Thermal acclimation of interactions: differential responses to temperature change alter predator–prey relationship

Different species respond differently to environmental change so that species interactions cannot be predicted from single-species performance curves. We tested the hypothesis that interspecific difference in the capacity for thermal acclimation modulates predator–prey interactions. Acclimation of locomotor performance in a predator (Australian bass, Macquaria novemaculeata ) was qualitatively different to that of its prey (eastern mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki ). Warm (25°C) acclimated bass made more attacks than cold (15°C) acclimated fish regardless of acute test temperatures (10–30°C), and greater frequency of attacks was associated with increased prey capture success. However, the number of attacks declined at the highest test temperature (30°C). Interestingly, escape speeds of mosquitofish during predation trials were greater than burst speeds measured in a swimming arena, whereas attack speeds of bass were lower than burst speeds. As a result, escape speeds of mosquitofish were greater at warm temperatures (25°C and 30°C) than attack speeds of bass. The decline in the number of attacks and the increase in escape speed of prey means that predation pressure decreases at high temperatures. We show that differential thermal responses affect species interactions even at temperatures that are within thermal tolerance ranges. This thermal sensitivity of predator–prey interactions can be a mechanism by which global warming affects ecological communities.

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Evaluating the influence of predator–prey interactions on stock assessment and management reference points for a large lake ecosystem

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/cjfas-2014-0414 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 73 (9) ◽

pp. 1372-1388 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Hiroyuki Kurota ◽

Murdoch K. McAllister ◽

Eric A. Parkinson ◽

N.T. Johnston

Keyword(s):

Species Interactions ◽

Single Species ◽

Reference Points ◽

Management Policy ◽

Management Approach ◽

Lake Ecosystem ◽

Large Lake ◽

Ecosystem Models ◽

Predator Prey ◽

Results Management

Ecosystem models are thought to offer advantages over single-species models in terms of management policy analysis. This hypothesis has proven difficult to test because of underlying system complexities, coupled with short time series and minimal contrast in environmental conditions or management policies. This paper presents a Bayesian statistical catch-at-age model to compare ecosystem models and test hypotheses about the management of a recreational fishery based on a predator–prey system using a relatively simple and data-rich ecosystem in a large lake, Kootenay Lake, British Columbia, where kokanee (Oncorhynchus nerka) are the prey and piscivorous rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) are the predator. A model that explicitly incorporates the predator–prey interaction explained long-term data of field and fishery surveys much better than single-species models without any interactions. Minimally realistic multispecies models that treated predation identically but differed in their representation of the effects of prey abundance on predator mortality produced quite different results. Management reference points, for example, differed considerably between the models. Our study thus emphasizes that the choice of a management approach for this type of fishery will depend strongly on the model form and should take into consideration results from empirically based models that include species interactions.

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The impacts of different management strategies and environmental forcing in ecological communities

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2006.3611 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 273 (1600) ◽

pp. 2491-2499 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Katja Enberg ◽

Mike S Fowler ◽

Esa Ranta

Keyword(s):

Species Interactions ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Single Species ◽

Target Population ◽

Population Management ◽

Community Response ◽

Ecological Communities ◽

Target Species ◽

Community Members ◽

Environmental Forcing

Understanding the effects of population management on the community a target species belongs to is of key importance for successful management. It is known that the removal or extinction of a single species in a community may lead to extinctions of other community members. In our study, we assess the impacts of population management on competitive communities, studying the response of both locally stable and unstable communities of varying size (between four and 10 species) to three different management strategies; harvesting of a target species, harvesting with non-targeted catch, and stocking of the target species. We also studied the consequences of selecting target species with different relative abundances, as well as the effects of varying environmental conditions. We show here how the effects of management in competitive communities extend far beyond the target population. A crucial role is played by the underlying stability properties of the community under management. In general, locally unstable communities are more vulnerable to perturbation through management. Furthermore, the community response is shown to be sensitive to the relative density of the target species. Of considerable interest is the result that even a small (2.5%) increase in the population size of the target species through stocking may lead to extinction of other community members. These results emphasize the importance of considering and understanding multi-species interactions in population management.

