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451 results for “food webs”
Data and code for: Recently established predators rewire food webs simplified by extinction
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Data from: Evolution mediates the effects of apex predation on aquatic food webs
Ecological and evolutionary mechanisms are increasingly thought to shape local community dynamics. Here, I evaluate if the local adaptation of a meso-predator to an apex predator alters local food webs. The marbled salamander (Ambystoma opacum) is an apex predator that consumes both the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) and shared zooplankton prey. Common garden experiments reveal that spotted salamander populations which co-occur with marbled salamanders forage more intensely than those that face other predator species. These foraging differences, in turn, alter the diversity, abundance and composition of zooplankton communities in common garden experiments and natural ponds. Locally adapted spotted salamanders exacerbate prey biomass declines associated with apex predation, but dampen the top-down effects of apex predation on prey diversity. Countergradient selection on foraging explains why locally adapted spotted salamanders exacerbate prey biomass declines. The two salamander species prefer different prey species, which explains why adapted spotted salamanders buffer changes in prey composition owing to apex predation. Results suggest that local adaptation can strongly mediate effects from apex predation on local food webs. Community ecologists might often need to consider the evolutionary history of populations to understand local diversity patterns, food web dynamics, resource gradients and their responses to disturbance.
Data from: Species traits as drivers of food web structure
The use of functional traits to describe community structure is a promising approach to reveal generalities across organisms and ecosystems. Plant ecologists have demonstrated the importance of traits in explaining community structure, competitive interactions as well as ecosystem functioning. The application of trait-based methods to more complex communities such as food webs is however more challenging owing to the diversity of animal characteristics and of interactions. The objective of this study was to determine how functional structure is related to food web structure. We consider that food web structure is the result of 1) the match between consumer and resource traits, which determine the occurence of a trophic interaction between them, and 2) the distribution of functional traits in the community. We implemented a statistical approach to assess whether or not 35 466 pairwise interactions between soil organisms are constrained by trait-matching and then used a Procrustes analysis to investigate correlations between functional indices and network properties across 48 sites. We found that the occurrence of trophic interactions is well predicted by matching the traits of the resource with those of the consumer. Taxonomy and body mass of both species were the most important traits for the determination of an interaction. As a consequence, functional evenness and the variance of certain traits in the community were correlated to trophic complementarity between species, while trait identity, more than diversity, was related to network topology. The analysis was however limited by trait data availability, and a coarse resolution of certain taxonomic groups in our dataset. These limitations explain the importance of taxonomy, as well as the complexity of the statistical model needed. Our results outline the important implications of trait composition on ecological networks, opening promising avenues of research into the relationship between functional diversity and ecosystem functioning in multi-trophic systems.
Figure 6 in Natural history of a South African insect pollinator assemblage (Insecta: Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera): diagnostic notes, food web analysis and conservation recommendations
Figure 6. Adults of species of Cetoniinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) from the Skukuza Ranger District, Kruger National Park, Republic of South Africa. (a) Amazula suavis; (b) Dischista cincta; (c) Dischista rufa; (d) Discopeltis bellula; (e) Leucocelisa methystina; (f) Leucocelis vitticollis; (g) Mausoleopsis amabilis; (h–j) three colour forms of Clinteroides permutans; (k) Pachnoda sinuata flaviventris (l) Pedinorrhina trivittata; (m) Rhabdotis albinigra; (n, o) two colour forms of Phoxomela umbrosa; (p) Phoxomeloides laticincta. Photos by A.P. Marais.
Figure 7 in Natural history of a South African insect pollinator assemblage (Insecta: Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera): diagnostic notes, food web analysis and conservation recommendations
Figure 7. Adults of species of Cetoniinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) on flowers in the Skukuza Ranger District, Kruger National Park, Republic of South Africa.(a) Pedinorrhina trivittata on flowers of Peltophorum africanum; (b) Leucocelis amethystina on flowers of Acacia nilotica; (c) Leucocelis vitticollis on flowers of Peltophorum africanum; (d) Mausoleopsis amabilis on flowers of Peltophorum africanum; (e) Amazula suavis on flowers of Terminalia sericea; (f) Rhabdotis albinigra on flowers of Flueggea virosa; (g) Phoxomela umbrosa on flowers of Dalbergia melanoxylon: (h) Dischista cincta on flowers of Flueggea virosa.
Figure 3 in Natural history of a South African insect pollinator assemblage (Insecta: Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera): diagnostic notes, food web analysis and conservation recommendations
Figure 3. Our sampling activities included visual inspection of flowering trees and shrubs, and photographic documentation of insect pollinators and floral visitors (left image), as well as insect specimen voucher collection (right image).
