Variation in consumer pressure along 2500 km in a major upwelling system: crab predators are more important at higher latitudes

Musrri, Catalina A.; Poore, Alistair G. B.; Hinojosa, Iván A.; Macaya, Erasmo C.; Pacheco, Aldo S.; Pérez‐Matus, Alejandro; Pino-Olivares, Oscar; Riquelme-Pérez, Nicolás; Stotz, Wolfgang; Valdivia, Nelson; Villalobos, Vieia; Thiel, Martín

doi:10.1007/s00227-019-3587-0

Cited by 17 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 93 publications

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“…Our study provides a novel integration of large-scale experimental and observational approaches to explore interactions among communities of predators and prey. Our results expand the growing literature that shows stronger predation at lower latitudes in both marine and terrestrial systems (Schemske et al 2009, Roslin et al 2017, Reynolds et al 2018, Hargreaves et al 2019, Longo et al 2019, Freestone et al 2020, but contrast with studies that find consumption rates of standardized bait can peak at midlatitudes for some groups of marine predators (Musrri et al 2019, Roesti et al 2020, Whalen et al 2020. Subsets of predators may demonstrate different consumption patterns across latitude because of differences in abundance and composition of specific predator taxa or geographic variation in abiotic patterns along different coastlines.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Stronger predation intensity and impact on prey communities in the tropics

Freestone

Torchin

Jurgens

et al. 2021

Ecology

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The hypothesis that biotic interactions strengthen toward lower latitudes provides a framework for linking community-scale processes with the macroecological scales that define our biosphere. Despite the importance of this hypothesis for understanding community assembly and ecosystem functioning, the extent to which interaction strength varies across latitude and the effects of this variation on natural communities remain unresolved. Predation in particular is central to ecological and evolutionary dynamics across the globe, yet very few studies explore both community-scale causes and outcomes of predation across latitude. Here we expand beyond prior studies to examine two important components of predation strength: intensity of predation (including multiple dimensions of the predator guild) and impact on prey community biomass and structure, providing one of the most comprehensive examinations of predator-prey interactions across latitude. Using standardized experiments, we tested the hypothesis that predation intensity and impact on prey communities were stronger at lower latitudes. We further assessed prey recruitment to evaluate the potential for this process to mediate predation effects. We used sessile marine invertebrate communities and their fish predators in nearshore environments as a model system, with experiments conducted at 12 sites in four regions spanning the tropics to the subarctic. Our results show clear support for an increase in both predation intensity and impact at lower relative to higher latitudes. The predator guild was more diverse at low latitudes, with higher predation rates, longer interaction durations, and larger predator body sizes, suggesting stronger predation intensity in the tropics. Predation also reduced prey biomass and altered prey composition at low latitudes, with no effects at high latitudes. Although recruitment rates were up to three orders of magnitude higher in the tropics than the subarctic, prey replacement through this process was insufficient to dampen completely the strong impacts of predators in the tropics. Our study provides a novel perspective on the biotic interaction hypothesis, suggesting that multiple components of the predator community likely contribute to predation intensity at low latitudes, with important consequences for the structure of prey communities.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Stronger predation intensity and impact on prey communities in the tropics

Freestone

Torchin

Jurgens

et al. 2021

Ecology

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“…In studies using squidpops, predation is typically driven by multiple trophic groups including planktivorous and omnivorous fish as well as invertebrates (i.e. Duncan et al, 2019; Musrri et al, 2019), and may not be capturing what we would consider as predatory interactions/piscivory. In contrast, our results showed that both omnivores and piscivores attacked the dome, suggesting it provides a more reliable proxy of piscivory.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predation domes: In‐situ field assays to measure predatory behaviours by fish

et al. 2023

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Biotic interactions such as predation are difficult ecological processes to quantify in the wild. This is especially the case in the marine environment due to logistical difficulties in capturing animal behaviour. Common approaches use aquarium‐based experiments, live‐tethering, or assays with bait as proxies for quantifying predation pressure. However, these methods often fail to account for natural interactions between species in the wild and may raise ethical and animal welfare concerns. We designed a novel field‐based method to quantify predator–prey interactions for marine fishes. The “predation dome” is a clear acrylic aquarium that contains a live fish. The dome is filmed and, in contrast to other methods, it allows for natural olfactory and visual cues, and the prey fish is returned to the wild after the assay. Here, we provide a step‐by‐step guide on building and deploying the predation dome in the wild. To demonstrate its use, we quantified predation pressure using the domes in two tropical and two temperate locations. Piscivores were attracted to the domes and displayed predatory behaviours such as circling or striking. Although the overall number of predatory attacks did not differ among locations, predation domes revealed higher predation pressure by piscivores at the tropical locations in comparison to temperate reefs. Our results show that predation domes represent an ethical and complementary approach to measure predation that may better represent piscivory as compared to other behaviours. Predation domes can be also used to measure other biotic interactions such as territorial defence or courtship.

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“…27 Laboratorio MARINAR, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru. 28 Asociacion Conservaccion, Lima, Peru. 29 Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Concepción, Chile.…”

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“…We recognize that predation effects may differ for marine communities in other habitat types, including those where macroinvertebrates exert strong predation effects ( 3 , 27 ). More specifically, other studies in marine systems have shown a variety of patterns ( 8 , 9 , 28 ), which may reflect physical differences among habitats, taxonomic composition of predator or prey groups, smaller spatial scales, or less replication.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Predator control of marine communities increases with temperature across 115 degrees of latitude

Ashton

Freestone

Duffy

et al. 2022

Science

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Early naturalists suggested that predation intensity increases toward the tropics, affecting fundamental ecological and evolutionary processes by latitude, but empirical support is still limited. Several studies have measured consumption rates across latitude at large scales, with variable results. Moreover, how predation affects prey community composition at such geographic scales remains unknown. Using standardized experiments that spanned 115° of latitude, at 36 nearshore sites along both coasts of the Americas, we found that marine predators have both higher consumption rates and consistently stronger impacts on biomass and species composition of marine invertebrate communities in warmer tropical waters, likely owing to fish predators. Our results provide robust support for a temperature-dependent gradient in interaction strength and have potential implications for how marine ecosystems will respond to ocean warming.

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Variation in consumer pressure along 2500 km in a major upwelling system: crab predators are more important at higher latitudes

Cited by 17 publications

References 93 publications

Stronger predation intensity and impact on prey communities in the tropics

Stronger predation intensity and impact on prey communities in the tropics

Predation domes: In‐situ field assays to measure predatory behaviours by fish

Predator control of marine communities increases with temperature across 115 degrees of latitude

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