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Drifting Phenologies Cause Reduced Seasonality of Butterflies in Response to Increasing Temperatures

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects9040174 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 174 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Zachariah Gezon ◽

Rebekah Lindborg ◽

Anne Savage ◽

Jaret Daniels

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Species Interactions ◽

Single Species ◽

Trophic Levels ◽

Butterfly Species ◽

Similar Species ◽

Ecological Communities ◽

Science Data ◽

Data Set ◽

Ecological Changes

Climate change has caused many ecological changes around the world. Altered phenology is among the most commonly observed effects of climate change, and the list of species interactions affected by altered phenology is growing. Although many studies on altered phenology focus on single species or on pairwise species interactions, most ecological communities are comprised of numerous, ecologically similar species within trophic groups. Using a 12-year butterfly monitoring citizen science data set, we aimed to assess the degree to which butterfly communities may be changing over time. Specifically, we wanted to assess the degree to which phenological sensitivities to temperature could affect temporal overlap among species within communities, independent of changes in abundance, species richness, and evenness. We found that warming winter temperatures may be associated with some butterfly species making use of the coldest months of the year to fly as adults, thus changing temporal co-occurrence with other butterfly species. Our results suggest that changing temperatures could cause immediate restructuring of communities without requiring changes in overall abundance or diversity. Such changes could have fitness consequences for individuals within trophic levels by altering competition for resources, as well as indirect effects mediated by species interactions across trophic levels.

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Environmental variability uncovers disruptive effects of species' interactions on population dynamics

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2015.1126 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 282 (1812) ◽

pp. 20151126 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Sara Gudmundson ◽

Anna Eklöf ◽

Uno Wennergren

Keyword(s):

Population Dynamics ◽

White Noise ◽

Food Webs ◽

Species Interactions ◽

Environmental Variability ◽

Single Species ◽

Ecological Communities ◽

Species Response ◽

To Come ◽

Isolated Species

How species respond to changes in environmental variability has been shown for single species, but the question remains whether these results are transferable to species when incorporated in ecological communities. Here, we address this issue by analysing the same species exposed to a range of environmental variabilities when (i) isolated or (ii) embedded in a food web. We find that all species in food webs exposed to temporally uncorrelated environments (white noise) show the same type of dynamics as isolated species, whereas species in food webs exposed to positively autocorrelated environments (red noise) can respond completely differently compared with isolated species. This is owing to species following their equilibrium densities in a positively autocorrelated environment that in turn enables species–species interactions to come into play. Our results give new insights into species' response to environmental variation. They especially highlight the importance of considering both species' interactions and environmental autocorrelation when studying population dynamics in a fluctuating environment.

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Evaluating Coexistence of Fish Species with Coastal Cutthroat Trout in Low Order Streams of Western Oregon and Washington, USA

Fishes ◽

10.3390/fishes6010004 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 4

Author(s):

Kyle D. Martens ◽

Jason Dunham

Keyword(s):

Pacific Northwest ◽

Species Interactions ◽

Coho Salmon ◽

Cutthroat Trout ◽

Single Species ◽

The Pacific ◽

Small Streams ◽

Coastal Cutthroat Trout ◽

Multiple Species ◽

Low Order

When multiple species of fish coexist there are a host of potential ways through which they may interact, yet there is often a strong focus on studies of single species without considering these interactions. For example, many studies of forestry–stream interactions in the Pacific Northwest have focused solely on the most prevalent species: Coastal cutthroat trout. To examine the potential for interactions of other fishes with coastal cutthroat trout, we conducted an analysis of 281 sites in low order streams located on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula and along the central Oregon coast. Coastal cutthroat trout and juvenile coho salmon were the most commonly found salmonid species within these streams and exhibited positive associations with each other for both presence and density. Steelhead were negatively associated with the presence of coastal cutthroat trout as well as with coho salmon and sculpins (Cottidae). Coastal cutthroat trout most frequently shared streams with juvenile coho salmon. For densities of these co-occurring species, associations between these two species were relatively weak compared to the strong influences of physical stream conditions (size and gradient), suggesting that physical conditions may have more of an influence on density than species interactions. Collectively, our analysis, along with a review of findings from prior field and laboratory studies, suggests that the net effect of interactions between coastal cutthroat trout and coho salmon do not appear to inhibit their presence or densities in small streams along the Pacific Northwest.

