structure and the decline in the abundance of primary prey resources have led the S. tumbil population to diversify their prey species, utilize alternative resources, and expand their foraging space. However, the species' foraging strategy, characterized by chasing and preying on schooling and pelagic prey, promoted stability in their feeding behavior across spatial and temporal scales. The main prey items remained demersal and pelagic fish species, followed by cephalopods and crustaceans. Similar to other generalist fish species, ontogenetic dietary shifts (ODSs) indicated a partial transition towards larger prey items. However, the timing and magnitude of the ODSs varied between the two periods, reflecting life-history variations and adaptive adjustments to environmental changes. In comparison to 2010, the population's mean body length (BL) increased in 2020, and the proportion of the population feeding on pelagic-neritic prey significantly increased. However, the δ15N values were lower, indicating that the shift in the ecological niche of preferred prey from demersal to pelagic-neritic was the primary cause of the decrease in trophic levels. In the future, we will conduct further quantitative research integrating the spatiotemporal data of both predators and prey to clarify the relationships between marine predators' feeding behavior, trophic levels, and changes in prey community structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaodong Yang
- Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China
| | - Yujian Deng
- Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China
| | - Jiao Qin
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Zhanjiang 524000, China
| | - Konglan Luo
- Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China
| | - Bin Kang
- Fisheries College, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - Xiongbo He
- Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center of Far Sea Fisheries Management and Fishing of South China Sea, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China
| | - Yunrong Yan
- Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center of Far Sea Fisheries Management and Fishing of South China Sea, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China
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Wiens JJ. Trait-based species richness: ecology and macroevolution. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1365-1387. [PMID: 37015839 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/06/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the origins of species richness patterns is a fundamental goal in ecology and evolutionary biology. Much research has focused on explaining two kinds of species richness patterns: (i) spatial species richness patterns (e.g. the latitudinal diversity gradient), and (ii) clade-based species richness patterns (e.g. the predominance of angiosperm species among plants). Here, I highlight a third kind of richness pattern: trait-based species richness (e.g. the number of species with each state of a character, such as diet or body size). Trait-based richness patterns are relevant to many topics in ecology and evolution, from ecosystem function to adaptive radiation to the paradox of sex. Although many studies have described particular trait-based richness patterns, the origins of these patterns remain far less understood, and trait-based richness has not been emphasised as a general category of richness patterns. Here, I describe a conceptual framework for how trait-based richness patterns arise compared to other richness patterns. A systematic review suggests that trait-based richness patterns are most often explained by when each state originates within a group (i.e. older states generally have higher richness), and not by differences in transition rates among states or faster diversification of species with certain states. This latter result contrasts with the widespread emphasis on diversification rates in species-richness research. I show that many recent studies of spatial richness patterns are actually studies of trait-based richness patterns, potentially confounding the causes of these patterns. Finally, I describe a plethora of unanswered questions related to trait-based richness patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- John J Wiens
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721-0088, USA
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5
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Paula DP, Andow DA. DNA High-Throughput Sequencing for Arthropod Gut Content Analysis to Evaluate Effectiveness and Safety of Biological Control Agents. NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2023; 52:302-332. [PMID: 36478343 DOI: 10.1007/s13744-022-01011-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The search for effective biological control agents without harmful non-target effects has been constrained by the use of impractical (field direct observation) or imprecise (cage experiments) methods. While advances in the DNA sequencing methods, more specifically the development of high-throughput sequencing (HTS), have been quickly incorporated in biodiversity surveys, they have been slow to be adopted to determine arthropod prey range, predation rate and food web structure, and critical information to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of a biological control agent candidate. The lack of knowledge on how HTS methods could be applied by ecological entomologists constitutes part of the problem, although the lack of expertise and the high cost of the analysis also are important limiting factors. In this review, we describe how the latest HTS methods of metabarcoding and Lazaro, a method to identify prey by mapping unassembled shotgun reads, can serve biological control research, showing both their power and limitations. We explain how they work to determine prey range and also how their data can be used to estimate predation rates and subsequently be translated into food webs of natural enemy and prey populations helping to elucidate their role in the community. We present a brief history of prey detection through molecular gut content analysis and also the attempts to develop a more precise formula to estimate predation rates, a problem that still remains. We focused on arthropods in agricultural ecosystems, but most of what is covered here can be applied to natural systems and non-arthropod biological control candidates as well.
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Srednick G, Cohen A, Diehl O, Tyler K, Swearer SE. Habitat attributes mediate herbivory and influence community development in algal metacommunities. Ecology 2023; 104:e3976. [PMID: 36691779 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the drivers and impacts of spatiotemporal variation in species abundance on community trajectories is key to understanding the factors contributing to ecosystem resilience. Temporal variation in species trajectories across patches can provide compensation for species loss and can influence successional patterns. However, little is known about the underlying mechanisms that lead to patterns of species or spatial compensation and how those patterns may be mediated by consumer-resource relationships. Here we describe an experiment testing whether habitat attributes (e.g., structural complexity and spatial heterogeneity) mediate the effects of herbivory on tropical marine macroalgal communities by reducing accessibility and detectability, respectively, leading to variable trajectories among algal species at community (within patch) and metacommunity (i.e., among patch) scales. Reduced accessibility (greater habitat complexity) decreased the effects of herbivory (i.e., depressed consumption rate, increased algal species richness), and both accessibility and detectability (spatial heterogeneity) influenced algal community structure. Moreover, decreased accessibility at the community scale and a mosaic of accessibility at the metacommunity scale led to variation in community assembly. We suggest that habitat attributes can be important influencers of consumer-resource interactions on coral reefs, which in turn can increase species diversity, promote species succession, and enhance stability in algal metacommunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Griffin Srednick
- National Centre for Coasts and Climate, School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Alyssa Cohen
- Department of Biology, California State University, Northridge, Northridge, California, USA
| | - Olivia Diehl
- Department of Biology, California State University, Northridge, Northridge, California, USA
| | - Kaela Tyler
- Department of Biology, California State University, Northridge, Northridge, California, USA
| | - Stephen E Swearer
- National Centre for Coasts and Climate, School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
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Lukić D, Pormehr N, Beladjal L, Vad CF, Ptacnik R, Van Stappen G, Agh N, Horváth Z. Life-history omnivory in the fairy shrimp Branchinecta orientalis (Branchiopoda: Anostraca). HYDROBIOLOGIA 2023; 850:901-909. [PMID: 36776478 PMCID: PMC9905153 DOI: 10.1007/s10750-022-05132-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Very little is known about the feeding of naupliar and juvenile life stages of omnivorous fairy shrimps (Crustacea: Anostraca). Here, we aim to reveal whether the fairy shrimp Branchinecta orientalis is an ontogenetic omnivore and at which age and ontogenetic stage they gain the ability to feed on zooplankton. We assess how food uptake rates change with age until reaching maturity by providing algae (pico- and nanoplanktonic unicellular algae) and zooplankton (rotifers and copepod nauplii) as food in individual experiments. We found that the fairy shrimp B. orientalis started to feed on both types of algal prey immediately after hatching. Nanoplanktonic algae likely represented the most important food source until reaching maturity. Moreover, fairy shrimps started to feed on zooplankton already when they were 7 days old. Slow-moving rotifers gradually gained importance in the fairy shrimp diet with time. Our results reveal an ontogenetic change in the prey spectrum of fairy shrimp. The systematic shift towards omnivory likely affects both phyto- and zooplankton community composition, possibly contributing to temporal changes in food web dynamics in fairy shrimp habitats, and temporary ponds, which may warrant more detailed investigations in future studies. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10750-022-05132-z.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dunja Lukić
