Consumer-resource body-size relationships in natural food webs

Brose, Ulrich; Jonsson, Tomas; Berlow, Eric L.; Warren, Philip; Banasek-Richter, Carolin; Bersier, Louis-Félix; Blanchard, Julia L.; Brey, Thomas; Carpenter, Stephen R.; Blandenier, Marie-France Cattin; Cushing, Lara; Dawah, Hassan Ali; Dell, Tony; Edwards, Francois; Harper-Smith, Sarah; Jacob, Ute; Ledger, Mark E.; Martinez, Neo D.; Memmott, Jane; Mintenbeck, Katja; Pinnegar, John K.; Rall, Björn C.; Rayner, Thomas S.; Reuman, Daniel C.; Ruess, Liliane; Ulrich, Werner; Williams, Richard J.; Woodward, Guy; Cohen, Joel E.

doi:10.1890/0012-9658(2006)87

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Journal article

Consumer-resource body-size relationships in natural food webs

Brose, Ulrich Department of Biology, Darmstadt University of Technology, Germany - Pacific Ecoinformatics and Computational Ecology Lab, Berkeley, USA -
Jonsson, Tomas Systems Biology Group, School of Life Sciences, University of Skövde, Sweden
Berlow, Eric L. Department of Biology, Darmstadt University of Technology, Germany - Pacific Ecoinformatics and Computational Ecology Lab, Berkeley, USA - University of California, Merced, Sierra Nevada Research Institute, Yosemite National Park, USA
Warren, Philip Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, UK
Banasek-Richter, Carolin Department of Biology, Darmstadt University of Technology, Germany
Bersier, Louis-Félix Department of Biology, Unit of Ecology and Evolution, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
Blanchard, Julia L. The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Suffolk, UK
Brey, Thomas Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Carpenter, Stephen R. Center for Limnology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA
Blandenier, Marie-France Cattin Zoological Institute, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Cushing, Lara Pacific Ecoinformatics and Computational Ecology Lab, Berkeley, USA
Dawah, Hassan Ali King Khalid University, College of Science, Department of Biology, Abha, Saudi Arabia
Dell, Tony Department of Zoology and Tropical Ecology, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia
Edwards, Francois School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, UK
Harper-Smith, Sarah Department of Biology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, USA
Jacob, Ute Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Ledger, Mark E. School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, UK
Martinez, Neo D. Pacific Ecoinformatics and Computational Ecology Lab, Berkeley, USA
Memmott, Jane School of Biological Sciences, Woodland Road, Bristol, UK
Mintenbeck, Katja Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Pinnegar, John K. The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Suffolk, UK
Rall, Björn C. Department of Biology, Darmstadt University of Technology, Germany
Rayner, Thomas S. Department of Zoology and Tropical Ecology, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia
Reuman, Daniel C. Laboratory of Populations, Rockefeller and Columbia Universities, New York, USA
Ruess, Liliane Institute of Soil Science, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
Ulrich, Werner Department of Animal Ecology, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, Poland
Williams, Richard J. Pacific Ecoinformatics and Computational Ecology Lab, Berkeley, USA -
Woodward, Guy School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, UK
Cohen, Joel E. Laboratory of Populations, Rockefeller and Columbia Universities, New York, USA

2006

Published in:

Ecology. - 2006, vol. 87, no. 10, p. 2411-2417

English It has been suggested that differences in body size between consumer and resource species may have important implications for interaction strengths, population dynamics, and eventually food web structure, function, and evolution. Still, the general distribution of consumer–resource body-size ratios in real ecosystems, and whether they vary systematically among habitats or broad taxonomic groups, is poorly understood. Using a unique global database on consumer and resource body sizes, we show that the mean body-size ratios of aquatic herbivorous and detritivorous consumers are several orders of magnitude larger than those of carnivorous predators. Carnivorous predator–prey body-size ratios vary across different habitats and predator and prey types (invertebrates, ectotherm, and endotherm vertebrates). Predator–prey body-size ratios are on average significantly higher (1) in freshwater habitats than in marine or terrestrial habitats, (2) for vertebrate than for invertebrate predators, and (3) for invertebrate than for ectotherm vertebrate prey. If recent studies that relate body-size ratios to interaction strengths are general, our results suggest that mean consumer–resource interaction strengths may vary systematically across different habitat categories and consumer types.

Faculty

Faculté des sciences et de médecine

Department

Département de Biologie

Language