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Sustainable exploitation of temperate fish stocks

Biology Letters ◽

10.1098/rsbl.2009.0516 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 124-127 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Henrik Sparholt ◽

Robin M. Cook

Keyword(s):

Species Interactions ◽

Fishery Management ◽

Regional Scale ◽

Single Species ◽

Fishing Effort ◽

Theoretical Concept ◽

Maximum Sustainable Yield ◽

Production Model ◽

The Status ◽

Long Time

The theory of maximum sustainable yield (MSY) underpins many fishery management regimes and is applied principally as a single species concept. Using a simple dynamic biomass production model we show that MSY can be identified from a long time series of multi-stock data at a regional scale in the presence of species interactions and environmental change. It suggests that MSY is robust and calculable in a multispecies environment, offering a realistic reference point for fishery management. Furthermore, the demonstration of the existence of MSY shows that it is more than a purely theoretical concept. There has been an improvement in the status of stocks in the Northeast Atlantic, but our analysis suggests further reductions in fishing effort would improve long-term yields.

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Consumer sexual dimorphism promotes coexistence among competing resources

10.1101/634782 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Stephen P. De Lisle ◽

Gonzalo Hernando ◽

Daniel I. Bolnick

Keyword(s):

Sexual Dimorphism ◽

Species Interactions ◽

Natural Populations ◽

Salient Feature ◽

Apparent Competition ◽

Species Variation ◽

Ecological Communities ◽

Key Factor ◽

Classical Models ◽

Resource Dynamics

AbstractWithin-species variation is a salient feature of natural populations, of substantial importance for species interactions. However, the community consequences of sexual dimorphism, one of the most ubiquitous sources of within-species variance, remains poorly understood. Here, we extend classical models of consumer-resource dynamics to explore the ecological consequences of consumer sexual dimorphism. We show that sexual dimorphism in consumer attack rates on two different resource species promotes coexistence between those resources, mitigating the effects of both apparent competition and direct interspecific competition. Consumer sexual dimorphism can prevent exclusion of a resource with inferior growth rates because reduction in any of the two resources reduces consumer density, generating negative frequency dependence that stabilizes coexistence between resources. Our work highlights ecological sex differences as a potentially key factor governing the assembly of ecological communities, illustrating that the specific source of within-species variance can have important implications for community ecology.

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Impacts of predator-mediated interactions along a climatic gradient on the population dynamics of an alpine bird

10.1101/2020.01.30.926212 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Diana E. Bowler ◽

Mikkel A. J. Kvasnes ◽

Hans C. Pedersen ◽

Brett K. Sandercock ◽

Erlend B. Nilsen

Keyword(s):

Population Dynamics ◽

Species Interactions ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Boreal Ecosystems ◽

Prey Switching ◽

Predator Prey ◽

Classic Theory ◽

Species Population ◽

Cyclic Dynamics ◽

Ground Nesting

AbstractAccording to classic theory, species’ population dynamics and distributions are less influenced by species interactions under harsh climatic conditions compared to under more benign climatic conditions. In alpine and boreal ecosystems in Fennoscandia, the cyclic dynamics of rodents strongly affect many other species, including ground-nesting birds such as ptarmigan. According to the ‘alternative prey hypothesis’ (APH), the densities of ground-nesting birds and rodents are positively associated due to predator-prey dynamics and prey-switching. However, it remains unclear how the strength of these predator-mediated interactions change along a climatic harshness gradient in comparison with the effects of climatic variation. We built a hierarchical Bayesian model to estimate the sensitivity of ptarmigan populations to interannual variation in climate and rodent occurrence across Norway during 2007–2017. Ptarmigan abundance was positively linked with rodent occurrence, consistent with the APH. Moreover, we found that rodent dynamics had stronger effects on ptarmigan in colder regions. Our study highlights how species interactions play an important role for the population dynamics of species at higher latitudes and suggests that they can become even more important in the most climatically harsh regions.