- WasserCluster Lunz, Lunz am See, Austria
- Research Department for Limnology Mondsee, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Navid Pormehr
- Laboratory of Aquaculture & Artemia Reference Centre, Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering-Block F, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Lynda Beladjal
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Csaba F. Vad
- WasserCluster Lunz, Lunz am See, Austria
- Institute of Aquatic Ecology, Centre for Ecological Research, Budapest, Hungary
- Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- National Multidisciplinary Laboratory for Climate Change, Centre for Ecological Research, Budapest, Hungary
| | | | - Gilbert Van Stappen
- Laboratory of Aquaculture & Artemia Reference Centre, Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering-Block F, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Naser Agh
- Department of Biology and Aquaculture, Artemia and Aquaculture Research Institute, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
| | - Zsόfia Horváth
- WasserCluster Lunz, Lunz am See, Austria
- Institute of Aquatic Ecology, Centre for Ecological Research, Budapest, Hungary
- Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- National Multidisciplinary Laboratory for Climate Change, Centre for Ecological Research, Budapest, Hungary
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Flood PJ, Loftus WF, Trexler JC. Fishes in a seasonally pulsed wetland show spatiotemporal shifts in diet and trophic niche but not shifts in trophic position. FOOD WEBS 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fooweb.2022.e00265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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9
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Correlation and Influence of Seasonal Variation of Diet with Gut Microbiota Diversity and Metabolism Profile of Chipmunk. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12192586. [PMID: 36230327 PMCID: PMC9559678 DOI: 10.3390/ani12192586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Tamias Sibiricus is the only member of the genus Tamias, a significant and vigorous seed distributor and vital food for their predators. No information is known about the strict diet, gut microbiota structure, and metabolism profile of chipmunks and how they diversify seasonally. The above factors, as well as flexibility toward seasonal shifts, are critical in defining its growth rates, health, survivorship, and population stability. This study explored the diet, gut microbiota composition, and chipmunk metabolism. Additionally, the influence of different seasons was also investigated by using next-generation sequencing. Results revealed that seasons strongly affected a diet: streptophyte accounted for 37% in spring, which was lower than in summer (34.3%) and autumn (31.4%). Further, Ascomycota was observed at 43.8% in spring, which reduced to 36.6% in summer and the lowest (31.3%) in autumn. Whereas, nematodes showed maximum abundance from spring (15.8%) to summer (20.6%) and autumn (24.1%). These results signify the insectivorous nature of the chipmunk in summer and autumn. While herbivorous and fungivorous nature in spring. The DNA analysis revealed that chipmunk mainly feeds on fungi, including Aspergillus and Penicillium genus. Similar to diet composition, the microbiome also exhibited highly significant dissimilarity (p < 0.001, R = 0.235) between spring/autumn and spring/summer seasons. Proteobacteria (35.45%), Firmicutes (26.7%), and Bacteroidetes (23.59%) were shown to be the better discriminators as they contributed the most to causing differences between seasons. Moreover, PICRUSt showed that the assimilation of nutrients were also varied seasonally. The abundance of carbohydrates, lipids, nucleotides, xenobiotics, energy, terpenoids, and polyketides metabolism was higher in spring than in other seasons. Our study illustrates that seasonal reconstruction in the chipmunk diet has a significant role in shaping temporal variations in gut microbial community structure and metabolism profile.
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10
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Mobile generalist species dominate the food web succession in a closed ecological system, Chenghai Lake, China. Glob Ecol Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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11
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Li Y, Geng M, Yu J, Du Y, Xu M, Zhang W, Wang J, Su H, Wang R, Chen F. Eutrophication decrease compositional dissimilarity in freshwater plankton communities. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 821:153434. [PMID: 35090915 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Human activities, such as land use change and eutrophication, threaten freshwater biodiversity and ecosystem function. In this study, we examined both the α- and β-diversity of plankton communities, that is, bacteria/prokaryotic algae, eukaryotic algae, and zooplankton/metazoans, using both classical microscopy and high-throughput sequencing methods across 40 lakes of the Yangtze River Basin. The spatial variations in plankton communities were explained by environmental variables such as trophic status index (TSI) and environmental heterogeneity according to non-metric multidimensional scaling analyses, mantel tests, and structural equation model. Our results showed that the compositional dissimilarities of bacteria, cyanobacteria, eukaryotic algae, and metazoans all decreased with the increasing TSI values, and were significantly positively related to environmental dissimilarity. Both the species richness and compositional dissimilarity of zooplankton had positive effects on zooplankton/phytoplankton biomass ratio. Zooplankton diversity was not directly affected by TSI and environmental dissimilarity; however, it was indirectly affected by the biotic interactions with cyanobacteria or eukaryotic algae. In addition, there were significant positive relationships between bacteria/cyanobacteria and eukaryotic algae dissimilarities. Our results indicated that increased trophic status and decreased environmental dissimilarity as consequences of eutrophication may weaken the trophic cascading effects of planktonic food chain via reducing the top-down effects of zooplankton on phytoplankton.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Mengdie Geng
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China; School of Environment and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Jinlei Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Yingxun Du
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Min Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Weizhen Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Jianjun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Haojie Su
- Institute for Ecological Research and Pollution Control of Plateau Lakes, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China
| | - Rong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China.
| | - Feizhou Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
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12
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OUP accepted manuscript. Bioscience 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biab144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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13
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McLeod AM, Leroux SJ. Incongruent drivers of network, species and interaction persistence in food webs. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anne M. McLeod
- Dept of Biology, Memorial Univ. of Newfoundland St John's NL Canada
| | - Shawn J. Leroux
- Dept of Biology, Memorial Univ. of Newfoundland St John's NL Canada
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14
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Viozzi MF, Cabrera JM, Giri F, de Azevedo Carvalho D, Williner V. Ontogenetic shifts in natural diet, chelae, and mandibles of the omnivorous freshwater crab Aegla uruguayana: linking morphology and function. CAN J ZOOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2020-0290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
We analyze whether ontogenetic diet change in Aegla uruguayana Schmitt, 1942 is related to the morphological changes in chelae and mandibles. We use a combination of scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation, dietary composition analysis (stomach observation, trophic niche amplitude, trophic overlap, and feeding strategy), and geometric morphometric tools (discriminant analysis and two-block partial least squares analysis). The two structures analyzed by SEM show differences between juvenile and adult specimens, both in their cuticle and morphology specializations. In juveniles, the absence of the lobular tooth is the notable feature. However, in adult sizes, it is marked development. Both groups have simple setae with infracuticular articulation and denticles with different arrangements between groups. In the incisive mandible process, the teeth and spines present sharper points in juveniles and considerable wear in adults. Aegla uruguayana presented two trophic strategies: a profile of more predatory traits when younger and mostly detritivorous when adults. The analysis of geometric morphometry substantiates the patterns observed in SEM and stomach contents analysis. The morphology of smaller specimens is associated with the consumption of animal items (ephemeropteran larvae and cladocerans), while the morphology of larger specimens is related to the consumption of plant remains.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Florencia Viozzi
- Laboratorio de Macrocrustáceos, Instituto Nacional de Limnología, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Paraje El Pozo, 3000 Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Juan M. Cabrera
- Laboratorio de Macrocrustáceos, Instituto Nacional de Limnología, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Paraje El Pozo, 3000 Santa Fe, Argentina
- Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos, Oro Verde, CP 3100 Entre Ríos, Argentina
| | - Federico Giri
- Laboratorio de Macrocrustáceos, Instituto Nacional de Limnología, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Paraje El Pozo, 3000 Santa Fe, Argentina
- Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Paraje El Pozo, 3000 Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Débora de Azevedo Carvalho
- Laboratorio de Macrocrustáceos, Instituto Nacional de Limnología, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Paraje El Pozo, 3000 Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Verónica Williner
- Laboratorio de Macrocrustáceos, Instituto Nacional de Limnología, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Paraje El Pozo, 3000 Santa Fe, Argentina
- Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Paraje El Pozo, 3000 Santa Fe, Argentina
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15
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Moyo S, Bennadji H, Laguaite D, Pérez-Umphrey AA, Snider AM, Bonisoli-Alquati A, Olin JA, Stouffer PC, Taylor SS, López-Duarte PC, Roberts BJ, Hooper-Bui L, Polito MJ. Stable isotope analyses identify trophic niche partitioning between sympatric terrestrial vertebrates in coastal saltmarshes with differing oiling histories. PeerJ 2021; 9:e11392. [PMID: 34316388 PMCID: PMC8288111 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Bioindicator species are commonly used as proxies to help identify the ecological effects of oil spills and other stressors. However, the utility of taxa as bioindicators is dependent on understanding their trophic niche and life history characteristics, as these factors mediate their ecological responses. Seaside sparrows (Ammospiza maritima) and marsh rice rats (Oryzomys palustris) are two ubiquitous terrestrial vertebrates that are thought to be bioindicators of oil spills in saltmarsh ecosystems. To improve the utility of these omnivorous taxa as bioindicators, we used carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis to quantify their trophic niches at saltmarshes in coastal Louisiana with differing oiling histories. We found that rats generally had lower trophic positions and incorporated more aquatic prey relative to seaside sparrows. The range of resources used (i.e.,trophic niche width) varied based on oiling history. Seaside sparrows had wider trophic niches than marsh rice rats at unoiled sites, but not at oiled sites. Trophic niche widths of conspecifics were less consistent at oiled sites, although marsh rice rats at oiled sites had wider trophic niches than rats at unoiled sites. These results suggest that past oiling histories may have imparted subtle, yet differing effects on the foraging ecology of these two co-occurring species. However, the temporal lag between initial oiling and our study makes identifying the ultimate drivers of differences between oiled and unoiled sites challenging. Even so, our findings provide a baseline quantification of the trophic niches of sympatric seaside sparrows and marsh rice rats that will aid in the use of these species as indicators of oiling and other environmental stressors in saltmarsh ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sydney Moyo
- Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America.,Department of Biology, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN, United States of America
| | - Hayat Bennadji
- Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America
| | - Danielle Laguaite
- Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America
| | - Anna A Pérez-Umphrey
- School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University and AgCenter, Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America
| | - Allison M Snider
- School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University and AgCenter, Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America
| | - Andrea Bonisoli-Alquati
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona, Pomona, CA, United States of America
| | - Jill A Olin
- Great Lakes Research Center, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, United States of America
| | - Philip C Stouffer
- School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University and AgCenter, Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America
| | - Sabrina S Taylor
- School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University and AgCenter, Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America
| | - Paola C López-Duarte
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States of America
| | - Brian J Roberts
- Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, Chauvin, LA, United States of America
| | - Linda Hooper-Bui
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America
| | - Michael J Polito
- Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America
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16
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Nonaka E, Kuparinen A. A modified niche model for generating food webs with stage-structured consumers: The stabilizing effects of life-history stages on complex food webs. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:4101-4125. [PMID: 33976797 PMCID: PMC8093700 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Almost all organisms grow in size during their lifetime and switch diets, trophic positions, and interacting partners as they grow. Such ontogenetic development introduces life-history stages and flows of biomass between the stages through growth and reproduction. However, current research on complex food webs rarely considers life-history stages. The few previously proposed methods do not take full advantage of the existing food web structural models that can produce realistic food web topologies.We extended the niche model developed by Williams and Martinez (Nature, 2000, 404, 180-183) to generate food webs that included trophic species with a life-history stage structure. Our method aggregated trophic species based on niche overlap to form a life-history structured population; therefore, it largely preserved the topological structure of food webs generated by the niche model. We applied the theory of allometric predator-prey body mass ratio and parameterized an allometric bioenergetic model augmented with biomass flow between stages via growth and reproduction to study the effects of a stage structure on the stability of food webs.When life-history stages were linked via growth and reproduction, more food webs persisted, and persisting food webs tended to retain more trophic species. Topological differences between persisting linked and unlinked food webs were small to modest. The slopes of biomass spectra were lower, and weak interaction links were more prevalent in the linked food webs than the unlinked ones, suggesting that a life-history stage structure promotes characteristics that can enhance stability of complex food webs.Our results suggest a positive relationship between the complexity and stability of complex food webs. A life-history stage structure in food webs may play important roles in dynamics of and diversity in food webs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Etsuko Nonaka
- Department of Biological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of JyväskyläJyväskyläFinland
| | - Anna Kuparinen
- Department of Biological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of JyväskyläJyväskyläFinland
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17
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Zatkos L, Arismendi I, Johnson SL, Penaluna BE. Geophysical templates modulate the structure of stream food webs dominated by omnivory. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Zatkos
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Oregon State University 2820 SW Campus Way Corvallis Oregon97331USA
| | - Ivan Arismendi
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Oregon State University 2820 SW Campus Way Corvallis Oregon97331USA
| | - Sherri L. Johnson
- USDA Forest ServicePacific Northwest Research Station 3200 Southwest Jefferson Way Corvallis Oregon97331USA
| | - Brooke E. Penaluna
- USDA Forest ServicePacific Northwest Research Station 3200 Southwest Jefferson Way Corvallis Oregon97331USA
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18
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Benkendorf DJ, Whiteman HH. Omnivore density affects community structure through multiple trophic cascades. Oecologia 2021; 195:397-407. [PMID: 33392792 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-020-04836-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2019] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Omnivores can dampen trophic cascades by feeding at multiple trophic levels, yet few studies have evaluated how intraspecific variation of omnivores influences community structure. The speckled dace (Rhinichthys osculus) is a common and omnivorous minnow that consumes algae and invertebrates. We studied effects of size and size structure on top-down control by dace and how effects scaled with density. Dace were manipulated in a mesocosm experiment and changes in invertebrate and algal communities and ecosystem function were monitored. Omnivores affected experimental communities via two distinct trophic pathways (benthic and pelagic). In the benthic pathway, dace reduced macroinvertebrate biomass, thereby causing density-mediated indirect effects that led to increased benthic algal biomass. Dace also reduced pelagic predatory macroinvertebrate biomass (hemipterans), thereby increasing the abundance of emerging insects. The effect of dace and hemipterans on emerging insects was mediated by a non-linear response to dace with peak emergence at intermediate dace density. In contrast with recent studies, omnivore size and size structure had no clear effect, indicating that small and large dace in our experiment shared similar functional roles. Our results support that the degree to which omnivores dampen trophic cascades depends on their relative effect on multiple trophic levels, such that the more omnivorous a predator is, the more likely cascades will be dampened. Availability of abundant macroinvertebrates, and the absence of top predators, may have shifted dace diets from primary to secondary consumption, strengthening density-dependent trophic cascades. Both omnivore density and dietary shifts are important factors influencing omnivore-mediated communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donald J Benkendorf
- Watershed Studies Institute, Murray State University, Murray, KY, 42071, USA. .,Department of Biological Sciences, Murray State University, Murray, KY, 42071, USA. .,High Lonesome Institute, De Beque, CO, 81630, USA. .,Department of Watershed Sciences, Utah State University, 5210 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT, 84322-5210, USA.
