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Predator traits determine food-web architecture across ecosystems.

  • Brose U EcoNetLab, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany. Ulrich.brose@idiv.de.
  • Archambault P Département de Biologie, Takuvik, Québec-Océan, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
  • Barnes AD EcoNetLab, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
  • Bersier LF Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.
  • Boy T EcoNetLab, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
  • Canning-Clode J Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Quinta do Lorde Marina, Sítio da Piedade, Madeira Island, Portugal.
  • Conti E Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
  • Dias M Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
  • Digel C EcoNetLab, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
  • Dissanayake A School of Biological Sciences, Plymouth University, Plymouth, UK.
  • Flores AAV Centro de Biologia Marinha, Universidade de São Paulo, Rod. Manoel Hipólito do Rego, São Sebastião, Brazil.
  • Fussmann K EcoNetLab, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
  • Gauzens B EcoNetLab, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
  • Gray C Department of Life Sciences, Whitelands College, University of Roehampton, London, UK.
  • Häussler J EcoNetLab, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
  • Hirt MR EcoNetLab, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
  • Jacob U EcoNetLab, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
  • Jochum M Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
  • Kéfi S ISEM, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, IRD, EPHE, Montpellier, France.
  • McLaughlin O Great Barr Academy, Birmingham, UK.
  • MacPherson MM Institute of Marine Ecosystem and Fishery Science, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
  • Latz E EcoNetLab, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
  • Layer-Dobra K Imperial College London, Ascot, UK.
  • Legagneux P Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 CNRS and Université de La Rochelle, Villiers en Bois, France.
  • Li Y EcoNetLab, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
  • Madeira C Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
  • Martinez ND Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
  • Mendonça V Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
  • Mulder C Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
  • Navarrete SA Estación Costera de Investigaciones Marinas, Las Cruces, LINCGlobal, Center for Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
  • O'Gorman EJ School of Biological Sciences, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, UK.
  • Ott D Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
  • Paula J Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
  • Perkins D Department of Life Sciences, Whitelands College, University of Roehampton, London, UK.
  • Piechnik D Division of Biological and Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, Bradford, PA, USA.
  • Pokrovsky I Max-Planck Institute for Ornithology, Radolfzell, Germany.
  • Raffaelli D Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, York, UK.
  • Rall BC EcoNetLab, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
  • Rosenbaum B EcoNetLab, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
  • Ryser R EcoNetLab, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
  • Silva A CERIS, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
  • Sohlström EH EcoNetLab, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
  • Sokolova N Arctic research station of Institute of plant and animal ecology, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Labytnangi, Russia.
  • Thompson MSA Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft Laboratory, Lowestoft, UK.
  • Thompson RM Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Bruce, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
  • Vermandele F Université du Québec à Rimouski, Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Rimouski, Quebec, Canada.
  • Vinagre C Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
  • Wang S EcoNetLab, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
  • Wefer JM EcoNetLab, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
  • Williams RJ Rakuten Slice, San Mateo, CA, USA.
  • Wieters E Estación Costera de Investigaciones Marinas, Las Cruces, LINCGlobal, Center for Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
  • Woodward G Imperial College London, Ascot, UK.
  • Iles AC EcoNetLab, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
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  • 2019-05-22
Published in:
  • Nature ecology & evolution. - 2019
Animals
Body Size
Ecosystem
Food Chain
Predatory Behavior
Vertebrates
English Predator-prey interactions in natural ecosystems generate complex food webs that have a simple universal body-size architecture where predators are systematically larger than their prey. Food-web theory shows that the highest predator-prey body-mass ratios found in natural food webs may be especially important because they create weak interactions with slow dynamics that stabilize communities against perturbations and maintain ecosystem functioning. Identifying these vital interactions in real communities typically requires arduous identification of interactions in complex food webs. Here, we overcome this obstacle by developing predator-trait models to predict average body-mass ratios based on a database comprising 290 food webs from freshwater, marine and terrestrial ecosystems across all continents. We analysed how species traits constrain body-size architecture by changing the slope of the predator-prey body-mass scaling. Across ecosystems, we found high body-mass ratios for predator groups with specific trait combinations including (1) small vertebrates and (2) large swimming or flying predators. Including the metabolic and movement types of predators increased the accuracy of predicting which species are engaged in high body-mass ratio interactions. We demonstrate that species traits explain striking patterns in the body-size architecture of natural food webs that underpin the stability and functioning of ecosystems, paving the way for community-level management of the most complex natural ecosystems.
Language
  • English
Open access status
green
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Persistent URL
https://folia.unifr.ch/global/documents/184990
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