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Multispecies integrated population model reveals bottom-up dynamics in a seabird predator-prey system

10.1101/2020.06.26.174250 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Maud Quéroué ◽

Christophe Barbraud ◽

Frédéric Barraquand ◽

Daniel Turek ◽

Karine Delord ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breeding Success ◽

Species Interactions ◽

Interspecific Interactions ◽

Demographic Parameters ◽

Multiple Sources ◽

Bottom Up ◽

Climate Conditions ◽

Predator Prey ◽

Relative Contribution ◽

Prey System

AbstractAssessing the effects of climate and interspecific relationships on communities is challenging because of the complex interplay between species population dynamics, their interactions, and the need to integrate information across several biological levels (individuals – populations – communities). Usually used to quantify species interactions, integrated population models (IPMs) have recently been extended to communities. These models allow fitting multispecies matrix models to data from multiple sources while simultaneously accounting for various sources of uncertainty in each data source. We used multispecies IPMs accommodating climate conditions to quantify the relative contribution of climate vs. interspecific interactions on demographic parameters, such as survival and breeding success, in the dynamics of a predator-prey system. We considered a stage-structured predator–prey system combining 22 years of capture–recapture data and population counts of two seabirds, the Brown Skua (Catharacta lönnbergi) and its main prey the Blue Petrel (Halobaena caerulea) both breeding on the Kerguelen Islands in the Southern Ocean. Our results showed that climate and predator-prey interactions drive the demography of skuas and petrels in different ways. The breeding success of skuas appeared to be largely driven by the number of petrels and to a lesser extent by intraspecific density-dependence. In contrast, there was no evidence of predation effects on the demographic parameters of petrels, which were affected by oceanographic factors (chlorophyll a and sea surface temperature anomalies). We conclude that bottom-up mechanisms are the main drivers of this skua-petrel system. We discuss the mechanisms by which climate variability and predator-prey relationships may affect the demographic parameters of these seabirds. Taking into account both species interactions and environmental covariates in the same analysis improved our understanding of species dynamics.

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Gene by environmental interactions affecting oxidative phosphorylation and thermal sensitivity

AJP Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajpregu.00008.2016 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 311 (1) ◽

pp. R157-R165 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Tara Z. Baris ◽

Pierre U. Blier ◽

Nicolas Pichaud ◽

Douglas L. Crawford ◽

Marjorie F. Oleksiak

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Phosphorylation ◽

Complex I ◽

Thermal Sensitivity ◽

Single Species ◽

Mitochondrial Haplotype ◽

Acclimation Temperature ◽

Atp Production ◽

Acute Response ◽

Relative Contribution ◽

Mitochondrial Genotype

The oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) pathway is responsible for most aerobic ATP production and is the only metabolic pathway with proteins encoded by both nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. In studies examining mitonuclear interactions among distant populations within a species or across species, the interactions between these two genomes can affect metabolism, growth, and fitness, depending on the environment. However, there is little data on whether these interactions impact natural populations within a single species. In an admixed Fundulus heteroclitus population with northern and southern mitochondrial haplotypes, there are significant differences in allele frequencies associated with mitochondrial haplotype. In this study, we investigate how mitochondrial haplotype and any associated nuclear differences affect six OxPhos parameters within a population. The data demonstrate significant OxPhos functional differences between the two mitochondrial genotypes. These differences are most apparent when individuals are acclimated to high temperatures with the southern mitochondrial genotype having a large acute response and the northern mitochondrial genotype having little, if any acute response. Furthermore, acute temperature effects and the relative contribution of Complex I and II depend on acclimation temperature: when individuals are acclimated to 12°C, the relative contribution of Complex I increases with higher acute temperatures, whereas at 28°C acclimation, the relative contribution of Complex I is unaffected by acute temperature change. These data demonstrate a complex gene by environmental interaction affecting the OxPhos pathway.

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