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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; 93:731-742. [PMID: 38556748 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [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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2
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Pepi A, Hayes T, Lyberger K. Thermal asymmetries influence effects of warming on stage and size-dependent predator–prey interactions. THEOR ECOL-NETH 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s12080-023-00555-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
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3
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He S, Xiong K, Song S, Chi Y, Fang J, He C. Research Progress of Grassland Ecosystem Structure and Stability and Inspiration for Improving Its Service Capacity in the Karst Desertification Control. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:770. [PMID: 36840118 PMCID: PMC9959505 DOI: 10.3390/plants12040770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 02/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The structure and stability of grassland ecosystems have a significant impact on biodiversity, material cycling and productivity for ecosystem services. However, the issue of the structure and stability of grassland ecosystems has not been systematically reviewed. Based on the Web of Science (WOS) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases, we used the systematic-review method and screened 133 papers to describe and analyze the frontiers of research into the structure and stability of grassland ecosystems. The research results showed that: (1) The number of articles about the structure and stability of grassland ecosystems is gradually increasing, and the research themes are becoming increasingly diverse. (2) There is a high degree of consistency between the study area and the spatial distribution of grassland. (3) Based on the changes in ecosystem patterns and their interrelationships with ecosystem processes, we reviewed the research progress and landmark results on the structure, stability, structure-stability relationship and their influencing factors of grassland ecosystems; among them, the study of structure is the main research focus (51.12%), followed by the study of the influencing factors of structure and stability (37.57%). (4) Key scientific questions on structural optimization, stability enhancement and harmonizing the relationship between structure and stability are explored. (5) Based on the background of karst desertification control (KDC) and its geographical characteristics, three insights are proposed to optimize the spatial allocation, enhance the stability of grassland for rocky desertification control and coordinate the regulation mechanism of grassland structure and stability. This study provided some references for grassland managers and relevant policy makers to optimize the structure and enhance the stability of grassland ecosystems. It also provided important insights to enhance the service capacity of grassland ecosystems in KDC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuyu He
- School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China
- State Engineering Technology Institute for Karst Desertification Control of China, 116 Baoshan North Road, Guiyang 550001, China
| | - Kangning Xiong
- School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China
- State Engineering Technology Institute for Karst Desertification Control of China, 116 Baoshan North Road, Guiyang 550001, China
| | - Shuzhen Song
- School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China
- State Engineering Technology Institute for Karst Desertification Control of China, 116 Baoshan North Road, Guiyang 550001, China
| | - Yongkuan Chi
- School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China
- State Engineering Technology Institute for Karst Desertification Control of China, 116 Baoshan North Road, Guiyang 550001, China
| | - Jinzhong Fang
- School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China
- State Engineering Technology Institute for Karst Desertification Control of China, 116 Baoshan North Road, Guiyang 550001, China
| | - Chen He
- School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China
- State Engineering Technology Institute for Karst Desertification Control of China, 116 Baoshan North Road, Guiyang 550001, China
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4
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Branson DH. Grasshopper feeding preference affects cascading effects of predators on plant biomass in a mixed-grass prairie. FOOD WEBS 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fooweb.2022.e00224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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5
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Bideault A, Galiana N, Zelnik YR, Gravel D, Loreau M, Barbier M, Sentis A. Thermal mismatches in biological rates determine trophic control and biomass distribution under warming. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:257-269. [PMID: 33084162 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Temperature has numerous effects on the structure and dynamics of ecological communities. Yet, there is no general trend or consensus on the magnitude and directions of these effects. To fill this gap, we propose a mechanistic framework based on key biological rates that predicts how temperature influences biomass distribution and trophic control in food webs. We show that these predictions arise from thermal mismatches between biological rates and across trophic levels. We couple our theory with experimental data for a wide range of species and find that warming should lead to top-heavier terrestrial food chains and stronger top-down control in aquatic environments. We then derive predictions for the effects of temperature on herbivory and validate them with data on stream grazers. Our study provides a mechanistic explanation of thermal effects on consumer-resource systems which is crucial to better understand the biogeography and the consequences of global warming on trophic dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azenor Bideault
- Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
- Center for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Experimental Ecology Station, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Moulis, France
| | - Núria Galiana
- Center for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Experimental Ecology Station, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Moulis, France
| | - Yuval R Zelnik
- Center for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Experimental Ecology Station, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Moulis, France
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Dominique Gravel
- Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Michel Loreau
- Center for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Experimental Ecology Station, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Moulis, France
| | - Matthieu Barbier
- Center for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Experimental Ecology Station, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Moulis, France
| | - Arnaud Sentis
- INRAE, Aix Marseille Univ., UMR RECOVER, Aix-en-Provence, France
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6
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Luhring TM, DeLong JP. Trophic cascades alter eco-evolutionary dynamics and body size evolution. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20200526. [PMID: 33143578 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Trait evolution in predator-prey systems can feed back to the dynamics of interacting species as well as cascade to impact the dynamics of indirectly linked species (eco-evolutionary trophic cascades; EETCs). A key mediator of trophic cascades is body mass, as it both strongly influences and evolves in response to predator-prey interactions. Here, we use Gillespie eco-evolutionary models to explore EETCs resulting from top predator loss and mediated by body mass evolution. Our four-trophic-level food chain model uses allometric scaling to link body mass to different functions (ecological pleiotropy) and is realistically parameterized from the FORAGE database to mimic the parameter space of a typical freshwater system. To track real-time changes in selective pressures, we also calculated fitness gradients for each trophic level. As predicted, top predator loss generated alternating shifts in abundance across trophic levels, and, depending on the nature and strength in changes to fitness gradients, also altered trajectories of body mass evolution. Although more distantly linked, changes in the abundance of top predators still affected the eco-evolutionary dynamics of the basal producers, in part because of their relatively short generation times. Overall, our results suggest that impacts on top predators can set off transient EETCs with the potential for widespread indirect impacts on food webs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas M Luhring
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, 410 Manter Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
| | - John P DeLong
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, 410 Manter Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
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7
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Welti EAR, Qiu F, Tetreault HM, Ungerer M, Blair J, Joern A. Fire, grazing and climate shape plant–grasshopper interactions in a tallgrass prairie. Funct Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Fan Qiu
- Division of Biology Kansas State University Manhattan Kansas
| | | | - Mark Ungerer
- Division of Biology Kansas State University Manhattan Kansas
| | - John Blair
- Division of Biology Kansas State University Manhattan Kansas
| | - Anthony Joern
- Division of Biology Kansas State University Manhattan Kansas
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8
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Wu J, Zhang J, Pan H, Ma H. Temporal variation in bottom-up and top-down effects differ among herbivores with different seasonality. Basic Appl Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2018.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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9
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Wang B, Segar ST, Deng GZ, Luo TX, Lin H, Peng YQ. Variation in trophic cascade strength is triggered by top-down process in an ant-wasp-fig system. OIKOS 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.05653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bo Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences; CN-666303 Menglun PR China
| | - Simon T. Segar
- Dept of Ecology, Inst. of Entomology, Biology Centre CAS, Ceske Budejovice; Czech Republic
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Inst. of Entomology, Ceske Budejovice; Czech Republic
| | - Gui-Zhong Deng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences; CN-666303 Menglun PR China
| | - Tian-Xun Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Inst. of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Science; Kunming, Yunnan PR China
| | - Hua Lin
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences; CN-666303 Menglun PR China
| | - Yan-Qiong Peng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences; CN-666303 Menglun PR China
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10
