Low‐pH seawater alters indirect interactions in rocky‐shore tidepools
Abstract Ocean acidification is expected to degrade marine ecosystems, yet most studies focus on organismal‐level impacts rather than ecological perturbations. Field studies are especially sparse, particularly ones examining shifts in direct and indirect consumer interactions. Here we address such c...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8607 |
| _version_ | 1811291270467813376 |
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| author | Brittany M. Jellison Kristen E. Elsmore Jeffrey T. Miller Gabriel Ng Aaron T. Ninokawa Tessa M. Hill Brian Gaylord |
| author_facet | Brittany M. Jellison Kristen E. Elsmore Jeffrey T. Miller Gabriel Ng Aaron T. Ninokawa Tessa M. Hill Brian Gaylord |
| author_sort | Brittany M. Jellison |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Ocean acidification is expected to degrade marine ecosystems, yet most studies focus on organismal‐level impacts rather than ecological perturbations. Field studies are especially sparse, particularly ones examining shifts in direct and indirect consumer interactions. Here we address such connections within tidepool communities of rocky shores, focusing on a three‐level food web involving the keystone sea star predator, Pisaster ochraceus, a common herbivorous snail, Tegula funebralis, and a macroalgal basal resource, Macrocystis pyrifera. We demonstrate that during nighttime low tides, experimentally manipulated declines in seawater pH suppress the anti‐predator behavior of snails, bolstering their grazing, and diminishing the top‐down influence of predators on basal resources. This attenuation of top‐down control is absent in pools maintained experimentally at higher pH. These findings suggest that as ocean acidification proceeds, shifts of behaviorally mediated links in food webs could change how cascading effects of predators manifest within marine communities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T04:26:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-78ce6225026a4a23a13b912c3181ca3c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T04:26:55Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-78ce6225026a4a23a13b912c3181ca3c2022-12-22T03:02:30ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582022-02-01122n/an/a10.1002/ece3.8607Low‐pH seawater alters indirect interactions in rocky‐shore tidepoolsBrittany M. Jellison0Kristen E. Elsmore1Jeffrey T. Miller2Gabriel Ng3Aaron T. Ninokawa4Tessa M. Hill5Brian Gaylord6Department of Biological Sciences University of New Hampshire Durham New Hampshire USABodega Marine Laboratory University of California Davis Bodega Bay California USAMinnesota Supercomputing Institute University of Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota USASmithsonian Environmental Research Center Edgewater Maryland USABodega Marine Laboratory University of California Davis Bodega Bay California USABodega Marine Laboratory University of California Davis Bodega Bay California USABodega Marine Laboratory University of California Davis Bodega Bay California USAAbstract Ocean acidification is expected to degrade marine ecosystems, yet most studies focus on organismal‐level impacts rather than ecological perturbations. Field studies are especially sparse, particularly ones examining shifts in direct and indirect consumer interactions. Here we address such connections within tidepool communities of rocky shores, focusing on a three‐level food web involving the keystone sea star predator, Pisaster ochraceus, a common herbivorous snail, Tegula funebralis, and a macroalgal basal resource, Macrocystis pyrifera. We demonstrate that during nighttime low tides, experimentally manipulated declines in seawater pH suppress the anti‐predator behavior of snails, bolstering their grazing, and diminishing the top‐down influence of predators on basal resources. This attenuation of top‐down control is absent in pools maintained experimentally at higher pH. These findings suggest that as ocean acidification proceeds, shifts of behaviorally mediated links in food webs could change how cascading effects of predators manifest within marine communities.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8607behaviorfield studyocean acidificationpredator‐preytidepooltrait mediated indirect interactions |
| spellingShingle | Brittany M. Jellison Kristen E. Elsmore Jeffrey T. Miller Gabriel Ng Aaron T. Ninokawa Tessa M. Hill Brian Gaylord Low‐pH seawater alters indirect interactions in rocky‐shore tidepools Ecology and Evolution behavior field study ocean acidification predator‐prey tidepool trait mediated indirect interactions |
| title | Low‐pH seawater alters indirect interactions in rocky‐shore tidepools |
| title_full | Low‐pH seawater alters indirect interactions in rocky‐shore tidepools |
| title_fullStr | Low‐pH seawater alters indirect interactions in rocky‐shore tidepools |
| title_full_unstemmed | Low‐pH seawater alters indirect interactions in rocky‐shore tidepools |
| title_short | Low‐pH seawater alters indirect interactions in rocky‐shore tidepools |
| title_sort | low ph seawater alters indirect interactions in rocky shore tidepools |
| topic | behavior field study ocean acidification predator‐prey tidepool trait mediated indirect interactions |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8607 |
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