Figure 13 in Natural history of a South African insect pollinator assemblage (Insecta: Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera): diagnostic notes, food web analysis and conservation recommendations
Figure 13. Plant-pollinator food web diagram for trees and shrubs that flower during the early rainy season in the Skukuza Ranger District, Kruger National Park, Republic of South Africa. The diagram links the known or likely pollinator species (right-hand side of diagram) with their associated plant species (left-hand side of diagram). Connectance values (defined as the number of observed interactions for a species, divided by the number of possible interactions for that species) for individual plant species ranged between 0.06 and 0.46, with an average connectance value across all plant species of 0.19 (standard deviation of 0.13). Connectance values for individual pollinator species ranged between 0.04 and 0.67, with an average connectance value across all pollinator species of 0.20 (standard deviation of 0.17).
Figure 12 in Natural history of a South African insect pollinator assemblage (Insecta: Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera): diagnostic notes, food web analysis and conservation recommendations
Figure 12. Summary of floral colouration and floral phenology characteristics for flowering tree and shrub species that we observed in the Skukuza Ranger District, Kruger National Park, Republic of South Africa. Numbers indicate percentages of the 27 tree and shrub species included in this study.
Figure 10 in Natural history of a South African insect pollinator assemblage (Insecta: Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera): diagnostic notes, food web analysis and conservation recommendations
Figure 10. Adults of species of the carpenter bee genus Xylocopa (Hymenoptera: Apidae) observed in the Skukuza Ranger District, Kruger National Park, Republic of South Africa. (a) X. caffra female; (b) X. caffra male; (c) X. inconstans female; (d) X. inconstans male; (e) X. flavorufa female; (f) X. lugubris female; (g) X. flavorufa male.
Figure 11 in Natural history of a South African insect pollinator assemblage (Insecta: Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera): diagnostic notes, food web analysis and conservation recommendations
Figure 11. Characteristic growth forms of common tree and shrub species in the Skukuza Ranger District, Kruger National Park, Republic of South Africa. (a) Peltophorum africanum; (b) Terminalia prunioides; (c) Terminalia sericea; (d) Grewia flavescens; (e) Acacia exuvialis; (f) Acacia nigrescens; (g) Acacia tortilis; (h) Dichrostachys cinerea; (i) Ziziphus mucronata.
Figure 2 in Natural history of a South African insect pollinator assemblage (Insecta: Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera): diagnostic notes, food web analysis and conservation recommendations
Figure 2. Schematic diagram showing our sampling framework as deployed along the road segments listed in the Appendix, centred along tourist roads, gravel roads and firebreak roads in the Skukuza Ranger District of the Kruger National Park. Floral visitors of flowering trees and shrubs located within 30 m of the road edge in each road segment were surveyed as part of our field effort.
Figure 9 in Natural history of a South African insect pollinator assemblage (Insecta: Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera): diagnostic notes, food web analysis and conservation recommendations
Figure 9. Adult females of the carpenter bee Xylocopa caffra (Hymenoptera: Apidae) on or near flowers of Peltophorum africanum, photographed in the Skukuza Ranger District, Kruger National Park, Republic of South Africa.
Figure 1 in Natural history of a South African insect pollinator assemblage (Insecta: Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera): diagnostic notes, food web analysis and conservation recommendations
Figure 1. Map of the Republic of South Africa, showing the location of the Kruger National Park and the Skukuza Ranger District.
Figure 8 in Natural history of a South African insect pollinator assemblage (Insecta: Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera): diagnostic notes, food web analysis and conservation recommendations
Figure 8. Adult of the day-flying moth Arniocera auriguttata (Lepidoptera: Thyrididae) on flowers of the shrub Flueggea virosa, photographed along the Sabie River in the Skukuza Ranger District, Kruger National Park, Republic of South Africa.
Figure 5 in Natural history of a South African insect pollinator assemblage (Insecta: Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera): diagnostic notes, food web analysis and conservation recommendations
Figure 5. Adults of species of Cleridae and Lycidae (Coleoptera) from the Skukuza Ranger District, Kruger National Park, Republic of South Africa. (a) Aphelochroa sanguinalis (Cleridae); (b) Lycus trabeatus male (Lycidae); (c) Aphelochroa sanguinea (Cleridae); (d) Lycus trabeatus female (Lycidae).
Figure 4 in Natural history of a South African insect pollinator assemblage (Insecta: Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera): diagnostic notes, food web analysis and conservation recommendations
Figure 4. Examples of high-resolution digital images showing pollen grains adhering to insect floral visitors. (a) Pedinorrhina trivittata on flowers of Acacia grandicornuta. (b) Leucocelis amethystina on flowers of Acacia grandicornuta. (c) pair of Leucocelis vitticollis on flowers of Peltophorum africanum. White arrows point to areas where pollen is adhering to the insect's integument.