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Laws AN, Prather CM, Branson DH, Pennings SC. Effects of grasshoppers on prairies: Herbivore composition matters more than richness in three grassland ecosystems. J Anim Ecol 2018; 87:1727-1737. [PMID: 30102785 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2017] [Accepted: 08/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Understanding how biodiversity affects ecosystem processes is a key question in ecology. Previous research has found that increasing plant diversity often enhances many ecosystem processes, but less is known about the role of consumer diversity to ecosystem processes, especially in terrestrial ecosystems. Furthermore, we do not know how general biodiversity responses are among ecosystem types. We examined the role of insect herbivore (Orthoptera) diversity on plant production using parallel field experiments in three grassland ecosystems (mixed grass prairie, tallgrass prairie and coastal tallgrass prairie) to determine whether the effects of grasshopper diversity were consistent among sites. Using mesocosms, we manipulated orthopteran species richness (0, 1, 2, 3 or 4 species), functional richness (number of functional feeding groups present; 0, 1 or 2 functional groups) and functional composition (composition of functional groups present; mixed-feeders only, grass-feeders only, both mixed-feeders and grass-feeders). Diversity treatments were maintained throughout the experiment by replacing dead individuals. Plant biomass was destructively sampled at the end of the experiment. We found no effect of species richness or functional richness on plant biomass. However, herbivore functional composition was important, and effects were qualitatively similar across sites: The presence of only grass-feeding species reduced plant biomass more than either mixed-feeding species alone or both groups together. Orthopterans had consistent effects across a range of abiotic conditions, as well as different plant community and orthopteran community compositions. Our results suggest that functional composition of insect herbivores affects plant communities in grasslands more than herbivore species richness or functional richness, and this pattern was robust among grassland types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela N Laws
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas.,Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Chelse M Prather
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - David H Branson
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Sidney, Montana
| | - Steven C Pennings
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
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11
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Cirtwill AR, Dalla Riva GV, Gaiarsa MP, Bimler MD, Cagua EF, Coux C, Dehling DM. A review of species role concepts in food webs. FOOD WEBS 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fooweb.2018.e00093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
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12
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Cirtwill AR, Eklöf A. Feeding environment and other traits shape species’ roles in marine food webs. Ecol Lett 2018; 21:875-884. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.12955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2018] [Revised: 02/18/2018] [Accepted: 03/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa R. Cirtwill
- Department of Physics; Chemistry and Biology (IFM) Linköping University; Linköping SE-581 83 Sweden
| | - Anna Eklöf
- Department of Physics; Chemistry and Biology (IFM) Linköping University; Linköping SE-581 83 Sweden
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13
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Laws AN. Climate change effects on predator-prey interactions. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2017; 23:28-34. [PMID: 29129279 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2017.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2017] [Revised: 06/12/2017] [Accepted: 06/30/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Predator-prey interactions can be very important to community structure and function. A growing body of research demonstrates how climate change can modify these species interactions. Climate change can modify predator-prey interactions by affecting species characteristics, and by modifying consumptive and/or non-consumptive predator effects. Current work examines how climate change and predation risk can combine to influence herbivore stoichiometry and feeding ecology. Other recent advances show how climate change can affect chemical signaling of plants and insects, as well as how pollution and other components of the environmental context can modify predator-prey interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela N Laws
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
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14
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Lemoine NP. Predation Risk Reverses the Potential Effects of Warming on Plant-Herbivore Interactions by Altering the Relative Strengths of Trait- and Density-Mediated Interactions. Am Nat 2017; 190:337-349. [PMID: 28829642 DOI: 10.1086/692605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Climate warming will initiate numerous changes in ecological community structure and function, and such high-level impacts derive from temperature-driven changes in individual physiology. Specifically, top-down control of plant biomass is sensitive to rising temperatures, but the direction of change depends on a complex interaction between temperature, predation risk, and predator thermal preference. Here, I developed an individual-based optimal foraging model of three trophic levels (primary producers, herbivores, and predators) to examine how warming affects top-down control of primary producers via both trait- and density-mediated indirect interactions (TMII and DMII). This model also factorially crossed warm- and cold-adapted herbivores and predators to determine how local adaptation modifies the effects of warming on food web interactions. Regardless of predator thermal preference, warming increased herbivore foraging effort and by extension predation rates. As a result, TMII declined in importance at high temperatures regardless of predator thermal adaptation. Finally, predation risk reduced herbivore fitness via both indirect (i.e., reduced herbivore size) and direct (i.e., reduced herbivore survival) pathways. These results suggest that, contrary to previous predictions, warming might stimulate primary productivity by reducing herbivore population sizes, releasing plants from immediate top-down control.
