Planktonic prey size selection reveals an emergent keystone predator effect and niche partitioning.
Marine herbivorous protists are often the dominant grazers of primary production. We developed a size-based model with flexible size-based grazing to encapsulate taxonomic and behavioral diversity. We examined individual and combined grazing impacts by three consumer sizes that span the size range o...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2023-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0280884 |
| _version_ | 1797850424546426880 |
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| author | Darcy A A Taniguchi Michael J Follows Susanne Menden-Deuer |
| author_facet | Darcy A A Taniguchi Michael J Follows Susanne Menden-Deuer |
| author_sort | Darcy A A Taniguchi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Marine herbivorous protists are often the dominant grazers of primary production. We developed a size-based model with flexible size-based grazing to encapsulate taxonomic and behavioral diversity. We examined individual and combined grazing impacts by three consumer sizes that span the size range of protistan grazers- 5, 50, and 200 μm-on a size-structured phytoplankton community. Prey size choice and dietary niche width varied with consumer size and with co-existence of other consumers. When all consumer sizes were present, distinct dietary niches emerged, with a range of consumer-prey size ratios spanning from 25:1 to 0.4:1, encompassing the canonical 10:1 often assumed. Grazing on all phytoplankton size classes maximized the phytoplankton size diversity through the keystone predator effect, resulting in a phytoplankton spectral slope of approximately -4, agreeing with field data. This mechanistic model suggests the observed size structure of phytoplankton communities is at least in part the result of selective consumer feeding. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T18:59:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3bc234057d8f4e2db6ac467e55e4fbea |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T18:59:59Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-3bc234057d8f4e2db6ac467e55e4fbea2023-04-08T05:32:24ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032023-01-01182e028088410.1371/journal.pone.0280884Planktonic prey size selection reveals an emergent keystone predator effect and niche partitioning.Darcy A A TaniguchiMichael J FollowsSusanne Menden-DeuerMarine herbivorous protists are often the dominant grazers of primary production. We developed a size-based model with flexible size-based grazing to encapsulate taxonomic and behavioral diversity. We examined individual and combined grazing impacts by three consumer sizes that span the size range of protistan grazers- 5, 50, and 200 μm-on a size-structured phytoplankton community. Prey size choice and dietary niche width varied with consumer size and with co-existence of other consumers. When all consumer sizes were present, distinct dietary niches emerged, with a range of consumer-prey size ratios spanning from 25:1 to 0.4:1, encompassing the canonical 10:1 often assumed. Grazing on all phytoplankton size classes maximized the phytoplankton size diversity through the keystone predator effect, resulting in a phytoplankton spectral slope of approximately -4, agreeing with field data. This mechanistic model suggests the observed size structure of phytoplankton communities is at least in part the result of selective consumer feeding.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0280884 |
| spellingShingle | Darcy A A Taniguchi Michael J Follows Susanne Menden-Deuer Planktonic prey size selection reveals an emergent keystone predator effect and niche partitioning. PLoS ONE |
| title | Planktonic prey size selection reveals an emergent keystone predator effect and niche partitioning. |
| title_full | Planktonic prey size selection reveals an emergent keystone predator effect and niche partitioning. |
| title_fullStr | Planktonic prey size selection reveals an emergent keystone predator effect and niche partitioning. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Planktonic prey size selection reveals an emergent keystone predator effect and niche partitioning. |
| title_short | Planktonic prey size selection reveals an emergent keystone predator effect and niche partitioning. |
| title_sort | planktonic prey size selection reveals an emergent keystone predator effect and niche partitioning |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0280884 |
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