The Combined Effects of Warming and Body Size on the Stability of Predator-Prey Interactions
Environmental temperature and body size are two prominent drivers of predation. Despite the ample evidence of their independent effects, the combined impact of temperature and predator-prey body size ratio on the strength and stability of trophic interactions is not fully understood. We experimental...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2021.772078/full |
| _version_ | 1818974771512082432 |
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| author | Pavel Kratina Benjamin Rosenbaum Benjamin Rosenbaum Bruno Gallo Bruno Gallo Elena L. Horas Elena L. Horas Eoin J. O’Gorman |
| author_facet | Pavel Kratina Benjamin Rosenbaum Benjamin Rosenbaum Bruno Gallo Bruno Gallo Elena L. Horas Elena L. Horas Eoin J. O’Gorman |
| author_sort | Pavel Kratina |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Environmental temperature and body size are two prominent drivers of predation. Despite the ample evidence of their independent effects, the combined impact of temperature and predator-prey body size ratio on the strength and stability of trophic interactions is not fully understood. We experimentally tested how water temperature alters the functional response and population stability of dragonfly nymphs (Cordulegaster boltonii) feeding on freshwater amphipods (Gammarus pulex) across a gradient of their body size ratios. Attack coefficients were highest for small predators feeding on small prey at low temperatures, but shifted toward the largest predators feeding on larger prey in warmer environments. Handling time appeared to decrease with increasing predator and prey body size in the cold environment, but increase at higher temperatures. These findings indicate interactive effects of temperature and body size on functional responses. There was also a negative effect of warming on the stability of predator and prey populations, but this was counteracted by a larger predator-prey body size ratio at higher temperatures. Here, a greater Hill exponent reduced feeding at low prey densities when predators were much larger than their prey, enhancing the persistence of both predator and prey populations in the warmer environment. These experimental findings provide new mechanistic insights into the destabilizing effect of warming on trophic interactions and the key role of predator-prey body size ratios in mitigating these effects. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T15:45:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e3cf06d51b7c4f0cbfbc428bd5289e41 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-701X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T15:45:21Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-e3cf06d51b7c4f0cbfbc428bd5289e412022-12-21T19:35:01ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution2296-701X2022-01-01910.3389/fevo.2021.772078772078The Combined Effects of Warming and Body Size on the Stability of Predator-Prey InteractionsPavel Kratina0Benjamin Rosenbaum1Benjamin Rosenbaum2Bruno Gallo3Bruno Gallo4Elena L. Horas5Elena L. Horas6Eoin J. O’Gorman7School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United KingdomEcoNetLab (Theory in Biodiversity Science), German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Leipzig, GermanyInstitute of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, GermanySchool of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United KingdomDepartment of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United KingdomSchool of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United KingdomLimnology—Aquatic Ecology and Evolution, Limnological Institute, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, GermanySchool of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, United KingdomEnvironmental temperature and body size are two prominent drivers of predation. Despite the ample evidence of their independent effects, the combined impact of temperature and predator-prey body size ratio on the strength and stability of trophic interactions is not fully understood. We experimentally tested how water temperature alters the functional response and population stability of dragonfly nymphs (Cordulegaster boltonii) feeding on freshwater amphipods (Gammarus pulex) across a gradient of their body size ratios. Attack coefficients were highest for small predators feeding on small prey at low temperatures, but shifted toward the largest predators feeding on larger prey in warmer environments. Handling time appeared to decrease with increasing predator and prey body size in the cold environment, but increase at higher temperatures. These findings indicate interactive effects of temperature and body size on functional responses. There was also a negative effect of warming on the stability of predator and prey populations, but this was counteracted by a larger predator-prey body size ratio at higher temperatures. Here, a greater Hill exponent reduced feeding at low prey densities when predators were much larger than their prey, enhancing the persistence of both predator and prey populations in the warmer environment. These experimental findings provide new mechanistic insights into the destabilizing effect of warming on trophic interactions and the key role of predator-prey body size ratios in mitigating these effects.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2021.772078/fullallometric scalingbody size ratioclimate warminggeneralized functional responsepredator-prey interactionsstability |
| spellingShingle | Pavel Kratina Benjamin Rosenbaum Benjamin Rosenbaum Bruno Gallo Bruno Gallo Elena L. Horas Elena L. Horas Eoin J. O’Gorman The Combined Effects of Warming and Body Size on the Stability of Predator-Prey Interactions Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution allometric scaling body size ratio climate warming generalized functional response predator-prey interactions stability |
| title | The Combined Effects of Warming and Body Size on the Stability of Predator-Prey Interactions |
| title_full | The Combined Effects of Warming and Body Size on the Stability of Predator-Prey Interactions |
| title_fullStr | The Combined Effects of Warming and Body Size on the Stability of Predator-Prey Interactions |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Combined Effects of Warming and Body Size on the Stability of Predator-Prey Interactions |
| title_short | The Combined Effects of Warming and Body Size on the Stability of Predator-Prey Interactions |
| title_sort | combined effects of warming and body size on the stability of predator prey interactions |
| topic | allometric scaling body size ratio climate warming generalized functional response predator-prey interactions stability |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2021.772078/full |
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