Food sources of early colonising arthropods: The importance of allochthonous input

Ingimarsdóttir, María; Michelsen, Anders; Ripa, Jörgen; Hedlund, Katarina

doi:10.1016/j.pedobi.2013.09.004

Cited by 12 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Combining the findings from the current study with knowledge gained earlier (e.g., Ingimarsdottir, Michelsen, Ripa, & Hedlund, ; König et al., ; Raso et al., ), a pattern emerges on how predator communities on pioneer sites in front of receding glaciers are most likely sustained. First, local productivity is exploited and seems to be the main source of nutrients.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

Resolving the predator first paradox: Arthropod predator food webs in pioneer sites of glacier forelands

et al. 2018

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Primary succession on bare ground surrounded by intact ecosystems is, during its first stages, characterized by predator-dominated arthropod communities. However, little is known on what prey sustains these predators at the start of succession and which factors drive the structure of these food webs. As prey availability can be extremely patchy and episodic in pioneer stages, trophic networks might be highly variable. Moreover, the importance of allochthonous versus autochthonous food sources for these pioneer predators is mostly unknown. To answer these questions, the gut content of 1,832 arthropod predators, including four species of carabid beetles, two lycosid and several linyphiid spider species caught in early and late pioneer stages of three glacier forelands, was screened molecularly to track intraguild and extraguild trophic interactions among all major prey groups occurring in these systems. Two-thirds of the 2,310 identified food detections were collembolans and intraguild prey, while one-third were allochthonous flying insects. Predator identity and not successional stage or valley had by far the strongest impact on the trophic interaction patterns. Still, the variability of prey spectra increased significantly from early to late pioneer stage, as did the niche width of the predators. As such the structure of pioneer arthropod food webs in recently deglaciated Alpine habitats seems to be driven foremost by predator identity while site and early successional effects contribute to a lesser extent to food web variability. Our findings also suggest that in these pioneer sites, predatory arthropods depend less on allochthonous aeolian prey but are mainly sustained by prey of local production.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

Resolving the predator first paradox: Arthropod predator food webs in pioneer sites of glacier forelands

et al. 2018

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“…In addition, many other Diptera families, such as Anthomyidae, Cecidomyidae and Culicidae, are proportionally overrepresented in the gut content samples as compared to field samples, again indicating a preference independent of prey abundance in the environment. However, in contrast to the diet of wolf spiders in high alpine glacier forelands (Ingimarsdóttir, Michelsen, Ripa, & Hedlund, ; Raso et al., ), springtails and intraguild prey (i.e., other spider species) proved relatively unimportant prey for Pardosa glacialis . The present results demonstrate highly selective feeding by Pardosa spiders.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Assessing changes in arthropod predator–prey interactions through DNA‐based gut content analysis—variable environment, stable diet

et al. 2018

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Analysing the structure and dynamics of biotic interaction networks and the processes shaping them is currently one of the key fields in ecology. In this paper, we develop a novel approach to gut content analysis, thereby deriving a new perspective on community interactions and their responses to environment. For this, we use an elevational gradient in the High Arctic, asking how the environment and species traits interact in shaping predator-prey interactions involving the wolf spider Pardosa glacialis. To characterize the community of potential prey available to this predator, we used pitfall trapping and vacuum sampling. To characterize the prey actually consumed, we applied molecular gut content analysis. Using joint species distribution models, we found elevation and vegetation mass to explain the most variance in the composition of the prey community locally available. However, such environmental variables had only a small effect on the prey community found in the spider's gut. These observations indicate that Pardosa exerts selective feeding on particular taxa irrespective of environmental constraints. By directly modelling the probability of predation based on gut content data, we found that neither trait matching in terms of predator and prey body size nor phylogenetic or environmental constraints modified interaction probability. Our results indicate that taxonomic identity may be more important for predator-prey interactions than environmental constraints or prey traits. The impact of environmental change on predator-prey interactions thus appears to be indirect and mediated by its imprint on the community of available prey.

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“…Certain arthropods found in fallout or on sticky traps near Hardangervidda glacier in Norway clearly did not belong to the pioneer community and died soon after arrival [20]. There are also several examples of arthropods trapped in pitfall traps on Icelandic nunataks that were non-survivors [63]. Dead arthropods may, however, contribute to soil fertilization and facilitate the establishment of plants [22].…”

Section: Pristine Ground-both a Sink And A New Ecosystemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Collembola, the super-pioneers, evidently have a great ability to find food on newly exposed ground. Most authors have assumed that early Collembola are detritivores, decomposing blown-in dead organic material [13,59,63]. In the Norwegian study of their gut contents, pioneer Collembola were revealed to be mainly herbivores, grazing on diatom algae in biofilm or on tiny pioneer mosses.…”

Section: Pristine Ground-both a Sink And A New Ecosystemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This result was considered a support for Collembola as plant litter decomposers, but an alternative explanation is herbivory. In Iceland, the 13 C isotopes of Collembola resembled that of plants and lichens [63]. In the DNA-based documentation of an Austrian pioneer food web with Collembola as an important prey, it was concluded, "A logical next step would now be to investigate the food sources of collembolans in more detail as it is not clear how important allochthonous input (detritus) is for these springtails compared to local production by algae and microbes" [17].…”

Section: Pristine Ground-both a Sink And A New Ecosystemmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ecosystem Birth near Melting Glaciers: A Review on the Pioneer Role of Ground-Dwelling Arthropods

Hågvar

Gobbi

Kaufmann

et al. 2020

Insects

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As glaciers retreat, their forelands represent “natural laboratories” for the study of primary succession. This review describes how certain arthropods conquer pristine ground and develop food webs before the establishment of vascular plants. Based on soil samples, pitfall traps, fallout and sticky traps, gut content studies, and some unpublished data, we compare early arthropod succession on glacial forelands of northern Europe (Iceland, Norway including Svalbard, and Sweden) and of the Alps (Austria, Italy). While macroarthropod predators like ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae), harvestmen (Arachnida: Opiliones), and spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) have usually been considered as pioneers, assumed to feed on airborne prey, this review explains a different pattern. Here, we highlight that springtails (Collembola), probably feeding on biofilm made up of algae or cyanobacteria, are super-pioneers, even at high altitudes and under arctic conditions. We also point out that macroarthropod predators can use locally available prey, such as springtails or non-biting midges (Diptera: Chironomidae). Pioneer arthropod communities vary under different biogeographical and climatic conditions. Two pioneer food webs, from northern Europe and the Alps, respectively, differed in structure and function. However, certain genera and orders were common to both. Generalists and specialists live together in a pioneer community. Cold-adapted specialists are threatened by glacier melting.

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Food sources of early colonising arthropods: The importance of allochthonous input

Cited by 12 publications

References 30 publications

Resolving the predator first paradox: Arthropod predator food webs in pioneer sites of glacier forelands

Resolving the predator first paradox: Arthropod predator food webs in pioneer sites of glacier forelands

Assessing changes in arthropod predator–prey interactions through DNA‐based gut content analysis—variable environment, stable diet

Ecosystem Birth near Melting Glaciers: A Review on the Pioneer Role of Ground-Dwelling Arthropods

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