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15
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Rode M, Lemoine NP, Smith MD. Prospective evidence for independent nitrogen and phosphorus limitation of grasshopper (Chorthippus curtipennis) growth in a tallgrass prairie. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0177754. [PMID: 28520785 PMCID: PMC5433754 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0177754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2017] [Accepted: 05/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Insect herbivores play a pivotal role in regulating plant production and community composition, and their role in terrestrial ecosystems is partly determined by their feeding behavior and performance among plants of differing nutritional quality. Historically, nitrogen (N) has been considered the primary limiting nutrient of herbivorous insects, but N is only one of many potential nutrients important to insect performance. Of these nutrients, phosphorus (P) is perhaps the most important because somatic growth depends upon P-rich ribosomal RNA. Yet relatively few studies have assessed the strength of P-limitation for terrestrial insects and even fewer have simultaneously manipulated both N and P to assess the relative strengths of N- and P-limitation. Here, we tested for potential N and P limitation, as well as N:P co-limitation, on Chorthippis curtipennis (Orthoptera, Acrididae), an abundant member of arthropod communities of central US prairies. Our results demonstrate weak evidence for both N and P limitation of C. curtipennis growth rates in laboratory feeding assays. Importantly, P-limitation was just as strong as N-limitation, but we found no evidence for NP co-limitation in our study. Furthermore, nutrient limitation was not apparent in field studies, suggesting that insect growth rates may be predominately controlled by other factors, including temperature and predation. Our results suggest that P should be jointly considered, along with N, as a primary determinant of herbivore feeding behavior under both current and future climate conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madison Rode
- Department of Biology, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Nathan P. Lemoine
- Department of Biology, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Melinda D. Smith
- Department of Biology, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
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16
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Laws AN, Joern A. Density mediates grasshopper performance in response to temperature manipulation and spider predation in tallgrass prairie. BULLETIN OF ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2017; 107:261-267. [PMID: 27702418 DOI: 10.1017/s0007485316000894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Species interactions are often context-dependent, where outcomes require an understanding of influences among multiple biotic and abiotic factors. However, it remains unclear how abiotic factors such as temperature combine with important biotic factors such as density-dependent food limitation and predation to influence species interactions. Using a native grassland - grasshopper - wolf spider model food chain in tallgrass prairie, we conducted a manipulative field experiment to examine how predator-prey interactions respond to manipulations of temperature, grasshopper density, and food chain length. We find that grasshopper performance responses to temperature and predator treatments were density dependent. At high densities, grasshopper survival decreased with increased temperature when no spiders were present. When spiders were present, grasshopper survival was reduced, and this effect was strongest in the cooled treatment. In contrast, grasshopper survival did not vary significantly with spider presence or among temperature treatments at low grasshopper densities. Our results indicate that context-dependent species interactions are common and highlight the importance of understanding how and when key biotic and abiotic factors combine to influence species interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- A N Laws
- Division of Biology,Kansas State University,Manhattan, KS 66506,USA
| | - A Joern
- Division of Biology,Kansas State University,Manhattan, KS 66506,USA
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17
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Increased temperature delays the late-season phenology of multivoltine insect. Sci Rep 2016; 6:38022. [PMID: 27905493 PMCID: PMC5131318 DOI: 10.1038/srep38022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2016] [Accepted: 11/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
We analyzed the impact of increased water temperature on the late-season phenology of the mayfly (Baetis liebenauae). The River Gwda, unlike two other examined rivers (controls), has reservoirs along its length and thus, higher water temperature. Elevated water temperature prolonged summer diapause of the mayfly and shifted its life cycle to the later autumn: the last generation of mayflies started development later in the Gwda than in the control rivers. This translated into terrestrial stages (subimagos) of the insect being more abundant at the water surface in the late autumn in the Gwda river than in the control rivers. The low water temperature in the late autumn hampers subimagos emergence from the water surface. Thus, the altered insect phenology at Gwda resulted in a largely lost generation. However, the effect of reservoirs on the river water temperature was context-dependent, with the heating effect (and the impact on mayfly phenology) weaker in the year with lower average air temperature. In summary, warming blurred the environmental cue used by mayflies to tune their phenology, which resulted in a developmental trap. Since the projections of increases in global temperatures reach even 6.4 °C, reported mechanisms will potentially also occur in non-transformed watercourses.
