Top predators affect the composition of naive protist communities, but only in their early-successional stage
| Autor: | Louis-Félix Bersier, Axel Zander, Dominique Gravel, Sarah M. Gray |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2015 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Aquatic Organisms Food Chain Niche Biodiversity Sarracenia purpurea 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Models Biological Predation Food chain Animals Predator Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Ecosystem Apex predator biology Ecology 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology Community structure Water 15. Life on land biology.organism_classification Europe Plant Leaves Sarraceniaceae Predatory Behavior North America |
| Zdroj: | OECOLOGIA |
| ISSN: | 1432-1939 |
| Popis: | Introduced top predators have the potential to disrupt community dynamics when prey species are naive to predation. The impact of introduced predators may also vary depending on the stage of community development. Early-succession communities are likely to have small-bodied and fast-growing species, but are not necessarily good at defending against predators. In contrast, late-succession communities are typically composed of larger-bodied species that are more predator resistant relative to small-bodied species. Yet, these aspects are greatly neglected in invasion studies. We therefore tested the effect of top predator presence on early- and late-succession communities that were either naive or non-naive to top predators. We used the aquatic community held within the leaves of Sarracenia purpurea. In North America, communities have experienced the S. purpurea top predator and are therefore non-naive. In Europe, this predator is not present and its niche has not been filled, making these communities top-predator naive. We collected early- and late-succession communities from two non-naive and two naive sites, which are climatically similar. We then conducted a common-garden experiment, with and without the presence of the top predator, in which we recorded changes in community composition, body size spectra, bacterial density, and respiration. We found that the top predator had no statistical effect on global measures of community structure and functioning. However, it significantly altered protist composition, but only in naive, early-succession communities, highlighting that the state of community development is important for understanding the impact of invasion. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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