| | - Howard H Whiteman
- Watershed Studies Institute, Murray State University, Murray, KY, 42071, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, Murray State University, Murray, KY, 42071, USA.,High Lonesome Institute, De Beque, CO, 81630, USA
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19
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McLeod AM, Leroux SJ. The multiple meanings of omnivory influence empirical, modular theory and whole food web stability relationships. J Anim Ecol 2020; 90:447-459. [PMID: 33073862 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The persistence of whole communities hinges on the presence of select interactions which act to stabilize communities making the identification of these keystone interactions critical. One potential candidate is omnivory, yet theoretical research on omnivory thus far has been dominated by a modular theory approach whereby an omnivore and consumer compete for a shared resource. Empirical research, however, has highlighted the presence of a broader suite of omnivory modules. Here, we integrate empirical data analysis and mathematical models to explore the influence of both omnivory module (including classic, multi-resource, higher level, mutual predation and cannibalism) and omnivore-resource interaction type on food web stability. We use six classic empirical food webs to examine the prevalence of the different types of omnivory, a multi-species consumer-resource model to determine the stability of these different kinds of omnivory within a module context, and finally extend these models to a 50 species, whole food web model to examine the influence of omnivory on whole food web persistence. Our results challenge the concept that omnivory is broadly stabilizing. In particular, we demonstrate that the impact of omnivory depends on the type of omnivory being examined with multi-resource omnivory having the largest correlation with whole food web persistence. Moreover, our results highlight that we need to exercise caution when scaling modular theory to whole food web theory. Cannibalism, for example, was the most persistent and stable omnivory module in the modular theory analysis, but only demonstrated a weak correlation with whole food web persistence. Lastly, our results demonstrate that the frequency of omnivory modules are more important for whole food web persistence than the frequency of omnivore-resource interactions. Together, these results demonstrate that the role of omnivory often depends both on the type of omnivory being examined and the food web within which it is nested. In whole food web models, omnivory acts less as a keystone interaction, rather, specific types of omnivory, particularly multi-resource omnivory, act as keystone modules. Future work integrating module and whole food web theory is critical for resolving the role of key interactions in food webs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne M McLeod
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada
| | - Shawn J Leroux
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada
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20
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Ugine TA, Nagra A, Grebenok RJ, Behmer ST, Losey JE. Herbivory improves the fitness of predatory beetles. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:2473-2484. [PMID: 32909254 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
While many predatory arthropods consume non-prey foods from lower trophic levels, little is known about what drives the shift from predator to omnivore. Predatory lady beetles often consume non-prey foods like plant foliage and pollen. One species, Coccinella septempunctata, eats foliage to redress sterol deficits caused by eating sterol-deficient prey. Here we explore how omnivory benefits lady beetle fitness. We reared seven species of lady beetles-from five genera distributed across the tribe Coccinellini-on pea aphids in the presence or absence of fava bean foliage; pea aphids have very low sterol content. Foliage supplements lengthened the development times of four species and decreased survival to adulthood of two species; it had no effect on adult mass. We mated beetles in a 2 × 2 factorial design (males with or without foliage paired with females with or without foliage). For each species, we observed a profound paternal effect of foliage supplements on fitness. Females mated to foliage-supplemented males laid more eggs and more viable eggs compared to females mated to non-supplemented males. Foliage-supplemented males produced 2.9-4.6 times more sperm compared to non-supplemented males for the three species we examined. We analysed the sterol profile of four beetle species reared on pea aphids-with or without foliage-and compared their sterol profile to field-collected adults. For two laboratory-reared species, sterols were not detected in adult male beetles, and overall levels were generally low (total ng of sterol/beetle range: 3-33 ng); the exception being Propylea quatuordecimpunctata females (total ng of sterol/beetle range: 50-157 ng). Laboratory-reared lady beetle sterol content was not significantly affected by the presence of foliage. Field-collected beetles had higher levels of sterols compared to laboratory-reared beetles (2,452-145,348 ng per beetle); cholesterol and sitosterol were the dominant sterols in both field-collected and laboratory-reared beetles. Our findings indicate that herbivory benefits lady beetle fitness across the Coccinellini, and that this was entirely a paternal effect. Our data provide a rare example of a nutritional constraint impacting fitness in a sex-specific manner. It also shows, more broadly, how a nutritional constraint can drive predators towards omnivory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Todd A Ugine
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Avneet Nagra
- Department of Biology, Canisius College, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | | | - Spencer T Behmer
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - John E Losey
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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21
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Ducotterd C, Crovadore J, Lefort F, Guisan A, Ursenbacher S, Rubin JF. The feeding behaviour of the European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis, L. 1758) is not a threat for other endangered species. Glob Ecol Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
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22
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Conti E, Di Mauro LS, Pluchino A, Mulder C. Testing for top-down cascading effects in a biomass-driven ecological network of soil invertebrates. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:7062-7072. [PMID: 32760511 PMCID: PMC7391537 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2020] [Revised: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
To investigate the structural changes of a food-web architecture, we considered real data coming from a soil food web in one abandoned pasture with former low-pressure agriculture management and we reproduced the corresponding ecological network within a multi-agent fully programmable modeling environment in order to simulate dynamically the cascading effects due to the removal of entire functional guilds.We performed several simulations differing from each other for the functional implications. At the first trophic level, we simulated a removal of the prey, that is, herbivores and microbivores, while at the second trophic level, we simulated a removal of the predators, that is, omnivores and carnivores. The five main guilds were removed either separately or in combination.The alteration in the food-web architecture induced by the removal of entire functional guilds was the highest when the entire second trophic level was removed, while the removal of all microbivores caused an alteration in the food-web structure of less than 5% of the total changes due to the removal of opportunistic and predatory species.Omnivores alone account for the highest shifts in time of the numerical abundances of the remaining species, providing computational evidence of the importance of the degree of omnivory in the stabilization of soil biota.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erminia Conti
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of CataniaCataniaItaly
| | - Letizia Stella Di Mauro
- Department of Physics and Astronomy "Ettore Majorana"University of CataniaCataniaItaly
- INFN Unit of CataniaCataniaItaly
| | - Alessandro Pluchino
- Department of Physics and Astronomy "Ettore Majorana"University of CataniaCataniaItaly
- INFN Unit of CataniaCataniaItaly
| | - Christian Mulder
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of CataniaCataniaItaly
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23
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Tsang TPN, Guénard B, Bonebrake TC. Omnivorous ants are less carnivorous and more protein-limited in exotic plantations. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:1941-1951. [PMID: 32379899 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Diets of species are crucial in determining how they influence food webs and community structures, and how their populations are regulated by different bottom-up processes. Omnivores are able to adjust their diet flexibly according to environmental conditions, such that their impacts on food webs and communities, and the macronutrients constraining their population, can be plastic. In particular, omnivore diets are known to be influenced by prey availability, which exhibits high spatial and temporal variation. To examine the plasticity of diet and macronutrient limitation in omnivores, we compared trophic positions, macronutrient preferences and food exploitation rates of omnivorous ants in invertebrate-rich (secondary forests) and invertebrate-poor (Lophostemon confertus plantations) habitats. We hypothesized that omnivorous ants would have lower trophic positions, enhanced protein limitation and reduced food exploitation rates in L. confertus plantations relative to secondary forests. We performed cafeteria experiments to examine changes in macronutrient limitation and food exploitation rates. We also sampled ants and conducted stable isotope analyses to investigate dietary shifts between these habitats. We found that conspecific ants were less carnivorous and had higher preferences for protein-rich food in L. confertus plantations compared to secondary forests. However, ant assemblages did not exhibit increased preferences for protein-rich food in L. confertus plantations. At the species-level, food exploitation rates varied idiosyncratically between habitats. At the assemblage-level, food exploitation rates were reduced in L. confertus plantations. Our results reveal that plantation establishments alter the diet and foraging behaviour of omnivorous ants. Such changes suggest that omnivorous ants in plantations will have reduced top-down impacts on prey communities but also see an increased importance of protein as a bottom-up force in constraining omnivore population sizes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toby P N Tsang