Species diversity and food web structure jointly shape natural biological control in agricultural landscapes
<p>Land-use change and agricultural intensification concurrently impact natural enemy (e.g., parasitoid) communities and their associated ecosystem services (ESs), i.e., biological pest control. However, the extent to which (on-farm) parasitoid diversity and food webs mediate landscape-level influences on biological control remains poorly understood. Here, drawing upon a 3-year study of quantitative parasitoid-hyperparasitoid trophic networks from 25 different agro-landscapes, we assess the cascading effects of landscape composition, species diversity and trophic network structure on ecosystem functionality (i.e., parasitism, hyperparasitism). Path analysis further reveals causality leading to the biological control of a resident crop pest, i.e., <i>Aphis gossypii</i>. Functionality is dictated by (hyper)parasitoid diversity, with its effects modulated by food web generality and vulnerability. Non-crop habitat cover directly benefits biological control, whereas secondary crop cover indirectly lowers hyperparasitism. Our work underscores a need to simultaneously account for on-farm biodiversity and trophic interactions when investigating ESs within dynamic agro-landscapes.</p>
Third and fourth trophic level composition shift in an aphid-parasitoid-hyperparasitoid food web limits aphid control in an intercropping system
<p>1. Understanding how resource diversification affects ecological interactions, food web structure and ecosystem functioning is essential in both fundamental and applied ecology. While plant diversification strategies (either in- or around-field) are often proposed in agricultural landscapes as practices to improve the biological control of herbivores by natural enemies, results remain variable and unsure.</p> <p>2. Here, we studied the effect of an in-field diversification practice (the intercropping of leguminous crops within cereal fields, an increasingly common practice but with inconsistent results on biological control) on cereal aphid control and the structure of a cereal-aphid-parasitoid-hyperparasitoid food web for two years.</p> <p>3. We report that aphid control was not increased in mixed fields, nor was cereal parasitoid diversity and food web complexity. Nevertheless, the provision of alternative hosts in mixed fields led to a functional community composition shift, favouring generalist parasitoid species over specialist ones.</p> <p>4. Moreover, we observed a higher hyperparasitism rate in mixed fields, suggesting that secondary parasitoids were favoured by alternative resources, which may have disrupted aphid control by primary parasitoids.</p> <p>5.<i> Synthesis and applications.</i> This study demonstrates that parasitoid community composition shift and increased top-down control by the fourth trophic level can impact parasitoid efficiency to control herbivores. These results highlight the necessity to study fine-scale mechanisms within food webs to be able to set-up efficient methods to support biodiversity and associated ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes.</p>
Global and local drivers of the relative importance of allochthonous and autochthonous energy sources to freshwater food webs
<p>Resource quantity (i.e., organic matter; OM) is a main driver of the prevailing energy pathway in freshwater food webs. The OM pool is mainly composed of allochthonous material, a primary resource for freshwater consumers. Contrastingly, small amounts of autochthonous OM (i.e., algae) can subsidize aquatic communities due to its higher nutritional quality. To date, there is no consensus about the relative importance of allochthonous and autochthonous OMs for freshwater food webs or the environmental factors driving their relative importance. We fill this gap by evaluating the relative importance of allochthonous and autochthonous OM sources for freshwater food webs on a global scale through a meta-analytical approach. We gathered the outcome of stable isotope mixing models of 2,789 cases from 58 published studies and calculated a response ratio between the mean contributions of allochthonous and autochthonous OM for freshwater consumers. Using mixed-effect models and a multimodel inference approach, we tested the influence of latitude, habitat type, ecosystem size, climate, and terrestrial productivity over the response ratio. The relative contribution of autochthonous was higher in lotic systems. In lentic systems, increasing terrestrial productivity increased the relative contribution of autochthonous OM, while increasing precipitation and temperature seasonality reduced this relative contribution. We suggested that factors increasing terrestrial productivity might also boost autochthonous OM in these systems, while precipitation increases the transport of allochthonous OM to freshwater habitats. We did not find any relationship between environmental factors and the relative contribution of autochthonous OM for lotic systems. We concluded that the relative contribution of allochthonous and autochthonous energy sources to freshwater food webs differs between lotic and lentic ecosystems and it is dependent on multiple environmental factors.</p>
Data for: Exogenous carbon turnover within the soil food web strengthens soil carbon sequestration through microbial necromass accumulation
<p>Exogenous carbon turnover within soil food web is important in determining the trade-offs between soil organic carbon (SOC) storage and carbon emission. However, it remains largely unknown how soil food web influences carbon sequestration through mediating the dual roles of microbes as decomposers and contributors, hindering our ability to develop policies for soil carbon management. Here, we conducted a 13C-labeled straw experiment to demonstrate how soil food web regulated the residing microbes to influence the soil carbon transformation and stabilization process after 11 years no-tillage. Our work demonstrated that soil fauna, as a "temporary storage container", indirectly influenced the SOC transformation processes and mediated the SOC sequestration through feeding on soil microbes. Soil biota communities acted as both drivers of and contributors to SOC cycling, with 32.0% of exogenous carbon being stabilizing in the form of microbial necromass as "new" carbon. Additionally, the proportion of mineral-associated organic carbon and particulate organic carbon showed that the "renewal effect" driven by the soil food web promoted the SOC to be more stable. Our study clearly illustrated that soil food web regulated the turnover of exogenous carbon inputs and mediated soil carbon sequestration through microbial necromass accumulation.</p>
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