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18
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Community dynamics under environmental change: How can next generation mechanistic models improve projections of species distributions? Ecol Modell 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2015.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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19
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Laws AN, Joern A. Predator-Prey Interactions are Context Dependent in a Grassland Plant-Grasshopper-Wolf Spider Food Chain. ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2015; 44:519-528. [PMID: 26313957 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvv033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2014] [Accepted: 02/12/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Species interactions are often context dependent, where outcomes vary in response to one or more environmental factors. It remains unclear how abiotic conditions like temperature combine with biotic factors such as consumer density or food quality to affect resource availability or influence species interactions. Using the large grasshopper Melanoplus bivittatus (Say) and a common wolf spider [Rabidosa rabida (Walkenaer)], we conducted manipulative field experiments in tallgrass prairie to examine how spider-grasshopper interactions respond to manipulations of temperature, grasshopper density, and food quality. Grasshopper survival was density dependent, as were the effects of spider presence and food quality in context-dependent ways. In high grasshopper density treatments, predation resulted in increased grasshopper survival, likely as a result of reduced intraspecific competition in the presence of spiders. Spiders had no effect on grasshopper survival when grasshoppers were stocked at low densities. Effects of the experimental treatments were often interdependent so that effects were only observed when examined together with other treatments. The occurrence of trophic cascades was context dependent, where the effects of food quality and spider presence varied with temperature under high-density treatments. Temperature weakly affected the impact of spider presence on M. bivittatus survivorship when all treatments were considered simultaneously, but different context-dependent responses to spider presence and food quality were observed among the three temperature treatments under high-density conditions. Our results indicate that context-dependent species interactions are common and highlight the importance of understanding how key biotic and abiotic factors combine to influence species interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela N Laws
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA.
| | - Anthony Joern
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA.Present address: Department of Biology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA.
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20
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Sotomayor DA, Lortie CJ. Indirect interactions in terrestrial plant communities: emerging patterns and research gaps. Ecosphere 2015. [DOI: 10.1890/es14-00117.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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21
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DeLong JP, Gilbert B, Shurin JB, Savage VM, Barton BT, Clements CF, Dell AI, Greig HS, Harley CDG, Kratina P, McCann KS, Tunney TD, Vasseur DA, O'Connor MI. The body size dependence of trophic cascades. Am Nat 2015; 185:354-66. [PMID: 25674690 DOI: 10.1086/679735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Trophic cascades are indirect positive effects of predators on resources via control of intermediate consumers. Larger-bodied predators appear to induce stronger trophic cascades (a greater rebound of resource density toward carrying capacity), but how this happens is unknown because we lack a clear depiction of how the strength of trophic cascades is determined. Using consumer resource models, we first show that the strength of a trophic cascade has an upper limit set by the interaction strength between the basal trophic group and its consumer and that this limit is approached as the interaction strength between the consumer and its predator increases. We then express the strength of a trophic cascade explicitly in terms of predator body size and use two independent parameter sets to calculate how the strength of a trophic cascade depends on predator size. Both parameter sets predict a positive effect of predator size on the strength of a trophic cascade, driven mostly by the body size dependence of the interaction strength between the first two trophic levels. Our results support previous empirical findings and suggest that the loss of larger predators will have greater consequences on trophic control and biomass structure in food webs than the loss of smaller predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- John P DeLong
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588
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Welti EAR, Joern A. Structure of trophic and mutualistic networks across broad environmental gradients. Ecol Evol 2014; 5:326-34. [PMID: 25691960 PMCID: PMC4314265 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2014] [Revised: 11/14/2014] [Accepted: 11/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
This study aims to understand how inherent ecological network structures of nestedness and modularity vary over large geographic scales with implications for community stability. Bipartite networks from previous research from 68 locations globally were analyzed. Using a meta-analysis approach, we examine relationships between the structure of 22 trophic and 46 mutualistic bipartite networks in response to extensive gradients of temperature and precipitation. Network structures varied significantly across temperature gradients. Trophic networks showed decreasing modularity with increasing variation in temperature within years. Nestedness of mutualistic networks decreased with increasing temperature variability between years. Mean annual precipitation and variability of precipitation were not found to have significant influence on the structure of either trophic or mutualistic networks. By examining changes in ecological networks across large-scale abiotic gradients, this study identifies temperature variability as a potential environmental mediator of community stability. Understanding these relationships contributes to our ability to predict responses of biodiversity to climate change at the community level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen A R Welti
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University 116 Ackert Hall, Manhattan, Kansas, 66506-4901
| | - Anthony Joern
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University 116 Ackert Hall, Manhattan, Kansas, 66506-4901
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Ruokolainen L, McCann K. Environmental weakening of trophic interactions drives stability in stochastic food webs. J Theor Biol 2013; 339:36-46. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2013.08.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2012] [Revised: 07/05/2013] [Accepted: 08/21/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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