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China
| | - Benoit Guénard
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China
| | - Timothy C Bonebrake
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China
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24
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Shoemaker LG, Barner AK, Bittleston LS, Teufel AI. Quantifying the relative importance of variation in predation and the environment for species coexistence. Ecol Lett 2020; 23:939-950. [PMID: 32255558 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Revised: 11/20/2019] [Accepted: 01/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Coexistence and food web theory are two cornerstones of the long-standing effort to understand how species coexist. Although competition and predation are known to act simultaneously in communities, theory and empirical study of these processes continue to be developed largely independently. Here, we integrate modern coexistence theory and food web theory to simultaneously quantify the relative importance of predation and environmental fluctuations for species coexistence. We first examine coexistence in a theoretical, multitrophic model, adding complexity to the food web using machine learning approaches. We then apply our framework to a stochastic model of the rocky intertidal food web, partitioning empirical coexistence dynamics. We find the main effects of both environmental fluctuations and variation in predator abundances contribute substantially to species coexistence. Unexpectedly, their interaction tends to destabilise coexistence, leading to new insights about the role of bottom-up vs. top-down forces in both theory and the rocky intertidal ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Allison K Barner
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.,Department of Biology, Colby College, Waterville, ME, 04901, USA
| | - Leonora S Bittleston
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, Boise State University, Boise, ID, 83725, USA
| | - Ashley I Teufel
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, 87501, USA.,Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
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25
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Liao J, Bearup D, Fagan WF. The role of omnivory in mediating metacommunity robustness to habitat destruction. Ecology 2020; 101:e03026. [PMID: 32083738 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Revised: 11/01/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Omnivores have long been known to play an important role in determining the stability of ecological communities. Recent theoretical studies have suggested that they may also increase the resilience of their communities to habitat destruction, one of the major drivers of species extinctions globally. However, these outcomes were obtained for minimal food webs consisting of only a single omnivore and its prey species, while much more complex communities can be anticipated in nature. In this study, we undertake a systematic comparative analysis of the robustness of metacommunities containing various omnivory structures to habitat loss and fragmentation using a mathematical model. We observe that, in general, omnivores are better able to survive facing habitat destruction than specialist predators of similar trophic level. However, the community as a whole does not always benefit from the presence of omnivores, as they may drive their intraguild prey to extinction. We also analyze the frequency with which these modules occur in a set of empirical food webs, and demonstrate that variation in their rate of occurrence is consistent with our model predictions. Our findings demonstrate the importance of considering the complete food web in which an omnivore is embedded, suggesting that future study should focus on more holistic community analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinbao Liao
- Ministry of Education's Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Wetland and Watershed Research, School of Geography and Environment, Jiangxi Normal University, Ziyang Road 99, Nanchang, 330022, China
| | - Daniel Bearup
- School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Sciences, University of Kent, Parkwood Road, Canterbury, CT2 7FS, United Kingdom
| | - William F Fagan
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20742, USA
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26
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Laske SM, Rosenberger AE, Wipfli MS, Zimmerman CE. Surface water connectivity controls fish food web structure and complexity across local- and meta-food webs in Arctic Coastal Plain lakes. FOOD WEBS 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fooweb.2019.e00123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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27
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Root‐Bernstein M, Ladle R. Ecology of a widespread large omnivore, Homo sapiens, and its impacts on ecosystem processes. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:10874-10894. [PMID: 31641442 PMCID: PMC6802023 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 02/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Discussions of defaunation and taxon substitution have concentrated on megafaunal herbivores and carnivores, but mainly overlooked the particular ecological importance of megafaunal omnivores. In particular, the Homo spp. have been almost completely ignored in this context, despite the extinction of all but one hominin species present since the Plio-Pleistocene. Large omnivores have a particular set of ecological functions reflecting their foraging flexibility and the varied disturbances they create, functions that may maintain ecosystem stability and resilience. Here, we put the ecology of Homo sapiens in the context of comparative interspecific ecological roles and impacts, focusing on the large omnivore guild, as well as comparative intraspecific variation, focusing on hunter-gatherers.We provide an overview of the functional traits of H. sapiens, which can be used to spontaneously provide the functions for currently ecologically extinct or endangered ecosystem processes. We consider the negative impacts of variations in H. sapiens phenotypic strategies, its possible status as an invasive species, and the potential to take advantage of its learning capacities to decouple negative and positive impacts.We provide examples of how practices related to foraging, transhumance, and hunting could contribute to rewilding-inspired programs either drawing on hunter-gatherer baselines of H. sapiens, or as proxies for extinct or threatened large omnivores. We propose that a greater focus on intraspecific ecological variation and interspecific comparative ecology of H. sapiens can provide new avenues for conservation and ecological research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meredith Root‐Bernstein
- Section for Ecoinformatics & Biodiversity, Department of BioscienceAarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- Institute of Ecology and BiodiversitySantiagoChile
- UMR Sciences pour l'Action et le Développement, Activités, Produits, TerritoiresINRA, AgroParisTech, Université Paris‐SaclayThiverval‐GrignonFrance
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES)SantiagoChile
| | - Richard Ladle
- School of Science and HealthFederal University of AlagoasAlagoasBrazil
- School of Geography and the EnvironmentOxford UniversityOxfordUK
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28
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Fahimipour AK, Levin DA, Anderson KE. Omnivory does not preclude strong trophic cascades. Ecosphere 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ashkaan K. Fahimipour
- Department of Computer Science University of California Davis California USA
- Biology and the Built Environment Center University of Oregon Eugene Oregon USA
| | - David A. Levin
- Department of Mathematics University of Oregon Eugene Oregon USA
| | - Kurt E. Anderson
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, & Organismal Biology University of California Riverside California USA
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29
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Giling DP, Ebeling A, Eisenhauer N, Meyer ST, Roscher C, Rzanny M, Voigt W, Weisser WW, Hines J. Plant diversity alters the representation of motifs in food webs. Nat Commun 2019; 10:1226. [PMID: 30874561 PMCID: PMC6420570 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-08856-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Changes in the diversity of plant communities may undermine the economically and environmentally important consumer species they support. The structure of trophic interactions determines the sensitivity of food webs to perturbations, but rigorous assessments of plant diversity effects on network topology are lacking. Here, we use highly resolved networks from a grassland biodiversity experiment to test how plant diversity affects the prevalence of different food web motifs, the smaller recurrent sub-networks that form the building blocks of complex networks. We find that the representation of tri-trophic chain, apparent competition and exploitative competition motifs increases with plant species richness, while the representation of omnivory motifs decreases. Moreover, plant species richness is associated with altered patterns of local interactions among arthropod consumers in which plants are not directly involved. These findings reveal novel structuring forces that plant diversity exerts on food webs with potential implications for the persistence and functioning of multitrophic communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darren P Giling
- German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany. .,Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany. .,Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Dornburger Straße 159, 07743, Jena, Germany.
