A call for applying trophic structure in ecological restoration

Fraser, Lauchlan H.; Harrower, William L.; Garris, Heath W.; Davidson, Scott Charles; Hebert, Paul D. N.; Howie, Rick; Moody, Anne I.; Polster, D.; Schmitz, Oswald J.; Sinclair, A. R. E.; Starzomski, Brian M.; Sullivan, Thomas P.; Turkington, Roy; Wilson, D.W.

doi:10.1111/rec.12225

Cited by 92 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 52 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…In particular, the re‐establishment of mammalian carnivores is increasingly promoted to restore ecosystem functionality, largely through the transference of consumer–resource dynamics and top‐down forcing (Ripple et al., ; Ritchie et al., ). Restoring these functional relationships among consumers, however, remains challenging (Fraser et al., ), mostly due to the dynamic nature of foraging ecology and the inability to quantify trophic interactions through space and time. Indeed, such predator‐driven ecological restoration hinges on Eltonian niche conservatism and the preservation of consumer–resource dynamics, but these processes remain poorly understood.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stable isotopes reveal limited Eltonian niche conservatism across carnivore populations

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Niche conservatism—the retention of ecological traits across space and time—is an emerging topic of interest because it can predict responses to global change. The conservation of Grinnellian niche characteristics, like species‐habitat associations, has received widespread attention, but the conservation of Eltonian traits such as consumer–resource interactions remains poorly understood. The inability to quantify Eltonian niches through space and time has historically limited the assessment of Eltonian niche conservatism and the dynamics of foraging across populations. Consequently, the relative influence of endogenous factors like phylogeny versus exogenous features like environmental context has rarely been addressed. We tested Eltonian niche conservatism using a paired design to compare foraging among four populations of American martens Martes americana and Pacific martens Martes caurina, morphologically and ecologically similar sister taxa that are allopatrically distributed throughout western North America. We developed a three‐stage isotopic framework and then quantified dietary niche overlap between the sister species and paired island‐mainland sites to assess the relative influence of endogenous (i.e., species) versus exogenous (i.e., environment) factors on Eltonian niches. First, we calculated pairwise dietary overlap in scaled δ‐space using standard ellipses. We then estimated proportional diets (“p‐space”) for individuals using isotopic mixing models and developed a novel utilization distribution overlap approach to quantify proportional dietary overlap. Lastly, we estimated population‐level proportional diets and quantified the differential use of functional prey groups across sites. We detected no pairwise overlap of dietary niches in δ‐space, and distributions of individual diets in p‐space revealed little overlap in core diets across populations. All pairwise comparisons of individuals revealed significant differences in diet, and population‐level comparisons detected contrasting use of functional prey groups. We developed a multi‐faceted isotopic framework to quantify Eltonian niches and found limited evidence of Eltonian niche conservatism across carnivore populations. Our findings are consistent with the growing recognition of dietary plasticity in consumers and suggest that consumer–resource dynamics are largely driven by exogenous environmental factors like land cover and community composition. These results illustrate the context‐dependent nature of foraging and indicate consumer functionality can be dynamic. A http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2435.13266/suppinfo is available for this article.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stable isotopes reveal limited Eltonian niche conservatism across carnivore populations

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…An understanding of the importance of species interactions is becoming a central part of modern restoration ecology (Holl et al ; Young et al ). Techniques for on‐the‐ground application of this understanding are currently emerging (Fraser et al ). Certain traits may make populations and processes less vulnerable to interaction disruption, whereas populations of species that lack these traits may be more at risk and could be placed on extinction trajectories as a result of interaction disturbance (Valiente‐Banuet et al ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leveraging nature's backup plans to incorporate interspecific interactions and resilience into restoration

Aslan

Bronstein

Rogers

et al. 2016

Restoration Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Interspecific interactions are important structuring forces in ecological communities. Interactions can be disturbed when species are lost from a community. When interactions result in fitness gains for at least one participating organism, that organism may experience reduced fitness as a result of interaction disturbance. However, many species exhibit traits that enable individuals to persist and reproduce in spite of such disruptions, resulting in resilience to interaction disturbance. Such traits can result in interaction generalization, phenotypic and behavioral plasticity, and adaptive capacity. We discuss examples of these traits and use case studies to illustrate how restoration practitioners can use a trait-based approach to examine species of concern, identify traits that are associated with interspecific interactions and are relevant to resilience, and target such traits in restoration. Restoration activities that bolster interaction resilience could include, for example, reintroducing or supporting specific functional groups or managing abiotic conditions to reduce interaction dependence by at-risk species (e.g. providing structural complexity offering shelter and cover). Resilience may also be an important consideration in species selection for restoration. Establishment of resilient species, able to persist after interaction disturbance, may be essential to restoring to a functioning ecological community. Once such species are present, they could help support more specialized species that lack resilience traits, such as many species of concern. Understanding the conditions under which processes linked to resilience may enable species to persist and communities to reform following interaction disturbance is a key application of community ecology to ecological restoration.

show abstract

“…In contrast, designed food webs may 7 have specific aesthetic and functional goals that likely will require constant attention and maintenance to be self-sustaining, stable, and resilient [6]. Zoos provide an interesting example of a designed environment that prioritizes form and stability over ecological dynamics.…”

Section: Designed Food Webs Will Require Attention and Maintenancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The first has been referred to as the "field of dreams" hypothesis [28-29], which we call "build-it-and-they-will-come" (BITWC): put the plants in the ground and the animals, fungi, and microbes will follow. This approach is used in many landscape design, restoration, and reintroduction projects [6], and there are many examples of successful BITWC restoration projects in natural areas or areas with relatively light human footprints (e.g., [30]). Second, many food webs in urban environments arise indirectly as "unintended side effects of land management" (USELM).…”

Section: The Unintentional Consequences Of Habitat Constructionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ecological restoration projects provide a useful, albeit inexact, parallel. For example, Fraser et al [6] advocated the intentional incorporation or recreation of habitat structure and the deliberate introduction of top predators in restored ecosystems to make them more resilient and self-sustaining. Active management is likely to be required in urban environments to define or limit the broader species pool, maintain particular trophic dynamics, or engender specific ecosystem services.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Designer food webs: from build-it-and-they-will-come to intentionality-in-design

Felson

Ellison

2017

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Anthropogenic landscapes provide opportunities for ecologists to deliberately and intentionally design urban food webs. Ecologists working as full, collaborative partners with designers can construct functional food webs for urban environments that benefit society. As a first step, ecologists can learn to partner with designers by translating ecological knowledge at scales relevant to design strategies and decision-making. Building relationships at multiple intersections within a designed project is essential for fostering co-generated strategies to achieve functional food webs in a designed and aesthetic urban context. Designing diverse, self-sustaining, urban food webs will require testing, monitoring, and adaptive management. Here, we discuss relevant ecological theory and explore case studies illustrating aspects of the design process and opportunities for designing and constructing food webs.

show abstract

A call for applying trophic structure in ecological restoration

Cited by 92 publications

References 52 publications

Stable isotopes reveal limited Eltonian niche conservatism across carnivore populations

Stable isotopes reveal limited Eltonian niche conservatism across carnivore populations

Leveraging nature's backup plans to incorporate interspecific interactions and resilience into restoration

Designer food webs: from build-it-and-they-will-come to intentionality-in-design

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About