Climate change effects on predator–prey interactions

Laws, Angela

doi:10.1016/j.cois.2017.06.010

Cited by 73 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…We observed that population sizes are low at the margins of the altitudinal distribution. Factors influencing population persistence and disappearance are probably distinct for the two different boundaries (Chen et al, ; Hill et al, ; Laws, ). Abiotic factors such as elevated temperature, plant quality and reduced moisture probably interact with top‐down factors such as predation by the specialist wasp and fly predators to limit beetle population persistence at low elevations (Rank, ); in contrast, abiotic factors such as short growing season, cooler temperatures, reduced water vapour pressure and limited oxygen supply may interact with bottom‐up factors such as variability in food quality to limit populations at upper elevations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Getting chased up the mountain: High elevation may limit performance and fitness characters in a montane insect

Dahlhoff

Grainger

et al. 2019

Functional Ecology

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Climate change is expected to shift species distributions as populations grow in favourable habitats and decline in harsh ones. Montane animals escape warming conditions at low elevation by moving upslope, but may be physiologically constrained by conditions there. Effects of elevation were studied for montane populations of the leaf beetle Chrysomela aeneicollis, where allele frequencies at nuclear genes and the mitochondrion vary along latitudinal and altitudinal gradients. A population presence survey conducted along a steep altitudinal transect (1,600–3,800 m) from 1981 to 2018 revealed that populations expand to low elevation following wet winters and retreat during drought. Quantitative surveys of a 45‐site population network conducted from 2012 to 2018 along multiple altitudinal transects show that when beetles are abundant, population size peaks at 3,135 m, highest altitude populations are at the southern edge of the range, and populations decline and extirpate during drought, especially at low elevation. To examine effects of elevation on measures of performance and fitness, beetles from a genetically introgressed population (Bishop Creek) were examined. In nature, fecundity of females transplanted along natural altitudinal transects was measured, as was thorax cytochrome c oxidase (CytOx) activity. To examine effects of environmental hypoxia independent of other factors limiting persistence at high elevation, development rate and activity of malate dehydrogenase (MDH) were measured for larvae reared under otherwise common garden conditions at low (1,250 m) and high (3,800 m) elevation. In nature, fecundity declined with increasing elevation, independent of air temperature. CytOx activity was higher at high than low elevation, especially for individuals possessing genotypes of southern origin. Laboratory‐reared larvae with southern mitochondrial haplotypes developed equally well at both elevations, but larvae with northern haplotypes developed more slowly at high elevation. MDH activity showed a similar pattern, suggesting that slower development rates at high elevation may be due to reduction in metabolic rate. These findings suggest that physiological effects of environmental hypoxia may contribute to other factors known to restrict insects’ ability to persist at high elevation, ultimately disrupting associated ecological communities. However, some populations may possess genetic variation that allows for local adaption to high elevation. A plain language summary is available for this article.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Getting chased up the mountain: High elevation may limit performance and fitness characters in a montane insect

Dahlhoff

Grainger

et al. 2019

Functional Ecology

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“…Temperature plays a major role in the interaction intensity between predators and prey (Laws, 2017). Higher temperature increases predation rate relative to prey reproduction, which intensifies topdown control of prey (Hoekman, 2010;Kishi, Murakami, Nakano, & Maekawa, 2005;Rosenblatt & Schmitz, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many studies consider interaction strengths to be fairly fixed when applied in ecological models (e.g., Berlow et al, 2009), although it is well known that temperature affects predation rates (Dell, Pawar, & Savage, 2011;Laws, 2017). However, it is little studied how temperature and thermal history affects predator-prey interactions as well as parameters essential for these interactions such as predator locomotion and metabolic physiology (Clusella-Trullas, Terblanche, & Chown, 2010;McCue, Boardman, Clusella-Trullas, Kleynhans, & Terblanche, 2016;Williams et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prey‐specific impact of cold pre‐exposure on kill rate and reproduction