| | - Anne Ebeling
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Dornburger Straße 159, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Nico Eisenhauer
- German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sebastian T Meyer
- Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354, Freising, Germany
| | - Christiane Roscher
- German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.,UFZ, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Physiological Diversity, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Michael Rzanny
- Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knoell-Strasse 10, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Winfried Voigt
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Dornburger Straße 159, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Wolfgang W Weisser
- Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354, Freising, Germany
| | - Jes Hines
- German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
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Gibert JP, Yeakel JD. Eco-Evolutionary Origins of Diverse Abundance, Biomass, and Trophic Structures in Food Webs. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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31
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Amundrud SL, Clay-Smith SA, Flynn BL, Higgins KE, Reich MS, Wiens DRH, Srivastava DS. Drought alters the trophic role of an opportunistic generalist in an aquatic ecosystem. Oecologia 2019; 189:733-744. [PMID: 30697643 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-019-04343-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2018] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Abiotic change can alter species interactions by modifying species' trophic roles, but this has not been well studied. Until now, bromeliad-dwelling tipulid larvae were thought to positively affect other macroinvertebrates via a facilitative processing chain. However, under drought, we found the opposite. We performed two microcosm experiments in which we factorially manipulated water level and predation by tipulids, and measured the effects on mosquito and chironomid larvae. The experiments differed in whether high water was contrasted with low or no water, allowing us to distinguish between the effects of desiccation stress (no water) and increased encounter rates due to compression of habitat or reductions in prey mobility (low and no water). We also included a caged tipulid treatment to measure any non-consumptive effects. As well as directly reducing prey survival, reductions in water level indirectly decreased chironomid and mosquito survival by altering the trophic role of tipulids. Our results suggest that increased encounter rates with prey led to tipulids becoming predatory under simulated drought, as tipulids consumed prey under both low and no water. When water level was high, tipulids exerted negative non-consumptive effects on prey survival. Because opportunistic predators are common throughout aquatic ecosystems, the effects of drought on the trophic roles of species may be widespread. Such restructuring of food webs should be considered when attempting to predict the ecological effects of environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah L Amundrud
- Department of Zoology, Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
| | - Sarina A Clay-Smith
- Department of Zoology, Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Bret L Flynn
- Department of Zoology, Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Kathleen E Higgins
- Department of Zoology, Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Megan S Reich
- Department of Zoology, Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Derek R H Wiens
- Department of Zoology, Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Diane S Srivastava
- Department of Zoology, Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
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32
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McMeans BC, Kadoya T, Pool TK, Holtgrieve GW, Lek S, Kong H, Winemiller K, Elliott V, Rooney N, Laffaille P, McCann KS. Consumer trophic positions respond variably to seasonally fluctuating environments. Ecology 2019; 100:e02570. [PMID: 30657592 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2018] [Revised: 10/19/2018] [Accepted: 10/24/2018] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The effects of environmental seasonality on food web structure have been notoriously understudied in empirical ecology. Here, we focus on seasonal changes in one key attribute of a food web, consumer trophic position. We ask whether fishes inhabiting tropical river-floodplain ecosystems behave as seasonal omnivores, by shifting their trophic positions in relation to the annual flood pulse, or whether they feed at the same trophic position all year, as much empirical work implicitly assumes. Using dietary data from the Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia, and a literature review, we find evidence that some fishes, especially small piscivores, increased consumption of invertebrates and/or plant material during the wet season, as predicted. However, nitrogen stable isotope (δ15 N) data for 26 Tonle Sap fishes, spanning a broader range of functional groups, uncovered high variation in seasonal trophic position responses among species (0 to ±0.52 trophic positions). Based on these findings, species respond to the flood pulse differently. Diverse behavioral responses to seasonality, underpinned by spatiotemporal variation at multiple scales, could be central for rerouting matter and energy flow in these dynamic ecosystems. Seasonally flexible foraging behaviors warrant further study given their potential influence on food web dynamics in a range of fluctuating environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bailey C McMeans
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, L5L 1C6, Canada.,School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Taku Kadoya
- National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8506, Japan
| | - Thomas K Pool
- Biology Department, Seattle University, Seattle, Washington, 98122, USA
| | - Gordon W Holtgrieve
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98105, USA
| | - Sovan Lek
- EDB, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, ENFA, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Heng Kong
- EDB, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, ENFA, UPS, Toulouse, France.,EcoLab, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Kirk Winemiller
- Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences and Program of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, 77843-2258, USA
| | - Vittoria Elliott
- Moore Center for Science, Conservation International, Arlington, Virginia, 22202, USA.,National museum of natural history, Smithsonian institution, Washington, District of Columbia, 20560, USA
| | - Neil Rooney
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Pascal Laffaille
- EcoLab, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Kevin S McCann
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada
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Liao J, Bearup D, Blasius B. Food web persistence in fragmented landscapes. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2017.0350. [PMID: 28724729 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2017] [Accepted: 05/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Habitat destruction, characterized by patch loss and fragmentation, is a key driver of biodiversity loss. There has been some progress in the theory of spatial food webs; however, to date, practically nothing is known about how patch configurational fragmentation influences multi-trophic food web dynamics. We develop a spatially extended patch-dynamic model for different food webs by linking patch connectivity with trophic-dependent dispersal (i.e. higher trophic levels displaying longer-range dispersal). Using this model, we find that species display different sensitivities to patch loss and fragmentation, depending on their trophic position and the overall food web structure. Relative to other food webs, omnivory structure significantly increases system robustness to habitat destruction, as feeding on different trophic levels increases the omnivore's persistence. Additionally, in food webs with a dispersal-competition trade-off between species, intermediate levels of habitat destruction can enhance biodiversity by creating refuges for the weaker competitor. This demonstrates that maximizing patch connectivity is not always effective for biodiversity maintenance, as in food webs containing indirect competition, doing so may lead to further species loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinbao Liao
- Ministry of Education's Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Wetland and Watershed Research, Jiangxi Normal University, Ziyang Road 99, 330022 Nanchang, People's Republic of China
| | - Daniel Bearup
- Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK.,Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), University of Oldenburg, Carl-von-Ossietzky-Strasse 9-11, 26111 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Bernd Blasius
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), University of Oldenburg, Carl-von-Ossietzky-Strasse 9-11, 26111 Oldenburg, Germany
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34
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Haynert K, Kiggen M, Klarner B, Maraun M, Scheu S. The structure of salt marsh soil mesofauna food webs - The prevalence of disturbance. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0189645. [PMID: 29240806 PMCID: PMC5730192 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0189645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Mesofauna taxa fill key trophic positions in soil food webs, even in terrestrial-marine boundary habitats characterized by frequent natural disturbances. Salt marshes represent such boundary habitats, characterized by frequent inundations increasing from the terrestrial upper to the marine pioneer zone. Despite the high abundance of soil mesofauna in salt marshes and their important function by facilitating energy and carbon flows, the structure, trophic ecology and habitat-related diet shifts of mesofauna species in natural salt marsh habitats is virtually unknown. Therefore, we investigated the effects of natural disturbance (inundation frequency) on community structure, food web complexity and resource use of soil mesofauna using stable isotope analysis (15N, 13C) in three salt marsh zones. In this intertidal habitat, the pioneer zone is exposed to inundations twice a day, but lower and upper salt marshes are less frequently inundated based on shore height. The mesofauna comprised 86 species / taxa dominated by Collembola, Oribatida and Mesostigmata. Shifts in environmental disturbances influenced the structure of food webs, diversity and density declined strongly from the land to the sea pointing to the importance of increasing levels of inundation frequency. Accordingly, the reduced diversity and density was associated by a simplification of the food web in the pioneer zone as compared to the less inundated lower and upper salt marsh with a higher number of trophic levels. Strong variations in δ15N signatures demonstrated that mesofauna species are feeding at multiple trophic levels. Primary decomposers were low and most mesofauna species functioned as secondary decomposers or predators including second order predators or scavengers. The results document that major decomposer taxa, such as Collembola and Oribatida, are more diverse than previously assumed and predominantly dwell on autochthonous resources of the respective salt marsh zone. The results further suggest that Mesostigmata mostly adopt an intraguild predation lifestyle. The high trophic position of a large number of predators suggests that intraguild predation is of significant importance in salt marsh food webs. Presumably, intraguild predation contributes to stabilizing the salt marsh food web against disturbances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin Haynert
- J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Mirijam Kiggen
- J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Bernhard Klarner
- J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Mark Maraun
- J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Stefan Scheu
- J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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35
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Nielsen JM, Clare EL, Hayden B, Brett MT, Kratina P. Diet tracing in ecology: Method comparison and selection. Methods Ecol Evol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.12869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 222] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jens M. Nielsen
- School of Biological and Chemical SciencesQueen Mary University of London London UK
| | - Elizabeth L. Clare
- School of Biological and Chemical SciencesQueen Mary University of London London UK
| | - Brian Hayden
- Canadian Rivers InstituteBiology DepartmentUniversity of New Brunswick Fredericton NB Canada
| | - Michael T. Brett
- Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringUniversity of Washington Seattle WA USA
| | - Pavel Kratina
- School of Biological and Chemical SciencesQueen Mary University of London London UK
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36
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Granados M, Duffy S, McKindsey CW, Fussmann GF. Stabilizing mechanisms in a food web with an introduced omnivore. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:5016-5025. [PMID: 28690827 PMCID: PMC5496542 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2016] [Revised: 12/10/2016] [Accepted: 12/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Intraguild predation (IGP) is an omnivorous food web configuration in which the top predator consumes both a competitor (consumer) and a second prey that it shares with the competitor. This omnivorous configuration occurs frequently in food webs, but theory suggests that it is unstable unless stabilizing mechanisms exist that can decrease the strength of the omnivore and consumer interaction. Although these mechanisms have been documented in native food webs, little is known about whether they operate in the context of an introduced species. Here, we study a marine mussel aquaculture system where the introduction of omnivorous mussels should generate an unstable food web that favors the extinction of the consumer, yet it persists. Using field and laboratory approaches, we searched for stabilizing mechanisms that could reduce interaction strengths in the food web. While field zooplankton counts suggested that mussels influence the composition and abundance of copepods, stable isotope results indicated that life‐history omnivory and cannibalism facilitated the availability of prey refugia, and reduced competition and the interaction strength between the mussel omnivore and zooplankton consumers. In laboratory experiments, however, we found no evidence of adaptive feeding which could weaken predator–consumer interactions. Our food web study suggests that the impact of an introduced omnivore may not only depend on its interaction with native species but also on the availability of stabilizing mechanisms that alter the strength of those interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sean Duffy
- Department of Biology McGill University Montreal QC Canada
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37
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Granados M, Altshuler I, Plourde S, Fussmann GF. Size and variation in individual growth rates among food web modules. Ecosphere 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Monica Granados
- Department of Biology; McGill University; Montreal Quebec Canada
| | - Ianina Altshuler
- Department of Biology; McGill University; Montreal Quebec Canada
| | - Stéphane Plourde
- Ocean and Environmental Science Branch; Fisheries and Oceans Canada; Mont-Joli Quebec Canada
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Macrophytes shape trophic niche variation among generalist fishes. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0177114. [PMID: 28486550 PMCID: PMC5423621 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0177114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2016] [Accepted: 04/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Generalist species commonly have a fundamental role in ecosystems as they can integrate spatially distinct habitats and food-web compartments, as well as control the composition, abundance and behavior of organisms at different trophic levels. Generalist populations typically consist of specialized individuals, but the potential for and hence degree of individual niche variation can be largely determined by habitat complexity. We compared individual niche variation within three generalist fishes between two comparable lakes in the Czech Republic differing in macrophyte cover, i.e. macrophyte-rich Milada and macrophyte-poor Most. We tested the hypothesis that large individual niche variation among generalist fishes is facilitated by the presence of macrophytes, which provides niches and predation shelter for fish and their prey items. Based on results from stable nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) isotopic mixing models, perch (Perca fluviatilis L.) and rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus (L.)) showed larger individual variation (i.e., variance) in trophic position in Milada as compared to Most, whereas no significant between-lake differences were observed for roach (Rutilus rutilus (L.)). Contrary to our hypothesis, all the three species showed significantly lower individual variation in the relative reliance on littoral food resources in Milada than in Most. Rudd relied significantly more whereas perch and roach relied less on littoral food resources in Milada than in Most, likely due to prevalent herbivory by rudd and prevalent zooplanktivory by perch and roach in the macrophyte-rich Milada as compared to macrophyte-poor Most. Our study demonstrates how the succession of macrophyte vegetation, via its effects on the physical and biological complexity of the littoral zone and on the availability of small prey fish and zooplankton, can strongly influence individual niche variation among generalist fishes with different ontogenetic trajectories, and hence the overall food-web structures in lake ecosystems.
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Liao J, Bearup D, Wang Y, Nijs I, Bonte D, Li Y, Brose U, Wang S, Blasius B. Robustness of metacommunities with omnivory to habitat destruction: disentangling patch fragmentation from patch loss. Ecology 2017; 98:1631-1639. [PMID: 28369715 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2017] [Accepted: 03/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Habitat destruction, characterized by patch loss and fragmentation, is a major driving force of species extinction, and understanding its mechanisms has become a central issue in biodiversity conservation. Numerous studies have explored the effect of patch loss on food web dynamics, but ignored the critical role of patch fragmentation. Here we develop an extended patch-dynamic model for a tri-trophic omnivory system with trophic-dependent dispersal in fragmented landscapes. We found that species display different vulnerabilities to both patch loss and fragmentation, depending on their dispersal range and trophic position. The resulting trophic structure varies depending on the degree of habitat loss and fragmentation, due to a tradeoff between bottom-up control on omnivores (dominated by patch loss) and dispersal limitation on intermediate consumers (dominated by patch fragmentation). Overall, we find that omnivory increases system robustness to habitat destruction relative to a simple food chain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinbao Liao
- Ministry of Education's Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Wetland and Watershed Research, Jiangxi Normal University, Ziyang Road 99, Nanchang, 330022, China
| | - Daniel Bearup
- Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, United Kingdom.,Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), University of Oldenburg, Carl-von-Ossietzky-Strasse 9-11, Oldenburg, D-26111, Germany
| | - Yeqiao Wang
- Ministry of Education's Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Wetland and Watershed Research, Jiangxi Normal University, Ziyang Road 99, Nanchang, 330022, China
| | - Ivan Nijs
- Centre of Excellence Plant and Vegetation Ecology, University of Antwerp (Campus Drie Eiken), Universiteitsplein 1, Wilrijk, 2610, Belgium
| | - Dries Bonte
- Department of Biology, Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Ghent University, K. L. Ledeganckstraat 35, Ghent, B-9000, Belgium
| | - Yuanheng Li
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Ulrich Brose
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.,Institute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Dornburger Strasse 159, Jena, 07743, Germany
| | - Shaopeng Wang
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Bernd Blasius
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), University of Oldenburg, Carl-von-Ossietzky-Strasse 9-11, Oldenburg, D-26111, Germany
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40
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Liman AS, Dalin P, Björkman C. Enhanced leaf nitrogen status stabilizes omnivore population density. Oecologia 2017; 183:57-65. [PMID: 27718064 PMCID: PMC5239808 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-016-3742-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2015] [Accepted: 09/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Plant traits can mediate the strength of interactions between omnivorous predators and their prey through density effects and changes in the omnivores' trophic behavior. In this study, we explored the established assumption that enhanced nutrient status in host plants strengthens the buffering effect of plant feeding for omnivorous predators, i.e., prevents rapid negative population growth during prey density decline and thereby increases and stabilizes omnivore population density. We analyzed 13 years of field data on population densities of a heteropteran omnivore on Salix cinerea stands, arranged along a measured leaf nitrogen gradient and found a 195 % increase in omnivore population density and a 63 % decrease in population variability with an increase in leaf nitrogen status from 26 to 40 mgN × g-1. We recreated the leaf nitrogen gradient in a greenhouse experiment and found, as expected, that increasing leaf nitrogen status enhanced omnivore performance but reduced per capita prey consumption. Feeding on high nitrogen status host plants can potentially decouple omnivore-prey population dynamics and allow omnivores to persist and function effectively at low prey densities to provide "background level" control of insect herbivores. This long-term effect is expected to outweigh the short-term effect on per capita prey consumption-resulting in a net increase in population predation rates with increasing leaf nitrogen status. Conservation biological control of insect pests that makes use of omnivore background control could, as a result, be manipulated via management of crop nitrogen status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna-Sara Liman