Jensen

Sigsgaard

Sørensen

et al. 2018

Journal of Animal Ecology

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Temperature influences biological processes of ectotherms including ecological interactions, but interaction strengths may depend on species‐specific traits. Furthermore, ectotherms acclimate to prevailing thermal conditions by adjusting physiological parameters, which often implies costs to other fitness‐related parameters. Both predators and prey may therefore pay thermal acclimation costs following exposure to suboptimal temperatures. However, these costs may be asymmetrical between predator and prey, and between the predator and different species of concurrent prey. We investigated whether thermal pre‐exposure affected subsequent kill rate and predator fitness when foraging on prey that differ in ease of capture, and whether changes were primarily caused by predator or by prey pre‐exposure effects. Specifically, we were interested in whether there were interactions between predator pre‐exposed temperature and specific prey. Using the mesostigmatid mite Gaeolaelaps aculeifer as a generalist predator and the collembolans Folsomia candida and Protaphorura fimata as prey, we measured the impact of present temperature, predator pre‐exposure temperature, prey pre‐exposure temperature (all 10 or 20°C), prey species, and all interactions on prey numbers killed, predator eggs produced, and exploitation of killed prey in a full factorial design. Mites killed P. fimata in equal numbers independent of the presence of F. candida, but killed F. candida when P. fimata was absent. Mite kill rate and reproduction were significantly affected by mite pre‐exposure temperature and test temperature, but not by prey pre‐exposure temperature. Significantly more of the slower prey was killed than of the quicker prey. Importantly, we found significant synergistic negative interaction effects between predator cold pre‐exposure and hunting prey of higher agility on predator kill rate and reproduction. Our findings show that the negative effects of cold and cold pre‐exposure on kill rate and reproduction may be more severe when predators forage on quick prey. The study implies that predator cold exposure has consequences for specific prey survival following cold due to altered predation pressures, which in nature should influence the specific prey population dynamics and apparent competition outcomes. The findings exemplify how not only current but also preceding conditions affect ecological interactions, and that effect strength depends on the species involved.

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“…It has become increasingly clear during the last decades that soil biodiversity and related ecosystem services are extremely threatened by climate change [5,6], through changes in species demographic parameters, species interactions [7,8], and eventually cascading effects on ecosystem processes [9,10]. As predator-prey interactions are a key structuring force in population dynamics [11,12], understanding the effects of climate change on these interactions is of primary importance to predict soil ecosystem responses.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing temperature and decreasing specific leaf area amplify centipede predation impact on Collembola

Santonja

Aupic-Samain

Forey

et al. 2018

European Journal of Soil Biology

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Collembola is an abundant group of soil organisms playing a major role on litter decomposition process and nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems. Habitat structure strongly influences Collembola assemblages as plant litter physical characteristics and quantity provide structural niches and determine the outcome of their interactions with predators. Collembola are also extremely sensitive to environmental conditions such as soil temperature that control their demographic parameters and activity. In this context, increasing temperature with the ongoing climate change can have strong impact on Collembola assemblages and their responses to predation either directly by altering their behaviour or indirectly by altering their habitat structure. We therefore examined how the increase of temperature combined to the decrease of specific leaf area (SLA, a major functional plant trait) of the European common oak (Quercus robur L.) and the presence of a centipede predator (Chilopoda: Lithobiidae) will affect the abundance of Folsomia candida (Collembola: Isotomidae) in a 5-week microcosm experiment. Increasing temperature, decreasing SLA and presence of centipede altered F. candida abundance. We observed a significant temperature × predation interaction suggesting differential effects of increasing temperature on F. candida abundance with and without predator. We also observed a significant SLA × predation interaction highlighting that lower SLA decreases F. candida abundance only in predator presence. Finally, our findings evidenced that increasing temperature and decreasing SLA amplify the negative effect of centipede predation on F. candida abundance, suggesting that both direct and indirect effects of climate change would conjointly strengthen the top-down control of predators on preys.

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Climate change effects on predator–prey interactions

Cited by 73 publications

References 63 publications

Getting chased up the mountain: High elevation may limit performance and fitness characters in a montane insect

Getting chased up the mountain: High elevation may limit performance and fitness characters in a montane insect

Prey‐specific impact of cold pre‐exposure on kill rate and reproduction

Increasing temperature and decreasing specific leaf area amplify centipede predation impact on Collembola

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