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7044, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Peter Dalin
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7044, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Christer Björkman
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7044, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden
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41
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Sánchez-Hernández J, Cobo F, Amundsen PA. Food Web Topology in High Mountain Lakes. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0143016. [PMID: 26571235 PMCID: PMC4646624 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0143016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2015] [Accepted: 10/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Although diversity and limnology of alpine lake systems are well studied, their food web structure and properties have rarely been addressed. Here, the topological food webs of three high mountain lakes in Central Spain were examined. We first addressed the pelagic networks of the lakes, and then we explored how food web topology changed when benthic biota was included to establish complete trophic networks. We conducted a literature search to compare our alpine lacustrine food webs and their structural metrics with those of 18 published lentic webs using a meta-analytic approach. The comparison revealed that the food webs in alpine lakes are relatively simple, in terms of structural network properties (linkage density and connectance), in comparison with lowland lakes, but no great differences were found among pelagic networks. The studied high mountain food webs were dominated by a high proportion of omnivores and species at intermediate trophic levels. Omnivores can exploit resources at multiple trophic levels, and this characteristic might reduce competition among interacting species. Accordingly, the trophic overlap, measured as trophic similarity, was very low in all three systems. Thus, these alpine networks are characterized by many omnivorous consumers with numerous prey species and few consumers with a single or few prey and with low competitive interactions among species. The present study emphasizes the ecological significance of omnivores in high mountain lakes as promoters of network stability and as central players in energy flow pathways via food partitioning and enabling energy mobility among trophic levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Sánchez-Hernández
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
- Department of Zoology and Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Biology, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Fernando Cobo
- Department of Zoology and Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Biology, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Station of Hydrobiology “Encoro do Con”, Castroagudín s/n, 36617 Vilagarcía de Arousa, Pontevedra, Spain
| | - Per-Arne Amundsen
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
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Aresco MJ, Travis J, MacRae PSD. Trophic Interactions of Turtles in a North Florida Lake Food Web: Prevalence of Omnivory. COPEIA 2015. [DOI: 10.1643/ce-13-130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Fahimipour AK, Anderson KE. Colonisation rate and adaptive foraging control the emergence of trophic cascades. Ecol Lett 2015; 18:826-833. [PMID: 26096758 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2015] [Revised: 02/24/2015] [Accepted: 05/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Ecological communities are assembled and sustained by colonisation. At the same time, predators make foraging decisions based on the local availabilities of potential resources, which reflects colonisation. We combined field and laboratory experiments with mathematical models to demonstrate that a feedback between these two processes determines emergent patterns in community structure. Namely, our results show that prey colonisation rate determines the strength of trophic cascades - a feature of virtually all ecosystems - by prompting behavioural shifts in adaptively foraging omnivorous fish predators. Communities experiencing higher colonisation rates were characterised by higher invertebrate prey and lower producer biomasses. Consequently, fish functioned as predators when colonisation rate was high, but as herbivores when colonisation rate was low. Human land use is changing habitat connectivity worldwide. A deeper quantitative understanding of how spatial processes modify individual behaviour, and how this scales to the community level, will be required to predict ecosystem responses to these changes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kurt E Anderson
- Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
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Williner V, Carvalho DA, Collins PA. Feeding spectra and activity of the freshwater crab Trichodactylus kensleyi (Decapoda: Brachyura: Trichodactylidae) at La Plata basin. Zool Stud 2014. [DOI: 10.1186/s40555-014-0071-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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Sentis A, Hemptinne JL, Brodeur J. Towards a mechanistic understanding of temperature and enrichment effects on species interaction strength, omnivory and food-web structure. Ecol Lett 2014; 17:785-93. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.12281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2014] [Revised: 02/14/2014] [Accepted: 03/19/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Arnaud Sentis
- Département de sciences biologiques; Institut de recherche en biologie végétale; Université de Montréal; Montréal Québec H1X2B2 Canada
- Université de Toulouse - École Nationale de Formation Agronomique; Unité Mixte de Recherche 5174 ‘Evolution et Diversité Biologique’; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; BP 22687 Castanet-Tolosan 31326 France
- Department of Ecosystem Biology; Faculty of Science; University of South Bohemia; České Budějovice 370 05 Czech Republic
| | - Jean-Louis Hemptinne
- Université de Toulouse - École Nationale de Formation Agronomique; Unité Mixte de Recherche 5174 ‘Evolution et Diversité Biologique’; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; BP 22687 Castanet-Tolosan 31326 France
| | - Jacques Brodeur
- Département de sciences biologiques; Institut de recherche en biologie végétale; Université de Montréal; Montréal Québec H1X2B2 Canada
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De Barba M, Miquel C, Boyer F, Mercier C, Rioux D, Coissac E, Taberlet P. DNA metabarcoding multiplexing and validation of data accuracy for diet assessment: application to omnivorous diet. Mol Ecol Resour 2013; 14:306-23. [DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.12188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 347] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2013] [Revised: 09/23/2013] [Accepted: 09/27/2013] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- M. De Barba
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine; CNRS UMR 5553; Université Joseph Fourier; BP 53, F-38041 Grenoble Cedex 9 France
| | - C. Miquel
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine; CNRS UMR 5553; Université Joseph Fourier; BP 53, F-38041 Grenoble Cedex 9 France
| | - F. Boyer
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine; CNRS UMR 5553; Université Joseph Fourier; BP 53, F-38041 Grenoble Cedex 9 France
| | - C. Mercier
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine; CNRS UMR 5553; Université Joseph Fourier; BP 53, F-38041 Grenoble Cedex 9 France
| | - D. Rioux
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine; CNRS UMR 5553; Université Joseph Fourier; BP 53, F-38041 Grenoble Cedex 9 France
| | - E. Coissac
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine; CNRS UMR 5553; Université Joseph Fourier; BP 53, F-38041 Grenoble Cedex 9 France
| | - P. Taberlet
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine; CNRS UMR 5553; Université Joseph Fourier; BP 53, F-38041 Grenoble Cedex 9 France
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Zhou Y, Newman C, Chen J, Xie Z, Macdonald DW. Anomalous, extreme weather disrupts obligate seed dispersal mutualism: snow in a subtropical forest ecosystem. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2013; 19:2867-2877. [PMID: 23640765 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2013] [Revised: 04/14/2013] [Accepted: 04/15/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Ongoing global climate change is predicted to increase the frequency and magnitude of extreme weather events, impacting population dynamics and community structure. There is, however, a critical lack of case studies considering how climatic perturbations affect biotic interactions. Here, we document how an obligate seed dispersal mutualism was disrupted by a temporally anomalous and meteorologically extreme interlude of unseasonably frigid weather, with accompanying snowstorms, in subtropical China, during January-February 2008. Based on the analysis of 5892 fecal samples (representing six mammalian seed dispersers), this event caused a substantial disruption to the relative seed dispersal function for the raisin tree Hovenia dulcis from prestorm 6.29 (2006) and 11.47 (2007), down to 0.35 during the storm (2008). Crucially, this was due to impacts on mammalian seed dispersers and not due to a paucity of fruit, where 4.63 fruit per branch were available in January 2008, vs. 3.73 in 2006 and 3.58 in 2007. An induced dietary shift occurred among omnivorous carnivores during this event, from the consumption fruit to small mammals and birds, reducing their role in seed dispersal substantially. Induced range shift extinguished the functionality of herbivorous mammals completely, however, seed dispersal function was compensated in part by three omnivorous carnivores during poststorm years, and thus while the mutualism remained intact it was enacted by a narrower assemblage of species, rendering the system more vulnerable to extrinsic perturbations. The storm's extended effects also had anthropogenic corollaries - migrating ungulates becoming exposed to heightened levels of illegal hunting - causing long-term modification to the seed dispersal community and mutualism dynamics. Furthermore, degraded forests proved especially vulnerable to the storm's effects. Considering increasing climate variability and anthropogenic disturbance, the impacts of such massive, aberrant events warrant conservation concern, while affording unique insights into the stability of mutualisms and the processes that structure biodiversity and mediate ecosystem dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youbing Zhou
- Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiangshan, Beijing, China.
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